Alex Wood – Page 2 – Dodger Thoughts

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Rehab news glowing for Kershaw & Co.

On July 14, 2016

In Health/injuries

By Jon Weisman

It was an absolutely lovely day at Dodger Stadium today. Mild warmth. A refreshing breeze.

As the shadows made their way across the field at the 5 o’clock hour, Clayton Kershaw and Brett Anderson emerged from the clubhouse and played catch. And it wasn’t tentative. It was glove-poppin’, “we mean business” catch.

While more Dodgers trickled onto the field for an informal workout tonight, the last night before returning to action with a 10-game road trip that begins Friday at Arizona, Dave Roberts spoke to reporters about the state of several injured players — Kershaw, Anderson, Joc Pederson, Alex Wood, Andre Ethier, Yimi Garcia. And everything was just about as glowing as that magic late-afternoon sunlight.

Brandon McCarthy to start Sunday for Dodgers

On July 1, 2016

In Health/injuries

Brandon McCarthy throws during Spring Training in February. (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

Brandon McCarthy throws at Spring Training in February. (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

Alongside Yosuke Nakajima, McCarthy leaves his final 2015 start.

By Jon Weisman

Brandon McCarthy is starting Sunday for the Dodgers. Not the Oklahoma City Dodgers. Not another Dodgers farm team. The Los Angeles Dodgers.

McCarthy last pitched for the Dodgers on April 25, 2015, shortly before he was diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. The expectation at the time was that he would be out until July 2016, and here we are.

Dave Roberts, who revealed the McCarthy news today, said there is no specific pitch limit on McCarthy, who turns 33 on July 7. In his fourth and most recent rehab start, McCarthy went five innings and 72 pitches for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga. He’ll be on five days’ rest

“He’s a full go,” Roberts said. “We kind of sped it up a little bit because of the circumstances, but Brandon’s excited about getting back and being active, and we expect him to pitch well on Sunday.

“With the circumstance of what happened to Kersh in Pittsburgh, we figured we had some options. In talking to Brandon and figuring out where he’s at, with this trade, things kind of fell in line with his start date.”

Julio Urías, whose turn in the rotation was to come Sunday, will instead make an Independence Day start on five days’ rest.

Dodgers place Kiké Hernandez on disabled list

On June 29, 2016

In Health/injuries, Transactions

By Jon Weisman

Kiké Hernández has been placed on the 15-day disabled list (retroactive to June 28) with left rib cage inflammation by the Dodgers, who also transferred Alex Wood from the 15-day to the 60-day disabled list.

Tonight’s starting pitcher, Brock Stewart, will take their spots on the active and 40-man rosters.

Urías starts tonight, but for how much longer?

On June 17, 2016

In Health/injuries, Pitching

By Jon Weisman

Tonight’s starting pitcher, Julio Urías, has thrown 58 professional innings this season. Dave Roberts said Thursday that the plan was to give Urias two more starts, then evaluate.

Most interpreted this as Roberts saying that Urías would be shut down in the manner of Ross Stripling, who hasn’t pitched in a game since May. To be clear, though, that wasn’t stated explicitly by Roberts, who simply said, “we’ll go from there.”

Last year, Urías threw 80 1/3, and the year before, a career-high 87 2/3. Even in the unlikely event of two complete games, Urías would still be at 76 innings on the year. Two six-inning outings would put Urías at 70. Presumably, Urías can go incrementally above the 80-plus inning range that he has previously reached.

So the question would be whether it makes sense to use all those innings now, while the Dodgers wait for the return of Brandon McCarthy, Hyun-Jin Ryu and Alex Wood from the disabled list (and longer down the road, Brett Anderson). Or do they have Urías take the break, and the ramp him up again in the second half of the season, when the rotation might be more crowded — not that there couldn’t be other setbacks.

Dodgers pitch three-hitter but lose in Chicago

On June 1, 2016

By Jon Weisman

In their past three games against each other, Elias Sports told us today, the Dodgers and Cubs became the first pair of teams in Major League history to play three consecutive games with a no-hitter or one-hitter:

There was Jake Arrieta’s no-hitter in the final meeting between the teams last year, plus back-to-back one hitters, one by each team, Monday and Tuesday.

Tonight, offense ran wild. Chicago exploded for three hits, while the Dodgers went bananas and got four. Unfortunately for the Dodgers, the team with fewer hits won.

Wood headed to disabled list, Urias returning to Majors

On May 31, 2016

In Health/injuries, Transactions

Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers

Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers

By Jon Weisman

Alex Wood, whose most recent start was delayed three days because of left triceps soreness, is now going on the 15-day disabled list with left posterior elbow soreness, and 19-year-old Julio Urias is returning to the Dodgers.

Pending any shuffling of the Dodgers’ rotation, Urias would be scheduled to pitch Saturday in Los Angeles against the Braves.

Julio Urias returning to Triple-A

On May 28, 2016

In Pregame, Transactions

Dodgers at Mets, 4:15 p.m.
Chase Utley, 2B
Corey Seager, SS
Justin Turner, 3B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Trayce Thompson, RF
Joc Pederson, CF
Howie Kendrick, LF
Yasmani Grandal, C
Kenta Maeda, P

By Jon Weisman

Julio Urias said he had the best day of his life when he made his Major League debut Friday. His next big-league appearance won’t come right away, however, because the Dodgers have decided to option him back to Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Right-handed reliever Casey Fien will take Urias’ spot on the 25-man roster, as well as the 40-man roster spot of minor-league outfielder James Ramsey, who has been designated for assignment.

Urias was forthcoming in his postgame comments following his 81-pitch, 2 2/3-inning start in New York, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, including the admission that he was nervous.

Andrew Friedman discusses Urias, Wood, Ryu, Bolsinger

On May 26, 2016

In Front office, Status report

[milbvideo id=”657718883″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]

By Jon Weisman

Dodger president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman fielded questions on a conference call from New York late today, mainly on Julio Urias but also on the status of Mike Bolsinger, Alex Wood and Hyun-Jin Ryu. Here are Friedman’s comments (the questions are paraphrased):

When was the decision to promote Urias made?

We’ve had a lot of conversations in the last month about Julio, thinking through different ideas in terms how he can help us win games. It’s not just a case of assessing his talent and seeing if he could help us, it’s also about finishing off some development — also the workload and how to manage that going forward. When this (left triceps soreness) came up with Woody, it made it obviously much easier in that we needed someone who’d be able to go Friday.

Julio Urias to make MLB debut Friday

On May 26, 2016

In Minor leagues, Transactions

Julio Urias

Matthew Mesa/Los Angeles Dodgers

By Jon Weisman

A big dose of news this morning: The Dodgers have announced that on Friday, they will purchase the contract of 19-year-old left-hander Julio Urias, who will make his Major League debut that evening in New York against the Mets.

Urias will be taking the scheduled start of Alex Wood, who is resting because of left triceps soreness. Wood, who had 13 strikeouts in 91 pitches during his most recent start May 21 (with 43 strikeouts and a 2.67 ERA in his past 30 1/3 innings) is now scheduled to take the mound Monday in Chicago.

The Dodgers will announce a 40-man roster move Friday to make room for Urias’ contract.

Alex Wood sets career high in strikeouts with 13

On May 21, 2016

Denis Poroy/Getty Images

Denis Poroy/Getty Images

By Jon Weisman

Alex Wood struck gold as he struck out almost every San Diego Padre he faced tonight.

In only six innings, the 25-year-old set a career high with 13 strikeouts, then left the game with two runners on and the Dodgers clinging to a 2-1 lead. San Diego would then tie the game in the bottom of the seventh, and for the second night in a row, the outcome was left to the teams’ bullpens.

Wily Wood, Sockin’ Seager not enough for Dodgers

On May 15, 2016

By Jon Weisman

Alex Wood extended his Dodger Stadium mastery another six innings (one run, five baserunners, five strikeouts), but another dominant streak ended a moment too soon for the Dodgers.

Alex Wood: The most extreme home-road Dodger

On May 15, 2016

In Dodger Stadium, Pitching

By Jon Weisman

You might be aware that Alex Wood’s home-road splits as a Dodger are poles apart, but we’re not talking your typical North and South Poles. We’re talking the North Pole on Earth and the South Pole on Neptune.

How so?

No starting pitcher in Los Angeles Dodger history has a lower home ERA than Wood’s 2.00 in eight starts.
One starting pitcher* in Los Angeles Dodger history has a higher road ERA than Wood’s 6.79 ERA in 11 starts.

If you include Wood’s time with Atlanta, he has a career 1.78 ERA at Dodger Stadium — a full five runs better than what he’s done on the road as a Dodger.

So yeah, Wood comes across as a wee bit happy to pitch at Chavez Ravine (if also a wee bit inconsistent overall). The formula gets put to the test in tonight’s 5 p.m. game against St. Louis. For the second time in his Dodger career, the 25-year-old Wood is making a second consecutive start at home.

Road rash burns Wood in Tampa Bay

Mike Carlson/Getty Images

Mike Carlson/Getty Images

By Jon Weisman

Alex Wood still can’t shake the roadrunner blues.

Wood has made 18 starts as a Dodger. He has a 2.08 ERA in 47 2/3 home innings and, after allowing four earned runs in five innings tonight at Tampa Bay, a 6.79 ERA in 55 2/3 road innings.

Home runs hadn’t been the problem, but they were in this game. The 25-year-old left-hander had only one home run in his five starts this season — and for that matter, four in his 10 previous road starts as a Dodger — before giving up three tonight.

The third one was a crusher — a three-run shot by Rays cleanup hitter Steve Pearce that broke a 2-2 tie in the sixth inning and put Tampa Bay ahead to stay in a 8-5 victory.

Alex Wood seeks more than just a homecoming

On April 19, 2016

Alex Wood has seven quality starts in 14 total starts with the Dodgers since being acquired in July. (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

Alex Wood has seven quality starts in 14 total starts with the Dodgers since being acquired in July. (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

Dodgers at Braves, 4:10 p.m.
Chase Utley, 2B
Corey Seager, SS
Justin Turner, 3B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Yasiel Puig, RF
Yasmani Grandal, C
Howie Kendrick, LF
Joc Pederson, CF
Alex Wood, P

By Jon Weisman

When Thomas Wolfe’s “You Can’t Go Home Again” was published in 1940, it flew in the face of Major League Baseball’s reserve clause, which forced players into homecomings year after year.

Then again, Wolfe had died two years earlier, so by that point, he really couldn’t go home again.

Anyway, the return of University of Georgia alum and former Braves lefty Alex Wood to Atlanta tonight is front of mind for the 24-year-old pitcher, as these stories Mike DiGiovanna of the Times and Ken Gurnick of MLB.com indicate.

“I’ve had it circled on my calendar for a while,” Wood said, according to Gurnick. “I’m excited about it, have a lot of family coming in for it, my friends. That’s where I lived. It’ll be fun, for sure.”

Dustin Nosler of Dodgers Digest takes the opportunity to reconcile the apparent contradiction between Wood’s increased velocity and decreased strikeout rate in 2016.

“Wood is making up for the lack of strikeouts by getting a lot of ground balls,” Nosler wrote. “He’s seventh in the majors with a 63.2 percent ground ball rate. He’s also getting some of the softest contact of any starter (35 percent).”

Giants needed to walk before running over Dodgers

On April 7, 2016

By Jon Weisman

When Alex Wood took the mound to start the bottom of the fifth inning today at San Francisco, he had a 4-0 lead and a 31-inning scoreless streak by Dodger pitching behind him.

One of the unsung aspects of that streak was that the Dodgers had gone 23 straight innings without walking a batter. Wood had done his part, zipping through his first four innings with first-pitch strikes to 14 of the 15 batters he had faced. Three Giants had hits in three different innings, but each was stranded without much drang, let alone any sturm.

For whatever reason, when Wood began pitching in the fifth, he lost command. His first three pitches to Brandon Crawford missed, and then after getting two called strikes, Wood missed badly for what became the Dodgers’ third walk of the season.

Kelby Tomlinson, pinch-hitting for Jake Peavy, then laid down a bunt that died on the grass just inside fair territory. Suddenly, for the first time all season, a Dodger opponent had two on with none out.

On such little events do seasons make their first pivot.

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