By Jon Weisman
Who are those guys again?
- Paul Maholm has been slowed for precautionary reasons by some elbow tenderness. He threw on flat ground today.
… “I’m just being smart and understand what’s needed to prepare for the season,” Maholm told Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. “I only really missed one bullpen session today and I expect to throw a bullpen Saturday, and it won’t set me back.” …
- Yasiel Puig was held out of action today after fouling a ball off his right leg yesterday. According to the Dodger press notes, Puig will not undergo any further testing at this time and is expected to be a full participant in tomorrow’s workout.
… “There was a little swelling and we don’t see the need to have him limp around out there,” Don Mattingly told Gurnick. “We feel he’ll be back tomorrow.” …
- Gurnick added that Zach Lee returned to the mound for a short bullpen session for the first time in 10 days after suffering a mild lat strain.
- “Tim Federowicz was limited in workouts Tuesday after feeling tightness in his side during blocking drills,” writes Bill Plunkett of the Register in a notebook item. “He was back to full participation Wednesday.”
- The Dodgers will play intrasquad games Sunday (with pitchers Matt Magill, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Chris Perez, Brian Wilson, Kenley Jansen and J.P. Howell) and Monday (Stephen Fife, Dan Haren, Chris Reed, Paco Rodriguez and Jamey Wright) on the back fields of Camelback Ranch.
- Miguel Rojas spoke to Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles about his anxiety over political violence in his home of Venezuela. “Rojas’ wife lives 35 minutes from Caracas, the nation’s capital and the center of unrest,” Saxon writes. “Rojas said she scarcely leaves the house these days.” J.P. Hoornstra has more at the Daily News.
Brandon League talked about his 2013 season with Dylan Hernandez of the Times.
… “It was not just one thing,” he said. “It was not just mechanical. It wasn’t just preparation. It was one thing one time, something else another time.” …
- “Meanwhile, reliever Jose Dominguez tried out a new slider grip suggested by legendary lefty Sandy Koufax and reported improved downward break on the pitch,” reports Gurnick for MLB.com.
- Non-roster catcher Miguel Olivo, looking for a career rebirth, is the subject of this Saxon piece for ESPN Los Angeles. The 35-year-old has 145 career home runs. Random note: Only two catchers have hit that many for the Dodgers, Roy Campanella and Mike Piazza. In fact, since making his MLB debut in 2002, Olivo has nearly outhomered everyone who has played catcher for the Dodgers in that time:
- Russell Martin 53
- A.J. Ellis 25
- Paul Lo Duca 25
- Rod Barajas 21
- Dioner Navarro 10
- Jason Phillips 7
- Tim Federowicz 4
- Ramon Hernandez 2
- Chad Kreuter 2
- Matt Treanor 2
- Danny Ardoin 1
- Brad Ausmus 1
- Gary Bennett 1
- Mike Rose 1
- Total 155
- Baseball America has released its top 100 prospects list. The Dodgers’ usual suspects are there: Joc Pederson (34), Corey Seager (37), Julio Urias (51 and the youngest player in the 100) and Zach Lee (95). Dustin Nosler sums up the spectrum of propsect lists at Dodgers Digest.
- The Dodgers rank second behind St. Louis in Jonah Keri’s “Offseason Stock Report” for Grantland.
- David Schoenfield of ESPN.com explains why he thinks the Dodgers are the biggest lock of any team to win their division.
- Eastern Park, where the Brooklyn baseball team played from 1891-97, is the subject of this piece by Ernest Reyes at Blue Heaven.
… Eastern Park is said to be the birthplace of the famous Dodger name. It is believed that this is the stadium where the nickname “Trolley Dodgers” came about. The trolley and rail lines, that were located directly to the east of the stadium, were a constant hazard to fans attending games. Frankly, this last item was a surprise to me as I began my research on this stadium. I had always thought that Ebbets Field was were it originated, but that appears to not be the case. …
- Former Dodger pitcher Chris Capuano has reportedly agreed to terms on a deal with the Boston Red Sox. With more is Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston.
