Kenta Maeda looks away from the second time around the bases by Noah Syndergaard. (Harry How/Getty Images)
By Jon Weisman
The first time was a shocker. The second time was a stunner.
No, this isn’t about the two home runs Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard allowed. It’s about the two he hit.
By Jon Weisman
In the cover story for the latest issue of Dodger Insider magazine, Kenta Maeda — tonight’s starting pitcher for the Dodgers — speaks to Cary Osborne about the differences between Japan and the United States, and the adjustments he has been making.
“I was the ace of the staff in Japan,” said Maeda, who enters tonight’s game with a 1.66 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 35 strikeouts in 38 innings. “Coming over here, I need to prove myself again to hopefully eventually be in that position.”
Rick Honeycutt and Dave Roberts chime in to discuss why Maeda is capable of transcending in this journey across the Pacific.
Read the entire story by clicking here.
Beginning this year, the Dodgers merged their previously separate Playbill and Dodger Insider magazines into one publication (at least 80 pages per issue) with a new edition available each homestand plus one in October, 13 issues total. It is distributed at auto gates (one per vehicle) and via Fan Services for those who use alternate transportation. Dodger Insider magazine includes news, features, analysis, photos, games, stadium information and more. Fans who still wish to subscribe can do so at dodgers.com/magazine.
Matthew Mesa/Los Angeles Dodgers
By Jon Weisman
Two nights ago against Miami, the Dodgers scored two runs in the first inning, saw their starting pitcher take a one-hit shutout into the sixth, and lost. Tonight, the series finale with the Marlins brought an unwelcome repeat.
The magic elixir of Kenta Maeda could only take the Dodgers so far.
Kenta Maeda meets Ichiro on Monday. (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)
By Jon Weisman
Kenta Maeda brings his 0.36 ERA to his fifth start of his MLB career, and he’ll face Miami ace Jose Fernandez on the mound and childhood hero Ichiro Susuki in the lineup.
Among pitchers with at least 30 innings before April 30, Fernando Valenzuela holds the top two spots for lowest ERA: 0.20 in 1981 and 0.21 in 1982. The lowest that Maeda’s ERA could get tonight would be 0.26 if he throws a shutout, which would put him fifth all-time in March/April behind Walter Johnson (0.24 in 1913) and Ray Sadecki (0.25 in 1968).
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The Dodgers raised $10,000 toward the Red Cross’ relief efforts for the devastating earthquakes in Ecuador and Japan with a pregame autograph signing featuring Kenta Maeda, Jaime Jarrin, Dave Roberts and Yasiel Puig.
Proceeds from the signings raised $4,500, and the Dodgers donated the remaining funds to push the total to $10,000.
Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
By Jon Weisman
There’s always a thrill whenever any pitcher is working on a no-hitter, that clickety-clack as he takes you up the rise of the roller coaster, each moment of anticipation adding to the whooshing reward.
When it’s your guy, it’s even more of a wild ride. And when your guy is a guy who is now verging on his own kind of Fernando-Hideo frenzy, well, lock down your valuables and keep your hands inside the car.
In his fourth Major League game tonight in Colorado, Kenta Maeda went 5 1/3 innings without allowing a hit, setting the stage for him to duplicate the no-hit effort achieved two decades ago by his countryman Nomo, before finishing with eight strikeouts in 6 1/3 shutout innings.
Maeda, as Cary Osborne presaged in his pregame writeup, is the first starting pitcher in MLB history to allow fewer than two runs across his first four starts. His ERA, with a trip to the Mile High City under his belt, is now an unreal 0.36, with 23 strikeouts in 25 1/3 innings against 23 baserunners.
Despite pitching for the first time in his life at the big leagues’ toughest ballpark, Maeda could hardly have been more sharp. In the first four innings, he faced 13 batters and threw first-pitch strikes to all of them, walking one and retiring the other 12, with six strikeouts and only one ball even leaving the infield.
Andrew Friedman and Dave Roberts before a rain delay April 9 at San Francisco. (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)
By Jon Weisman
Taking a break from the standing desk in his office overlooking left field at Dodger Stadium, 18 months into his tenure as Dodger president of baseball operations, Andrew Friedman was asked to reflect.
In the brief pause that followed, you could feel the sheer volume of all the moves and maneuvering roll through his brain like a freight train.
“It’s been such a frenetic pace,” Friedman said, “I feel like I’ve been drinking out of a firehose for the past year and a half.”
But the moment did provide an opportunity for Friedman to assess the state of the squad and look ahead toward a future filled with potential — all in pursuit of the unquestioned grand prize of a World Series title.
What follows are Friedman’s thoughts on three areas critical to that pursuit …
![Image-1[25]](https://mlblogsdodgers.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/image-125.jpg)
Joc Pederson hit a huge two-run homer, but I already wrote the piece on why this was only a matter of time. So let’s talk about Kenta Maeda …
![Image-1[22]](https://mlblogsdodgers.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/image-122.jpg)
By Jon Weisman
Some night, Kenta Maeda will come back to Earth. Earth has this relentless habit of knocking its residents down. I don’t know why Earth is hostile like this. Maybe it feels unappreciated.
Or maybe Earth is just testing us. Because tonight, just when terra firma was ready to terra new one in Maeda, Maeda shook loose and soared again.
Maeda walked two of the first four batters he faced and went 3-0 in the count to the fifth, but recovered to complete seven superb innings in the National League West-leading Dodgers’ 3-1 victory over San Francisco.
Coming back (not unexpectedly) from Saturday’s disappointment, Joc Pederson hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth to put Maeda and the Dodgers ahead, and Yasiel Puig added an insurance run in the seventh with a single, stolen base and mad dash home on Yasmani Grandal’s RBI hit.
Grandal, by the way, went 4 for 5 with three walks and two doubles this weekend in his first back-to-back starts of 2016. Pederson now has a .514 slugging percentage and .830 OPS this season.
Maeda’s career-opening scoreless streak ended in his 15th MLB inning with a third-inning Joe Panik home run, leaving him just shy of Dave Stewart’s Los Angeles Dodger record of 18 1/3. But after using 24 pitches in his first inning, Maeda needed only 74 more to reach a season-high seven innings.
He faced the minimum nine batters over his final three innings, capping his outing by starting a 1-6-4 double play when Giants starter Jeff Samadzija remained in the game to bunt.
In 19 innings as a Dodger, Maeda has a 0.47 ERA with 15 strikeouts against 18 baserunners. With runners in scoring position, opponents are 0 for 14 against Maeda.
Kenta Maeda pitched six shutout innings for the second straight game. (Juan Ocampo/Los Angeles Dodgers)
By Jon Weisman
Dave Roberts preached faith in the Dodger bullpen after its latest tough outing.
For the third time in the past four games, Dodger relievers surrendered a lead, with Pedro Baez and Chris Hatcher each allowing home runs in a 4-2 loss today to Arizona in the Dodger Stadium home opener (recapped by MLB.com).
With his team at 4-4 after eight games, Roberts said it was too early to contemplate changes to the bullpen.
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By Jon Weisman
Tonight, Kenta Maeda did to the Padres what no hitter could do against Kenta Maeda: Round the bases.
Hideo Nomo and Kaz Ishii each pitched shutout ball in their Dodger debuts.
By Jon Weisman
Kenta Maeda, who turns 28 on Monday, tonight will be the 18th Dodger starting pitcher in the past 100 years to make his Major League debut at age 26 or above.
And 48 hours later, barring anything unforeseen, 26-year-old Ross Stripling will become the 19th in that group on Friday.
That list includes such Asian pitchers as Hyun-Jin Ryu, Hiroki Kuroda, Kazuhisa Ishii and Hideo Nomo, who combined to pitch 24 innings and allow only two runs while striking out 26.
By Jon Weisman
One week from Opening Day, it’s safe to say that injuries have dampened Spring Training for the Dodgers this year, like picking the wrong line at Philippe’s 30 minutes before game time. If there’s an upside, it’s that aside from the injuries, there’s been a feast for the baseball senses. Nearly everyone on the field is meeting or exceeding expectations. Here are some of the brightest (and, knock on wood) healthiest lights at Camelback Ranch this month:
Matthew Mesa/Los Angeles Dodgers
By Jon Weisman
It’s hard not to like what Kenta Maeda has brought to the U.S. so far.
Same with Justin Turner, even if the journey isn’t quite so far.
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By Jon Weisman
We recapped Kenta Maeda’s latest outing Tuesday, but I saw some more comments this morning worth passing along.
The bulk of them centered on how much it will help Maeda simply to put more mileage on his American odometer. For example, here’s what Maeda said to the Japan Times …
… “I’m still throwing some fat pitches, but I was able to get some strikeouts, so it was a learning experience,” he said. “Next time I want to do a good job while increasing my innings and pitch count and not walking batters.
“There were times when I threw pitches on the corner that I wanted strikes on but were called balls. Had I got them, I would have had more strikeouts. I think I’m going to have to establish my reputation among the umpires as a pitcher with good control.” …
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Matthew Mesa/Los Angeles Dodgers
By Jon Weisman
Spirits soared with Julio Urias’ first inning on a Cactus League mound this year, before his second inning reminded us of his youth.
Taking the mound in the seventh inning today against the Angels, Urias struck out the side — before allowing a single, double, triple and walk to the four batters he faced in the eighth inning of what became an 8-4 Dodger loss, recapped by MLB.com.
Urias told AM 570 Dodger Talk’s David Vassegh that he struggled with his fastball command in his second inning of work. Hopefully, it wasn’t from his coffee run earlier today.
.@theteenager7 y @JDL_87 entre los jugadores que fueron por 65 órdenes de @Starbucks por la mañana. (Foto: @kFarm17) pic.twitter.com/nuDFYnJGfv
— Los Dodgers (@LosDodgers) March 11, 2016
The Dodgers lost despite holding the Angels hitless from the second through seventh innings. Zach Lee gave up three hits in the first inning, including a three-run homer, but then faced the minimum over the next two innings. Kenley Jansen, J.P. Howell, Pedro Baez and Louis Coleman each pitched an inning of hitless ball. They were helped by Charlie Culberson, who made two outstanding plays at shortstop today.
What else have we got?
What happens when three old friends in crisis fall into an unexpected love triangle? In The Catch, Maya, Henry and Daniel embark upon an emotional journey that forces them to confront unresolved pain, present-day traumas and powerful desires, leading them to question the very meaning of love and fulfillment. The Catch tells a tale of ordinary people seeking the extraordinary – or, if that’s asking too much, some damn peace of mind.
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