Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers
Tonight was the annual FamFest outdoor movie at 10-year-old Youngest Master Weisman’s school. That meant I could not be in front of the television during tonight’s Dodger game. I could not be in front of the television.
By Jon Weisman
Yimi Garcia had arthroscopic surgery Tuesday on his left knee to remove a small bone fragment, the Dodgers said Wednesday.
By Jon Weisman
Yasiel Puig remains listed on the Dodger lineup card as a reserve, but for the seventh straight game, he is not starting.
Puig’s last start came July 20 at Washington. He then had a scheduled off day July 21 but came off the bench and felt tightness in his right hamstring while trying to beat out a hit in his only at-bat of the game.
He has made one pinch-hitting appearance since, on July 22. Counting Thursday’s off day, Puig has been out of action for six days entering tonight’s game.
The 25-year-old has a .384 on-base percentage and .412 slugging percentage in 99 plate appearances since returning June 21 from a stint on the disabled list because of his left hamstring.
Andrew Toles, profiled Thursday by J.P. Hoornstra of the Daily News, is starting for the fifth time in seven games since Puig’s last start. Toles is 9 for 31 with three walks for a .353 on-base percentage in the first 34 plate appearances of his Major League career.
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 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.
Juan Ocampo/Los Angeles Dodgers
By Jon Weisman
Yimi Garcia, who went on the disabled list five weeks ago with right biceps soreness, has been transferred to the 60-day disabled list in order to make room on the 40-man roster for Julio Urias, whose contract was officially purchased by the Dodgers ahead of his MLB debut tonight.
Garcia had a 2.35 ERA in 7 2/3 innings this season when he entered the eighth inning of a game at Colorado with the 5-5 on April 22. In two-thirds of an inning, the 25-year-old righty gave up a walk, single and two-run triple to Brandon Barnes.
Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers
Cody Bellinger hit a 10th-inning walkoff grand slam Saturday for Double-A Tulsa, which makes Cary Osborne’s current Dodger Insider magazine feature on the 20-year-old all the more timely (a bit more so than Mike Petriello’s Gamevolution piece on Yimi Garcia, who went on the disabled list shortly after our magazine went to print).
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.
By Cary Osborne
Hyun-Jin Ryu will pitch in a game Sunday — the first time he has toed the rubber for a game since March 17, 2015 in Spring Training.
Dave Roberts said today that Ryu will start his rehab assignment in Rancho Cucamonga, where he will pitch possibly two innings.
The game is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start in San Bernardino, where the Quakes will take on Inland Empire.
Roberts said he anticipates Ryu making four or five appearances before he’s ready to return to the Dodgers.
In addition, Brandon McCarthy pitched another simulated inning at Dodger Stadium today and faced Charlie Culberson, who was taking hacks against him.
“Charlie said the ball was coming out good — fastball, changeup, curve — and so that’s another step in the right direction,” Roberts said. “He puts some good swings, but there were also some swings and misses, which was good to see from McCarthy’s standpoint.”
Roberts said McCarthy will get one more simulated inning before being sent out for a rehab assignment.
Yimi Garcia, who went on the disabled list April 23 with right biceps soreness, is in Arizona and not near a return.
“We’re a little beside ourselves on the lack of progress, so he’s just kind of laying low and not really doing any baseball activities,” Roberts said.
Garcia felt soreness on April 22 and left after two-thirds of an inning in Colorado.
One more note: Chase Utley returns to the starting lineup at second base, a day after Howie Kendrick went 2 for 5 and was robbed of a home run.
Roberts said he wanted Utley’s left-handed bat in the lineup with right-hander Carlos Martinez’s ball running in on right-handers.
Jill Weisleder/Los Angeles Dodgers
By Jon Weisman
The trouble with Yimi Garcia’s pitching arm remains localized in his bicep, Dave Roberts said this afternoon, but so far there’s been no progress for the 25-year-old righty since he went on the disabled list April 23.
“Not a whole lot of improvement,” Roberts said. “He’s disappointed, because after not picking up a baseball for three or four days, you’d expect that to kind of subside. … I don’t know when he’s going to pick up a baseball.”
Garcia has a career 3.12 ERA (120 ERA+) with 81 strikeouts in 75 innings for Los Angeles.
As for the active members of the Dodger bullpen behind Scott Kazmir tonight, all should be available for action, with the possible exception, I would expect, of Louis Coleman, who threw 10 pitches Monday and 20 Tuesday. J.P. Howell has also worked the past two games, but with only nine pitches combined.
As he indicated Tuesday, Roberts is looking for an improved performance from Kazmir, who pitched six shutout innings in his Dodger debut but has allowed 14 runs in 13 innings since.
“No. 1 is fastball command, and No. 2 is to see how his changeup is, because that’s been his best secondary pitch, and over his last couple of starts, he hasn’t really been able to get the depth and finish hitters with it,” Roberts said. It’s a swing-and-miss pitch, so I think if his change is good, presenting it as a strike and having the depth, then he’ll be in a good place.”
Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers
By Jon Weisman
Yimi Garcia has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with right biceps soreness by the Dodgers, who have recalled right-hander Zach Lee to take his roster spot.
Garcia, tied with Chris Hatcher for the team lead in games pitched with nine and innings with 8 1/3, has allowed 11 baserunners this season while striking out four. In his big-league career, Garcia has struck out 9.7 per nine innings with a 0.94 WHIP.
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Yimi Garcia said his right arm feels asleep from the top of the bicep all the way down to his wrist. Trying massage therapy. Down two days.
— J.P. Hoornstra (@jphoornstra) April 23, 2016
Lee has a 1.56 ERA in 17 1/3 innings (three starts) for Triple-A Oklahoma City, allowing 22 hits but walking only one while striking out 14. He was scheduled to start tonight in Iowa, but is with the Dodgers now as a long reliever.
Scott Kazmir said he doesn’t expect to miss his next start despite “minor discomfort where the thumb meets the wrist,” according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. Also, Louis Coleman returns from his bereavement leave Monday.
By the way, Dave Roberts told reporters Friday that Mike Bolsinger, whose bid for the Dodger starting rotation was thwarted by a strained oblique muscle a month ago, has begun throwing off a mound.
Justin Turner has a bruised toe but is available to pinch hit, according to Gurnick.
Corey Seager is congratulated by third-base coach Chris Woodward. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
By Jon Weisman
The injuries woes that have bedeviled the Dodgers at Coors Field returned Friday during a 7-5 loss to the Rockies.
Starting pitcher Scott Kazmir developed an issue with his left thumb, while reliever Yimi Garcia had to leave in the middle of a difficult inning with right bicep soreness, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.
Yimi Garcia and Pedro Baez in October 2015. (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)
By Jon Weisman
Ross Stripling has been named the Dodgers’ No. 5 starter and will take the mound April 8 at San Francisco, Dave Roberts announced, adding that Carlos Frias will be optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
We’ll have more on Stripling shortly in a separate post. In the meantime, here are some more news and notes …
Adam Liberatore has struck out 11 in nine Cactus League innings this year.
By Jon Weisman
The Dodgers are down to two left-handers in their Major League bullpen after optioning Adam Liberatore to the minors following the team’s 5-4 victory Monday over Texas.
The question now is, will they go down to one?
Since we last checked in on the bullpen, it has been whittled in predictable fashion, leaving the following:
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By Jon Weisman
I hope you don’t have to read a tougher story than this today: Former Dodger reliever Javy Guerra spoke to J.P. Hoornstra of the Daily News about the twin horrors of losing his brother and sister in the past two years.
Here’s what’s happening around the Dodgers …
Chris Hatcher has allowed a .529 OPS since August 31. (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)
By Jon Weisman
Maybe you groaned when Zack Greinke left Friday’s Dodger game in the eighth inning. Maybe you thought “Here we go again” when Chris Hatcher gave up an RBI single to Pittsburgh left fielder Starling Marte on his very first pitch.
But if you’ve really been paying attention lately, you might have noticed that was an aberration.
And you might not have been surprised that Hatcher came right back, buckled down and got the Pirates’ most dangerous hitter, Andrew McCutchen, to foul out, before Aramis Ramirez grounded modestly to first base.
Since September 1, the Dodger bullpen has the second-lowest WHIP (1.03) in the National League and is first in strikeout-walk ratio. These are among several encouraging signs for a relief staff that was strong in the first third of the 2015 season before slumping terribly in the middle portion.
Though not exactly like the team’s 180-degree basestealing turn (an MLB-best 34 for 43 since August 1), the Dodger bullpen seems to have evolved from a weakness into, if not an out-and-out strength, at least an adequacy.
Understandably, there’s still the fear that this could all blow up again in a minute. But to give credit where credit is due: Since the Dodgers’ disastrous 0-5 roadtrip from August 18-23, they have played 23 games. Here’s how many times the bullpen has hurt the Dodgers …
I’d argue that the last example shouldn’t even count: Dodger relievers allowed one run in nine innings before erstwhile starting pitcher Mat Latos gave up the 16th-inning homer to Nolan Arenado. But even including that defeat, that’s an encouraging slate.
The Dodgers are 18-5 since August 25, despite only one complete game and 72 1/3 innings from the bullpen.
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