Blog Kiosk: 9/25/2014 - Dodger Links - Bring on the Cards!

Winning sure can be exhausting.  Last night I was full of joy as the Dodgers captured their second NL West Division crown in a row.  This morning I am tired from the release of a season long built up of angst, worry and fear.

No more do I have to hear the rabble rousing screams of the chattering class declaring our teams lack of class, will or chemistry.  Instead, I bask in the glory of Dodger Blue as I await the start of Baseball's second season. 

You see, the reason we go through this entire exercise, a season filled with 162 maddening games, is to have a chance to compete for the crown.  And the only way to get there is to earn an opportunity.  This Dodger team has done just that, and this Dodger fan is eternally grateful for their work.

So, on to the part of the season that REALLY matters.  On to the pageantry and majesty of a national spotlight on national television.  On to having an opportunity to watch the "Boys in Blue" compete with the best in the land.  On to taking that next step on the road to the World Series.  You've done us proud, and I am certain you will not disappoint.

There are three games remaining in the season and as you know there is nothing left to chase after.  We are the National League Western Division Champions and with the Nationals solidly ahead by two games for the leagues best record, I think it's fair to say that we'll be facing off against the St. Louis Cardinals in the first round of the playoffs.  BTW, the gif above of the last out of last night's game is via the Dodgers on tumblr.

Below are some links to check out:

• Via Michael Lananna at MLB.com, "After grind of season, Dodgers let loose in celebration."

"Let me tell you, this team always has fun -- it's one of those types of teams," said left fielder Carl Crawford, interrupted briefly by Puig throwing ice chips at his face. "You've got to be loose, man. You can't be uptight all the time."

...

"A lot of guys had individual issues throughout the year, but we got here as a team, and that's what the most important thing is," catcher A.J. Ellis said. "Now we're in the tournament, we're all healthy and we're ready to go."

• Chad Moriyama at Dodgers Digest has up an celebration post including gifs, dancing and moonshine.  I kid you not.
• Via Aaron Gleeman at Hardball Talk, "Matt Kemp is playing like a superstar again."
• Via Chris Moran at Beyond the Boxscore, "The Dodgers deep lineup will be tough to beat."

The point is that Dodgers are healthy, and they can beat you in a myriad of ways. They have speed, power, and on-base skills. Also, with Hanley Ramirez rounding into shape and Matt Kemp recovering his old form at the plate, they are healthier than they've been all year.

• Via Jon Heyman at CBS Sports, "Diamondbacks set to offer pitching great Dave Stewart the GM job."
• Mike Petriello at Dodgers Digest also notes that Dodger VP of Player Development DeJon Watson likely appears headed to Arizona also.  Boo!  He's one of the stars of the Dodger front office.
• Here's a report by Ron Shah of FanGraphs on Dodger prospect James Baldwin.

James Baldwin is one of the most intriguing prospects in the California League. The outfielder checks off all the boxes with his graceful athleticism, tools across the board, and major league bloodlines. But the 23-year-old is currently facing an uphill battle due to his struggles in the batter’s box, which may ultimately deter him from reaching his tools-based ceiling.

• True to the Blue shares his day with Joc Pederson - at his autograph appearance a couple of weeks ago.
• Via Cody Ulm at MLB.com, "(Roberto) Hernandez hopes to beat Rox, earn playoff role."

Hernandez showed enough promise with three quality starts in his first four tries for the Dodgers after the team acquired him from the Phillies in early August. But since then, he's failed to last longer than 4 1/3 innings in his four most recent starts, surrendering 11 runs in 15 innings.

I'd be surprised, but good luck.

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Blog Kiosk: 9/10/2014 - Dodgers Links - Lead Shrinks to 2.5 Games

Holy Moly!  A comedy of errors plagued the Dodgers yesterday as some misplayed balls in the second inning resulted in a bunch of runs scoring.  Worse yet, it all appeared to rattle starting pitcher Roberto Hernandez.  He only went three innings, giving up five runs on five hits, and only two of the runs were earned.

Andrew Cashner of the Padres was money.  He stifled the Dodgers for seven innings by spreading around nine hits and allowing only two runs on a Adrian Gonzalez homer.  The Dodgers certainly got enough men on base, but just couldn't finish the job. 

The above photo of the Dodger bat rack was taken by Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2014.  Go here to check out more pics of his from yesterday's game.  Hopefully, the Dodgers use those bat to drive in some runs tonight.

With the Dodgers loss last night and the Giants win over the terrible Diamondbacks, the good guys see their lead in the West shrink to 2.5 games.  Someone find me some aspirin 'cause my muscles are sore and my mind is aching from the stress.  Below are some links to check out:

• GCRL writes about, "the evolution of the Dodgers' first baseman, part one" through Baseball cards.
• Via Rich Mueller at Sports Collectors Daily, "REA Pulls Back Curtain on 2nd Fall Auction."  This upcoming auction includes Red Patterson's 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers World Series ring in its original presentation box.  He was the public relations director for the Dodgers.  See a pic of it on the right.
• Via Graham Womack at Baseball: Past and Present, "Jackie Robinson’s underrated final season."
• Via Ron Cervenka at Think Blue LA, "Be patient Dodger fans – Joc Pederson is close."

“I’m getting pitched a little different than I did in the minor leagues,” said Pederson. “It’s a little adjustment period but it will come with time. I’m not worried about it, I definitely put up a lot worse numbers in the minor leagues in 17 at-bats.”

• Yeah, I know.  I promised no more McCourt stories, but I couldn't resist this one.  Via Steve Dilbeck at the LA Times, "Could Frank McCourt really bring horse jumping to Dodger Stadium?"
• Via Wayne Drehs at ESPN, "Two in a Million."  It's all about the day Clayton Kershaw and Mike Trout went head-to-head.

It's tantalizing to imagine how it will go: Kershaw will stare at Trout through his black leather glove, kick his right knee so it nearly touches his elbow and then fall toward home plate, planting his right foot and unleashing a pitch from his arsenal. Trout will hold a two-tone 31½-ounce piece of maple behind his head. He'll stare back at Kershaw, lift his left foot, shift his weight forward, turn his hips and in a split second decide whether or not to pull his bat through the zone with power and purpose.

And everyone will watch.

• Watch the video of when Vin Scully met Babe Ruth at Dodger Insider.
• Drew Magary at GQ ranks, "The 25 Biggest Sleazebags in Sports." 

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Blog Kiosk: 9/2/2014 - Dodger Links - Pederson's Debut and an Interview with Urias

Roberto Hernandez took the mound for the Dodgers yesterday, but labored as he surrendered four home runs on five hits.  The ball was jumping and carrying off the National bats like they were hitting beach balls in the stands at Dodger Stadium.  Just about any ball hit in the air looked dangerous, and unfortunately for the Dodgers they hit less of them then their counterparts.

The Dodgers offense was anemic once again.  After Kemp's two-run home run in the first inning they didn't record another hit until Kemp singled in the seventh inning.  They did attempt a rally thereafter, but it just wasn't enough.

Of note, the two Dodger newbies came into the game with differing results.  Yimi Garcia pitched two innings in relief, and gave up just a single and struck out one.  He was fantastic.  The photo above is of Yimi, via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2014.  Go here to check out a bunch of pics from yesterday.  Joc Pederson had an exciting pinch-hit at-bat in the ninth inning.  There were two runners on base with the Dodgers down two, so he had an opportunity to be a difference maker.  Unfortunately, after working the count full, he struck out looking on an off-speed hanging slider out-and-away.  On this holiday afternoon, mighty Casey struck out.

The Dodgers lost 6 to 4, and maintain 2.0 game lead over the Giants.  Oy Vey!  I feel like I'm having a heart attack.  Now, below are some links to check out.

• Via Michael Lananna at MLB.com, "Top prospect Pederson among LA's September callups."

"I'm excited," Pederson said. "It's a dream come true. But it's now time to help the team win."

After last nights game he shared his thoughts about his game ending at-bat.  Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, " Joc Pederson on his first AB: 'It was pretty special.'"

"That's a thing as a little kid you're chasing in a game, and it came in my first at-bat, so I thought it was pretty special," Pederson said. "Unfortunately it didn't go the way I want."

• I'm super envious.  The Albuquerque Isotopes gave away this cool hat (as seen on the right) to fans during yesterday's last game of the season, pic via Isotopes on twitter.  The Dodgers need to give something like this away.
• Peter Gammons notes that if Hanley doesn't sign with the Dodgers then he'll likely be best suited for the American League.  He can be an occasional DH.  It's also less likely that Matt Kemp gets traded if Hanley leaves the Dodgers.
• Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Dodgers extend affiliation with Ogden through 2016."
• Via David Brim at Dodgers Digest, "Investigating The Hyun-Jin Ryu Rest Effect."

One thing that is said often about Ryu, especially during broadcasts, is that he pitches better with long rest than he does with four days of rest. It makes intuitive sense, since the pitching schedule in Korea involves longer gaps between starts. His W-L record is usually the first thing cited, which we know is irrelevant. But looking beyond that, Ryu has a 3.52 ERA while pitching with four days of rest and 2.71 ERA while pitching with five or more days of rest through his young career. There’s some truth to this. Pitching well on regular rest is especially important since Ryu will need to do so during the playoffs.

• Check out this great interview with Julio Urias by Brian Tabije of http://www.ieprosports.com/ about his season with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes and what helped him to accelerate his strikeout count.  This is from just a few days ago.

Video Link:

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Blog Kiosk: 8/29/2014 - Dodger Links - Dodger Prospects Threw Two No Hitters Yesterday

It was an amazing day for Dodger minor league pitchers yesterday.  Not only did their Arizona League (rookie class) Dodgers throw a combined four-pitcher no hitter in the afternoon, but Chattanooga Lookouts (AA affiliate) hurler Andres Santiago also threw a 1 to 0 no hitter against the Tennessee Smokies.  Holy Cow!

Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA:

Santiago struck out a season-high 12 on the night, and flirted with a perfect game. He retired the first 22 batters before Christian Villanueva walked with one out in the eighth inning. Two pitches before the walk, Villaneuva nearly had the first hit of the game for the Smokies, a roller up the third base line that went foul just before reaching the bag.

Andres Santiago is 24-years old and is from Catano, Puerto Rico.  He was drafted by the Dodgers in 2007 in the 16th Round, and has slowly risen up the ranks since then.  Santiago has spent the last three seasons in Chattanooga.  The photo above is of Santiago speaking to the crowd after his accomplishment, via the Chattanooga Lookouts on twitter.

The first no hitter of day was performed by the Dodgers rookie league affiliate Arizona Dodgers.  Via Teddy Cahill at MLB.co:

Left-hander Jairo Pacheco combined with three relievers -- Kam Uter, Yeuri Gonzalez and Harlan Richter -- for a no-hitter Thursday, and the Rookie-level Dodgers defeated the Brewers, 10-0.

Jon Wesiman at Dodger Insider shares a photo of the no hitter battery, here.

Who thought that 2014 would be the year of the no hitter for the Dodgers? On a side note, I wonder if any franchise has recorded four no hitters, from low minors to the Majors, in one season.  Anybody know?

Since the Giants won their Thursday afternoon game against the Rockies, the Dodgers lead over them shrinks slightly to 4.5 games.  Now, below are some links to check out:

• Via Christopher Jackson at Albuquerque Baseball Examiner, "Pederson reflects on MVP season with Isotopes."

"It's a pretty humbling award that I got to win," Pederson said of being PCL MVP. "I mean it's exciting, I've never won a player of the year award. It's my first, I feel good about it. It's kind of a relief for all the hard work I've put in. It's a nice cap at the end of the season."

• Via Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider, "Dodgers send (Victor) Arano to Philadelphia to complete Hernandez deal."
• Via Ron Cervenka at Think Blue LA, "Without Vin Scully there might not have been a Dodger Stadium." 
• Via Mark Saxon at ESPNLosAngeles.com, "Justin Turner proves invaluable to Dodgers."

“I don’t even know how you calculate [WAR] or what, exactly, it means,” Turner said. “I know sabermetrics is a big part of it nowadays and I know that’s a big sabermetric number, but I don’t really pay attention to it. Any time you have success, it’s gratifying, especially when you know how difficult the game is.”

It goes beyond those numbers, though. For the second time this season, Turner has filled in for one of the Dodgers’ most unsung players, Juan Uribe, and made his absence virtually invisible.

“Shoot, to be honest with you, I’m not sure where we’d be if he hadn’t been here,” Wallach said. 

• Via Dustin Nosler at Dodgers Digest, "Dodgers’ prospect Jose De Leon making a name for himself."

De Leon uses a fastball that sits in the 91-94 MPH range and maxes out at 96 MPH. The thing that separates it from many other fastballs in the organization is the movement. It’s a running fastball that hasn’t yet correlated to a high ground ball rate, but it could. If nothing else, it has enough movement to get hitters to miss it or make weak contact with it.

• Topps just released their 2014 Throwback Collection poster cards on their website and it includes a couple of Dodgers in the set: Clayton Kershaw and Yasiel Puig.  Check them both out below.  The prints measure 10" x 14" and are printed on 16pt trading card stock.  Go here to check them out.  The Kershaw print on the left is limited to #/49 copies, and the Puig card on the right is the "Aqua Edition" limited to only #/10 copies.  The "1 of 1" parallel cards called the "Gold Edition" have already been sold.

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Blog Kiosk: 8/27/2014 - Dodger Links - Offense Came Alive and Puig's Lack of Power

Roberto Hernandez had another quality start for the Dodgers yesterday afternoon, despite having runners in scoring position in four of his six innings.  He struck out three, walked two, gave up six hits and allowed only three earned runs.  I wonder if the results of his work in Blue has made a potential trade for Bartolo Colon less likely.  Graphic above via @Dodgers on twitter.

Furthermore, the Dodgers offense exploded against the Diamondbacks.  They racked up nine runs on fourteen hits, and every starting player, except for Puig, recorded a hit.  Six different players drove in a run, and Matt Kemp hit his sixteenth homer of the season.  Overall, the Dodgers displayed a well-balanced attack.  They were even helped along by a couple of Instant replays that went our way during the six run fourth inning.  Ken Gurnick at MLB.com has a good rundown on what happened there, here.

The Dodgers victory allowed them to maintain their 5.0 game lead ahead of the Giants.  Now, below are some links to check out:

• Via Jim Callis at MLB.com, "Pipeline Perspectives: Urias worthy of callup."

Of course, the chances that the Dodgers will bring up Urias are roughly equivalent to the odds that the franchise will move back to Brooklyn. The reasons are many: he's barely 18, he's three levels away from the Majors, they don't want to add more stress on his arm, he doesn't have to be protected on the 40-man roster until after the 2016 season. If he did get the call, Urias would be the youngest player in the big leagues since Willie Montanez in 1966 and the youngest pitcher since Larry Dierker in '64.

• Via Ron Cervenka at Think Blue LA, "Is Jose De Leon the next Clayton Kershaw?"  Likely not, since that's a tall order.  But he could be a fine pitcher for us someday.
• Via Daniel Brim at Dodgers Digest, "Tracking Yasiel Puig’s Power Outage."

Even with the scary corresponding timing between the hip injury and the power loss, we should be cautious about assigning the injury as the only cause for Puig’s struggles. There’s the whole “correlation does not mean causation” thing, and as Chad noted in the excerpt above, Puig’s mean fly ball distance almost matches last season. A few of the longer hits have been classified as line drives, too. This could just be regression to the mean, using arbitrary endpoints to describe a story. In other words, it could be a coincidence. Puig hasn’t been visually impacted by his hip in some time.

• The other day Chris Olds at Beckett unveiled some early preview picks from Topps 2014 Heritage Baseball card set slated to come out in Early March.  Go here to check those out.  To the right is a Kershaw insert card.
• Here's a scouting report fron FanGraphs.  Via Ron Shah at FanGgraphs, "Dodgers Righty Chris Anderson Flashes Big Stuff."
• This is a very interesting article that I think is worth reading and studying for modern day Baseball card collectors.  Check out what Jeff Hwang at Sports Collectors Daily says about, "The Upside of the Modern Baseball Card."

In The Modern Baseball Card Investor, we used the term multiple expansion to describe the widening spread in values between premium-grade (PSA or BGS Gem Mint+ in modern issues) and ungraded cards, and also the spread between premium limited print, serialized parallels and base cards in Chrome Era modern issues (1993/1996-present), generally as a function of some combination of increasing demand due to growing star power; the card removal effect; and/or grade scarcity. Multiple expansion is not hypothetical conjecture, but a very real concept, with the clearest evidence of its existence present in the values of vintage issues.

So premium graded modern scarcities can and have already experienced multiple expansion in values with the added caveat that beta (to borrow a financial term for risk) is significantly higher due to the players standing in the hobby.  In other words, as long as a player is deemed to be a legitimate Hall of Fame-caliber player the values for their scarce issues should continue to be strong.

A great example of this are the prices for scarce and high-graded Michael Jordan cards.  I am constantly amazed at the values certain low-numbered cards regularly receive.  So, ten to twenty years from now can you imagine the kind of values a Mike Trout scarce rookie card might achieve if he continues being a monster at the plate, or a Clayton Kershaw?  I'm not saying you should run out and become a card investor, I just think it's interesting to think about.

On a side note, if I had the discretionary funds to spend significant dollars on cards I would focus my attention on vintage (in particular pre-war cards).  As the article intimates, there is less risk involved with those issues.  Modern scarcities may represent a potential higher return, but they also represent the greatest risk.

• Following up on the above article, Tom Bartsch at Sports Collectors Digest notes that, "High Grades Lead to Skyrocketing Market Values for Modern Cards."  He notes that a PSA10 1971 Topps Steve Garvey rookie card recently sold for $25,393.  Wow!  I know that issue is extremely difficult in high grades, but that is amazing.  Another card to look at are the OPC Wayne Gretzky cards.  I've been told that they are absolutely on fire.

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Blog Kiosk: 8/21/2014 - Dodger Links - Beaten by Stults

Man-O-Live, Eric Stults was impressive in his start last night, er... Wait... He's not a Dodger anymore.... What?... Oh.... That sucks...

The Dodgers got beat by a former Dodger named Eric Stults, and I find myself saying, "that figures."  He held the Dodgers in check for five innings, giving up just four hits, walking one and striking out five.  The Dodgers pitcher, Roberto Hernandez, was less impressive in his third start in Blue - against weaker competition even.  He gave up eight hits and allowed four runs in his five innings of work.

That wouldn't have been too bad if the Dodgers offense was able to do anything against the Padres, but that was not to be.  Their relief crew held us in check as they continue to be impressive.  I'm telling ya, the Padres will be good sooner than later.  Their pitching is not the reason they are in the dumps this season.  It's their offense.  It sucks.  But they have a good foundation to work with, and with their recent signing of Don Welke to be their VP of Scouting Operations, I suspect they will only get better.

BTW, the kid in the photo above flew 3,000 mile to meet the Dodgers.  Who he is?  I haven't a clue.  Photo above via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2014.  Go here to see a bunch of his pics from yesterday.

• Hey!  I was quoted on Bloomberg.  Via Todd Shields and David McLaughlin, "Dodgers TV Row Fuels Unease Over Comcast-Time Warner Deal."

“Sports fans are getting clobbered,” said Hal Singer, a Washington-based economist with consulting firm Economists Inc. “Either you’re denied access to the content because your distributor won’t carry it at the ridiculous price, or you’re forced to incur the switching costs” to change providers. 

That's not me, of course.  I am quoted further down in the story.

• ICYMI:  Zack Greinke's scheduled start for today has been pushed back a couple of days.  He will pitch on Saturday, instead.  Today's starting pitcher will be Clayton Kershaw.  Ken Gurnick on twitter notes:

Greinke elbow tenderness not serious, Mattingly said. Had MRI two weeks ago.  Similar to irritation Greinke had Spring of 2013.
— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) August 20, 2014

• Via Evan Bladh at Think Blue LA, "Brooklyn Dodger alum Dick Teed passes at age 88."  RIP, Dick Teed.
• Chris Olds at Beckett shares some preview pics for 2015 Topps Tribute Baseball cards; including a Yasiel Puig autographed card on the right.  It is set come out on February 19, 2015.
• Via David Young at True Blue LA, "Position-by-position home run records of the Los Angeles Dodgers."  David puts together a list of Top-10's by position.

• Chris Olds at Beckett also provides an early look at Topps 2015 MLB Chipz.  See the Clayton Kershaw Chipz on the left.
• Via Mike Petriello at Dodgers Digest, "Attention, Japan: Yasiel Puig Is Coming For You."  He'll be playing in a tournament in Japan in November.
• Puig Destroyer has a new album coming out, and they have released a song titled "Mike Trout" that you can listen to here.  As grindcore goes, this one is more palatable to the masses.
• Bill Simmons and Rembert Browne of Grantland just posted their story about visiting the National: "A Visit to the 2014 National Sports Collectors Convention."  Check it out.

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Blog Kiosk: 8/18/2014 - Dodger Links - A Tough Weekend and Kemp's Ice Bucket Challenge

This was a very painful weekend series against the Brewers yesterday afternoon. The Dodgers got swept by our Central Division nemesis; having lost five of the six games we've played them this season.  BTW, this is the first time the Dodgers have been swept this year.  As a result, the Dodger now have just a 3.5 game lead over the Giants.  We are far from settling who will win the West this season.

The afternoon started well enough.  It was Cuban Heritage Day during Viva Los Dodgers, and much of the stadium was in a celebrating mood.  Puig and Hanley Ramirez greeted fans to much excitement, and Jessica Alba showed some great form during her warmups for her ceremonial first pitch.  Unfortunately, things went awry soon afterwards.

Foreshadowing the Dodgers start, Jessica Alba missed the plate during her first pitch, and starting pitcher Dan Haren gave up an first inning two-run homer to start the game.  From there, everything went downhill.  By the time the dust settled, the Brewers lead the Dodgers 7 to 0 at the end of the fourth inning.  The Dodgers wouldn't come close to threatening the Brewers lead the entire game.  Graphic above via @SportsNetLA on twitter.

Oh well.  Thankfully, the Dodgers get a day off today.  They have played twenty straight games, and are due for a rest.  As Vin Scully mentioned yesterday afternoon, Baseball union rules dictate that a team cannot play more than twenty games in a row.  No doubt, we need a little rest.

Now, here are some more links to check out.

• ICYMI: Juan Uribe was placed on the 15-day DL on Saturday.  Carlos Triunfel was called up from AAA in his place.  This injury hurts.  For all the criticism Uribe received when he first joined the Dodgers he has since become an important part of the Dodgers offense and defense.  He's a spark plug, and is easily the most underrated player on the team.
• BTW, to complete the Roberto Hernandez trade the Dodgers sent former 2012 1st round draft pick, Jesmuel Valentin, to the Phillies, via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA.  This completes one-half of the trade.  Another player is still slated to go to Philadelphia.  This might seem like a hefty exchange, but it really isn't.  As an infielder, Valentin appeared to be blocked at every potential position, but likely received a good depth piece in Hernandez for a pennant run.
• You should expect Pederson and Guerrero in Dodger Blue in September, via Jim Bowden on twitter. With the injuries currently hampering the Dodgers, September couldn't come fast enough.

Ned Colletti just told us that we’ll see Joc Pederson and Alex Guerrero on Sept 1st #Dodgers @Dodgers Sirius 209 XM 89
— Jim Bowden (@JimBowden_ESPN) August 17, 2014

• Via Bill Shaikin at The LA Times, "Hanley Ramirez returning to Dodgers next season is no sure thing."

"We love Hanley," Kasten said." There is still lots of time this season for him to make a big impact in September, and hopefully in October.

"Both sides have agreed we'll sit down and talk at the end of the season and decide. We both decided that makes the most sense. As difficult a season as he's had physically, there is still lots of time for him to have an enormous impact for us."

Do not be shocked if the Dodgers part way with Hanley this winter.  Considering his injury history, the potential cost and the current minor league depth the club has in the infield, we just might choose to go another direction.  Of course, if Hanley takes a discount then the aforementioned issues might be worth it.

• Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider recaps Carne Asada Sunday with Andre Either.
• Via Mark Townsend at Big League Stew, "Only female pitcher in Negro Leagues history attended Mo’ne Davis' historic LLWS shutout."
• Matt Kemp accepted the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.  Watch it below.  BTW, you can watch Don Mattingly and Ned Colletti take the challenge here, via SportsNetLA.

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Blog Kiosk: 8/15/2014 - Dodger Links - And the Dodgers Just Keep on Winning

Roberto Hernandez was a bit more wild in his second start as a Dodger.  He threw 118 pitches in six innings and walked four batters.  Nevertheless, Hernandez pitched well enough to record his second straight quality start and a victory.  He limited the Braves to just three hits and one run on his way to his very first win in Blue.

On the offensive side, catcher Drew Butera hit his third home run of the season.  Also, Adrian Gonzalez continued his hot ways by recording three hits; including a double, and three RBI's.  Even better, Yasiel Puig looks to have gotten out of his mini-slump.  He hit three singles, drove in a run and made a spectacular catch while crashing into the centerfield wall.  Watch it below.  Graphic above via @Dodgers on twitter.

The walls should start fearing @YasielPuig. http://t.co/BRprwGmYyb
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 14, 2014

The Dodgers increased their lead over the Gianst to 5.5 games.  Now, here are some more links to check out.

• Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider shares a pic of the Magic Johnson bobblehead the Dodgers will be giving out on September 2nd.  See it on the right.
• Seung Lee at the LA Times provides an interactive timeline on the life and career of "Vin Scully through the years."
• Via Mark Saxon at ESPNLosAngeles.com, "Stopping (just) short of calling race for L.A."  It's all about the Dodgers currently being in the driver seat, the pundits worrying about making another bad call and that initial bad call that certainly motivated the Dodgers to get their butt into gear.

“That was funny (of the articles calling the division for the Giants),” catcher A.J. Ellis said. “All I’ll say about that is, I think Drew Butera still has a link to it on his phone. We got a kick out of it.” 

• He just gets better as time moves on.  Via Teddy Cahill at MLB.com, "Urias strikes out nine in win for Rancho Cucamonga."  We are easily a couple of years (at a minimum) before he wears Dodger Blue, but I just can't wait.  Something tells me that he'll be worth it.
• I dare you to tell me Puig isn't a fine young man after reading this.  Via Cary Osborne at Dodger Insider, "Yasiel Puig’s heartwarming gesture to Carl and Jimmy Erskine."
• Awesome!  GCRL shares even more Steve Garvey oddball cards and collectibles.
• Ouch.  Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Erisbel Arruebarrena placed on Triple-A DL with right shoulder inflammation."
• Via Chris Olds at Beckett we get a first look at Topps 2015 Baseball flagship Baseball card design.  See it below.  So, what do you think?  Do you like it?

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Blog Kiosk: 8/9/2014 - Dodger Links - Some Odds and Ends

Newest Dodger Roberto Hernandez was better than described.  After a shaky first inning that saw him give up two early runs, he got out the next 17 straight batters.   Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, Roberto said,

"I was a little bit nervous today. The first inning, I tried too much, but I forget about that. After that I kept the ball down, got ahead in the count."

Overall, he pitched six innings, struck out five, gave up three hits and walked none.  Unfortunately, the team couldn't preserve the small lead entrusted to them.  A comedy of errors, typical of a Baseball, ruined that.  Justin Turner, who had just gotten into the game in the 7th inning, made a spectacular play on a rising liner off the bat of Aramis Ramirez.  Then, the proverbial bubble popped.

A certain double play ball skipped past the glove of Justin Turner, then a little nubber, two errors by Turner and a 2-run single sealed the door.  The Brewers took a commanding 6 to 3 lead over the Dodgers and never looked back. 

Oy Vie!  Baseball sure is a funny game.  Just when you thought you had it beat, it decides to throw you a curve to keep you humble.  This is just one of those games you just have to forget.  Photo at the very top via @Dodgers on twitter.

• At least this highlight from last nights game exist, via the Dodgers on tumblr.  Watch Puig's check-swing broken bat.

• Via Bill Plunkett at the OC Register, "Dodgers' bubble machine creates an MLB soap opera."

“Does that thing bother me? No, it doesn’t bother me,” Mattingly said. “I’m not saying I like it. But other teams are allowed to ride a stick horse down their dugout. Ours is no different. Really – Tampa rides a stick horse down the dugout. What’s the difference?

“Everybody’s got something.”

• Via Tom Bartsch at Sports Collectors Digest, "Yasiel Puig Signs Exclusive Deal With Fanatics Authentic."
• Via Eric Nusbaum of Vice Sports, "Of Anaheim: Why the Angels will always be an afterthought."

Perhaps this is the Angels' problem, and the root of their repeated identity crises: They are too suburban for their own good, ruined as it were, by their location among a thousand neighborhoods with names that start with Rancho and Laguna. The Dodgers have been shaped by the city around them. They have become a cosmopolitan enterprise, headlined over the years by a diverse cast of base-stealers and left-handed starters and international phenoms. But the Angels have no city to shape them. Orange County is contrived, nothing more than a nice place to live, a successful real estate deal. But comfortable living does not necessarily make for compelling local culture.

• Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "Rojas impressing Mattingly with defense."

"What about Rojas?" Mattingly asked. "Nobody asked me about Rojas. He saved four or five hits."

• Bob Timmermann at the Portable Griddle is putting together a list of Dodger players who had a different name than what they had with the Dodgers.

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Blog Kiosk: 8/8/2014 - Dodger Links - Beckett Likely Headed to DL and Colletti Looking for Deals

I hardly think of the Angels as a rival.  Still, it's nice to beat the crosstown wannabe LA team in their own home in Orange County.  No doubt we had them running in fear as the streets were awash in blood blue.

Hyun-Jin Ryu was great again last night.  He pitched seven strong innings, gave up just two hits and recorded four strike outs.  Ryu mixed up his pitches nicely, but often got behind in the count to the Angel batters.  Fortunately, his off-speed pitch was on key, so he was able to fool many of them at the plate.

On top of that, the Dodger Bubble Machine is back after a short hiatus.  Apparently, an MLB higher-up (cough, Torre, cough) made mention to the team that we couldn't have that in the dugout, but the ensuing and rapidly growing chorus of boo's and mocking gestures changed that view real quick.  The Bubble Machine is now an official member of the team, and it's only a matter of time before it joins the 40-man roster.  Until then, it will be packaged incognito-like with the rest of the Dodger hardware.  The photo at the very top is of the famous toy, via the @Dodgers on twitter.

Now, here are some more Dodger links to check out.

• Josh Beckett just might be done for the season.  Via Bill Shaikin of the LA Times on twitter, he recently had an MRI and is expected to go on the DL - recently traded for pitcher Roberto Hernandez will take his spot on the roster.

Josh Beckett's locker in Anaheim is cleared out. He had MRI (hip) & is expected to go on DL for Roberto Hernandez, who starts tomorrow.
— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) August 7, 2014

• Via Dan Arritt at ESPNLosAngeles.com, "Colletti keeps eye out for another pitcher."

"As I've said many times, you better have enough of everything," Colletti said Thursday from the dugout as the Dodgers took batting practice before their series and regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Angels. 

• Here's an under the radar signing.  Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Dodgers sign Bruce Billings to minor league contract."
• Wow!  Check out this Jell-O shot creation made to look like Dodger Stadium, here.  I feel drunk just looking at it.  This photo is via /u/HoserUSC on Reddit.
• BTW, Eric Stephen at True Blue LA lets us know on twitter that once heralded pitching prospect Chris Reed has been promoted to AAA-Albuquerque.  BTW, you should check a scouting report on Reed by Chris Blessing at RotoScounting, here.

Dodgers promoted Chris Reed to Triple-A @AbqTopes
— Eric Stephen (@truebluela) August 7, 2014

• Ben Lindbergh at Grantland writes about the myth that pitching wins championships.  Fascinating stuff.

So why doesn’t the quality of a team’s top three starters or its ace register as significant? For one thing, the differences between teams are compressed in the playoffs, relative to the regular season: Teams with terrible staffs don’t make it to October, so the gulf between the best- and worst-pitching playoff teams isn’t as stark as we’re used to seeing during the season’s first six months. Perhaps more importantly, there’s more than one way to win baseball games, and even under an expanded playoff format, teams don’t get to October without doing something well. A team with an inferior pitching staff often makes up for its weakness on the mound by being better on offense.

• WooHoo!  Kings Hall of Famer and current VP of the team Luc Robitaille is getting a statue of himself at The Staples Center, via Jon Rosen of the LA Kings Insider.

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Welcome to the Blue, Roberto Hernandez!

It has just been announced that the Dodgers have added a new starting pitcher to their stock.  They have picked up veteran Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Roberto Hernandez (formerly known as Fausto Carmona) in exchange for two players to be named later or cash considerations.

Roberto isn't great, but he is decent as back-of-the-rotation pitchers go.  Hernandez has appeared in 20 games as a starter this season; going 6-8 with a 3.87 ERA.  He has 75 strike outs to go along with 55 walks in 121 innings.  In his last start on Friday against the Nationals he went eight strong innings by spraying 5 hits and giving up one unearned run in a victory.  In fact, of late he has been quite good.  Since July 9th (his past four starts) he is 3-0 with a 1.88 ERA.  Opponents are batting just .170 during that time period, so maybe we got him on an upswing.  Roberto throws a hard sinker, slider and change-up, and has added a fastball that can get into the mid-90's.  He is more known, though, as a control pitcher who records outs by coaxing batters to ground out with his sinker.

This pickup makes me wonder if there might be some issues with a starter; namely Josh Beckett.  He's been suffering from various ailments of late, and is the most likely candidate to sit out a start or go on the DL.

UPDATE:  And the shoe has dropped.  Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Matt Gelb informs us on twitter that Roberto will pitch on Friday in place of Josh Beckett.  There is no word yet on who will be sent down, or if Beckett is going on the DL yet.

Roberto Hernandez said he will start Friday in Milwaukee for Dodgers.
— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) August 7, 2014

Per a Jon Weisman report on Dodger Insider:

“Roberto provides us with another big league starting pitcher, who has pitched well this year, particularly the last seven starts,” said Dodger general manager Ned Colletti. “He has postseason experience and helps fortify the rotation down the stretch.”

Obviously, the brass has little confidence in some of the young starting arms in the minors right now. 

BTW, the Fausto Carmona crack has to do with a past assumed identity Roberto once took.  He's one of those foreign born players who faked his age to get a better chance of making it big.  Under the name of Fausto Carmona he was three years younger and regarded as a rising talent within the Cleveland Indians rotation.  Once folks realized he was much older, those opinions started to wane.  He has bounced around since 2013.

In celebration of Roberto officially becoming a Dodger, I made the above fantasy card for him.  I used an AP photo grabbed from an MLB.com story and the 1987 Topps Baseball card design.

Below are his career statistics, via Baseball Reference:

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Thanks for the Memories Olmedo!

The Killer Tomato has officially cleared waivers and been given his unconditional release by the Dodgers. The once longest tenured Dodger player is now a free agent. It looks like the other league is his most likely destination.

(Stopping) on his way out of the clubhouse (he) made a prophetic statement to teammate Shea Hillenbrand.

"See you in the American League," Saenz said.

The big guy had a knack for hitting spectacular homeruns and run scoring base hits at the right time.

Mid Season pick-ups Shea Hillenbrand and Roberto Hernandez also become free agents.

Story Link: LA Daily News:

Photo Link: