Blog Kiosk: 10/23/2019 - Dodgers Links - Some Odds and Ends

Here's another great Spring Training photograph, dated March 9, 1936 (eBay auction link). Per the description on the reverse:

Stanley (Frenchie) Bordagaray, outfielder, slides into home plate, covered by catcher Walter Millies, during a spring training game of the Brooklyn Dodgers at Clearwater, Fla.

Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1945 Dodger President Branch Rickey announced that the team has signed two black ballplayers, shortstop Jackie Robinson and pitcher John "Needle Nose" Wright, to play with Brooklyn's Triple A team in Montreal. In 1981 the Dodgers defeated the Yankees in Game 3 of the World Series, 5-4. Fernando Valenzuela threw a nine-hit complete game. In 1998 Davey Johnson is named the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. 
• Happy Birthday, Lave Winham, Rube Bressler, Lee Grissom, Billy Sullivan, Solly Drake & Jim Bunning! 

Welcome to the Blue, Nick Tepesch!

Word spread quickly yesterday that the Dodgers were going to call up minor league right-handed starter Nick Tepesch to pitch on Friday (tonight) against the Pittsburgh Pirates. As you'll recall, the Dodgers signed Tepesch to a minor league contract on June 6th after he opted out of his contract with the Rangers.  Since then he has started three games for Oklahoma City.  Per Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider:

The 27-year-old Tepesch, who was born the day of Orel Hershiser’s 1988 National League Championship Series Game 7 shutout, has a 2.00 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 17 strikeouts in 18 innings (three starts) for Triple-A Oklahoma City. He had been cut loose by the Texas Rangers’ Round Rock affiliate, for whom he had a 4.11 ERA.

Blog Kiosk: 6/15/2016 - Dodgers Links - Puig, Venable and Kenta Maeda

Oh noes!

In a season filled to the brim with injuries seeing Kenta Maeda crumble on the field after being struck on his right knee was distressing.  My immediate thought was, "what else could go wrong?"

At the start of the sixth inning Paul Goldschmidt lined a comebacker that was recorded at an exit velocity of 95 MPH.  Unable to catch it on the fly, the ball struck Kenta just below the knee.  Obviously in pain, Maeda still had the presence of mind to grab the errant ball and throw out the All-Start first baseman to record the first out of the inning.  Soon thereafter, he fell to the turf and writhed in agony.  Per Doug Padilla at ESPN:

"He's feeling better actually now," Roberts said. "It was something with a nerve that just lit him up."

"What I know for sure is that it didn't hit the bone," Maeda said through a translator. "But I wasn't able to put any strength or flex it at all, so I was a little bit in shock."

Fortunately, x-rays later on were negative and only revealed a very bad bruise.  Per Ken Gurnick at MLB.com:

"It's hard to tell at this point, but I will reevaluate [Wednesday]," Maeda said through his interpreter. "My hope is to make the next scheduled start. What I know for sure is it didn't hit the bone, but I wasn't able to put any strength or weight on it and I was kind of shocked. Among all the hits taken in the past, it hurt the most. "

I don't know if this team could have survived another major injury to its starting rotation.  So I think it's fair to say we dodged a bullet.  BTW, the Dodgers were victorious over the Diamondbacks, 7-4.  They slugged four home runs; including a pair by Joc Pederson.

Photo above via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2016.  Go here to check out more pics by Jon from yesterdays game.  Below are more links to check:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1938 Johnny Vander Meer pitched his second consecutive no-hitter, beating the Dodgers at Ebbets Field.  He had no-hit the Braves four days prior.  In 1951 Buzzy Bavasi made his first trade as the Dodgers GM.  He received Andy Pfako, Johnny Schmitz, Wayne Terwilliger, and Rube Walker in exchange for Bruce Edwards, Joe Hatten, Eddie Miksis, and Gene Hermanski. In 1996 the Dodgers turned their first triple play in 47 years.  It was against the Braves in the first inning.
• Happy Birthday, Brett Butler and Dusty Baker!

Welcome to the Blue, Will Venable!

This news came out of nowhere.  I know the Dodgers had been without a left-handed bat off the bench since they DFA'd Carl Crawford, but I didn't expect them to fill that void through free agency.  I figured they'd look from within and bring up infielder Micah Johnson or even longtime minor league veteran/journeyman Corey Brown.  Instead, the Dodgers signed former Padres outfielder Will Venable.  Per a Dodgers press release:

The Los Angeles Dodgers today announced the signing of outfielder Will Venable (#25) to a one-year contract.

The 33-year-old has a .251 career batting average with 81 home runs and 307 RBI in 955 big league games during eight seasons with the Padres (2008-2015) and Rangers (2015). The left-handed hitter has appeared at all three outfield positions, with 555 career games (385 starts) in right field, 322 games (252 starts) in center field and 91 games (52 starts) in left field. Venable opened the season with the Phillies’ Triple-A Lehigh Valley club, batting .205 with seven doubles, two homers and 19 RBI in 41 games prior to being released on June 10. Venable was originally selected by the Padres in the seventh round of the 2005 draft out of Princeton University.

To create room on the roster, the Dodgers optioned catcher/infielder Austin Barnes to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Barnes has gone 2-for-19 with an RBI in 10 games with Los Angeles this season.