Dodgers Notes from Spring Training: Spring Game 3/Home Game 2

Throughout Spring Training the Dodgers PR department sends out helpful daily notes from Camelback Ranch, and I am happy to pass them along.  See what they've written below.

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Chicago Cubs (2-0) at LOS ANGELES DODGERS (0-1-1)
Monday, February 25, 2013 – 1:05 p.m., Camelback Ranch – Glendale
RHP Carlos Villanueva vs. RHP Chad Billingsley
TV: PRIME TICKET - RADIO: AM 570 KLAC

(twitter link: @Dodgers)

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(pic link: Pat Corrales and Pat Listach via Jon SooHoo/ LA Dodgers 2013)

I LIKE YOUR TIE: The Dodgers and Cubs meet for the first of four times this spring with Chicago right-hander Carlos Villanueva facing Los Angeles righty Chad Billingsley. The two clubs will meet again on Wednesday in Mesa, March 14 here in Glendale and then on March 21 in Tucson with the game proceeds benefitting the Christina-Taylor Green Memorial Foundation. In case you were wondering, there are 35 days until Opening Day!

• The Dodgers and White Sox played to a 2-2 tie yesterday at Camelback Ranch as Zack Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu combined for 3.0 scoreless innings and Luis Cruz hit the Dodgers’ first homer of the spring. Hanley Ramirez knocked in the Dodgers’ first run of the contest with an RBI single in the third to bring home Tim Federowicz, who doubled to lead off the inning, and non-roster invitee Brian Barden picked up a pair of singles in his two at-bats after entering the game as the designated hitter in the seventh inning.
• Los Angeles will have four players venturing over from the minor league side today to suit up with the Major League club: RHP Ryan Acosta (#84), LHP Victor Garate (#95), RHP Blake Johnson (#82) and IF Rafael Ynoa (#83).

BILLS ON THE HILL: Chad Billingsley makes his first start of the spring this afternoon and will take the mound for the first time since Aug. 24 after missing the last month of the season with right elbow pain. Prior to the injury, Billingsley had been one of the game’s top pitchers in the second half, going 6-0 with a 1.80 ERA (9 ER/45.0 IP) in seven starts after the All-Star break. The 28-year-old right-hander has posted double-digit wins in each of the last six seasons and has never had a losing season at any level as a pro.

• Left-hander Chris Capuano will see his first action of the spring in relief today after establishing a career-best mark with a 3.72 ERA in 2012. Capuano has made 25 relief appearances in his career, posting a 3.80 ERA in 42.2 innings.
• RHP Matt Guerrier will make his first appearance of the spring after pitching in just 16 games last year in an injury-shortened season.
• RHP Shawn Tolleson will make 2013 Cactus League debut after limiting opponents to a .221 batting average (.152 against right-handers) over 40 games last year in his first big league season.
• LHP Paco Rodriguez became the fastest player from the 2012 First-Year Player Draft to reach the Majors last year after he was selected in the second round out of the University of Florida. Rodriguez, 22, tossed scoreless relief in 10 of his 11 big league appearances.
• RHP Kevin Gregg will see his first action in Dodger blue after spending the 2012 campaign with Baltimore. Gregg, 34, is entering his 11th big league season.

  

  (pic link: Hyun-Jin Ryu via Jon SooHoo/ LA Dodgers 2013)

REALIGNMENT: With Adrian Gonzalez receiving an off-day after starting both of the Dodgers’ first two Cactus League contests, Juan Uribe will make his first-ever start at first base this afternoon. The sure-handed infielder was the Dodgers’ designated hitter on Saturday, going 1-for-2, and has appeared in 1,355 games in his career with a .977 fielding percentage at second base (220 games), third base (259 games), shortstop (917 games) and center field (one game).

• Dee Gordon (shortstop), Nick Punto (designated hitter), Ramon Castro (catcher), Alfredo Amezaga (third base) and Tony Gwynn Jr. (left field) will all make their first starts of the exhibition season this afternoon.

PRIME TIME: The Dodgers will make their first television appearance of the season today with Hall of Famer Vin Scully calling the action on PRIME TICKET. Scully enters his 64th season behind the mic in 2013 and will call six Cactus League contests for the Dodgers this spring.

• Today’s 1:05 p.m. (12:05 p.m. PT) game will also be called by Charley Steiner and Rick Monday and can be heard on AM 570 Fox Sports Los Angeles, which will also feature Dodger Talk with David Vassegh and Jorge Jarrin tonight at 7:00 p.m. PT.

THE TOUR CONTINUES...: Today, MLB Network descended on Camelback Ranch for their annual 30 clubs in 30 Days tour. Eric Byrnes will be on-site talking to numerous Dodgers, including fellow outfielder Andre Ethier. The network also conducted a live interview with Ned Colletti and spoke with a number of Dodger players on their past WBC experiences.

YOU SEE THIS FACE?: Dodger center fielder Matt Kemp advanced to the finals of MLB Network’s #FaceofMLB and is currently facing off against Cincinnati’s Joey Votto in MLB Network’s bracket to decide who the Face of MLB is. The online hashtag battle (#MattKemp) started today and runs through Friday.

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Dodgers Blog Kiosk: 2/25/2013

Don Mattingly and Mark McGwire sign for fans at Camelback Ranch, pic via Jon SooHoo/ LA Dodgers 2013.  See some pics from yesterday, here.

• Steve Garvey is battling prostate cancer, via Steve Dilbeck at the LA Times.
• Roberto at Vin Scully is My Homeboy is tracking down all of the new Dodger billboards being found throughout the southland.
• Bill Plunkett of the OC Register writes of the Dodgers' optimism with Chad Billingsley.
• David Brown at Big League Stew had a chance to ask a question to Sandy Koufax, and it was about the movie 'The Big Lebowski.'  The best part is Sandy's reaction to an online media writer.

David Brown: Mr. Koufax, my name’s Dave Brown; I’m from Big League Stew at Yahoo! Sports.
Sandy Koufax: (Leans in with ear) From what?
David Brown: Yahoo! Sports.
Sandy Koufax (starting to walk away): I’m kind of a conscientious objector [to] the digital revolution.

• Beckett shared some preview pics of 2013 Topps Triple Thread cards, and it includes a couple of Dodgers'.  Check them out below.

• Manuel Guerrero at LA Blue Crew shares some photos from his day at Camelback Ranch, and shows us some of his autograph finds.
• Panini unveiled some pics from their upcoming release called 2012 Panini Baseball National Treasures; including cards of Kershaw and Kemp.  Boxes will be available later this week.

• This video may cause temporary hallucinogenic effects, but its awesome!
• Here is a video of Hyun-Jin Ryu pitching his one inning yesterday.  Hat Tip: @MyKBO on Twitter.

Video Link:

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2013 Topps Baseball Spring Fever - Dodgers' Cards

Hold on folks.  I wasn't quite done with the Dodger cards that can be found in packs of 2013 Topps Series 1 Baseball cards.  Randomly inserted into packs are 'Spring Fever' redemption cards that must be turned in to participating card/hobby shops throughout the country from February 20th to the 27th.  To the right is what the redemption card looks like.  One redemption card gets you a free 5 card pack of 'Spring Fever' cards.  See a complete list of participating stores here.  If you have one of these cards hurry up and get your pack right away.  Be sure to contact the store first to make sure they have packs remaining.  Below are the 3 Dodgers in the base set, as well as, an autographed card of AJ Ellis.

Dodgers Base Cards:

#SF-22 A.J. Ellis

#SF-23 Adrian Gonzalez

#SF-48 Matt Kemp

Autographed Spring Fever Autographed Card.

A.J. Ellis #/155

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Dodgers Notes from Spring Training: Spring Game 2/ Road Game 1

Throughout Spring Training the Dodgers PR department sends out helpful daily notes from Camelback Ranch, and I am happy to pass them along.  See what they've written below.

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LOS ANGELES DODGERS (0-1) at Chicago White Sox (1-0)
Saturday, February 24, 2013 – 1:05 p.m., Camelback Ranch – Glendale
RHP Zack Greinke vs. RHP Erik Johnson

(twitter link: @Dodgers)

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BACK AT IT: Following their 9-0 defeat at the hands of the White Sox in the Cactus League lid-lifter yesterday, the Dodgers will tussle again with the Sox this afternoon at Camelback Ranch - Glendale in their first official “road” game of the spring. Today marks the highly anticipated Dodger debut of two starters as free agent acquisition Zack Greinke and Korean sensation Hyun-Jin Ryu will be the first two hurlers out of the shoot today for Don Mattingly’s club. Greinke and Ryu will be followed to the mound this afternoon by RHP Peter Moylan, RHP Josh Wall, RHP Steve Ames and RHP Matt Palmer. In case you were wondering, there are 36 days until Opening Day!

• Right-handed minor league pitchers Angel Castro (No. 88) and Blake Johnson (No. 82) will be available to pitch today, sliding over from the other side of the complex.  
• Tomorrow, Feb. 25, the Dodgers will play host to the Cubs at 1:05 p.m. MT and Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully will be in the booth to call the club’s first televised game on PRIME TICKET. Of the seven televised Cactus League games between PRIME TICKET (four broadcasts) and KCAL (three broadcasts), Scully will be on air on Feb. 25 vs. CHC (PRIME), Feb. 28 vs. LAA (PRIME), March 7 vs. TEX (PRIME), March 17 vs. MIL (KCAL), March 18 vs. ARI (PRIME), March 23 vs. CWS (KCAL) and March 26 vs. COL (KCAL).

ZACK ATTACK: Today, Dodger starter Zack Greinke will don Dodger blue in a game for the first time. Greinke, who won the 2009 American League Cy Young Award, signed a six-year contract with Los Angeles in December. The 29-year-old, who will enter his 10th Major League season, has a 91-78 career record with a 3.77 ERA while posting double-digit wins over the last five consecutive seasons. 

• The “other” big offseason signing, Hyun-Jin Ryu, will also be making his competitive Dodger debut. The seven-time Korea Baseball Organization All-Star and five-time KBO strikeout leader signed a six-year deal with the Dodgers after being posted by the Hanwha Eagles. The 25-year-old left-hander has a 98-52 record and a 2.80 ERA in 190 career games as a professional in Korea. 

(pic link: @HyunJinRyu99)

YOUTH IS SERVED: Three Dodgers in the starting lineup today are 26 years old or younger as Yasiel Puig (22, DH), Tim Federowicz (25, C), Jeremy Moore (25, LF) and Alex Castellanos (26, CF) all make their first spring starts today. Puig went 1-for-2 with a double in his Cactus League debut yesterday. Of the four, Castellanos has the most big league experience of the foursome, despite playing in just 16 games with Los Angeles last season. The Miami native belted his first Major League home run in the Dodgers’ final game of the season last year, ripping a solo shot off San Francisco’s Jean Machi on October 3. 

GIMME SOME MOORE: Starting in left field today will be 25-year old non-roster invitee Jeremy Moore, who was originally selected by the Angels in the sixth round of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft. Moore didn’t play at all last season due to a left hip injury and has appeared in just eight big league games, all with the Halos in 2011. The Louisiana native led the Pacific Coast League with 18 triples in 2011, becoming just the second PCL player in history with double-digit stolen bases (21), doubles (24), homers (15) and triples. Moore owns a career average of .277 with 75 homers, 327 RBI and 124 steals in seven minor league seasons.  

TODAY ON THE DIAL: KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish) TODAY ON THE TUBE: None THE TOUR CONTINUES...: Tomorrow, MLB Network will descend on Camelback Ranch for their annual 30 clubs in 30 Days tour. Eric Byrnes will be onsite talking to numerous Dodgers, including fellow outfielder Andre Ethier. The network will also conduct a live interview with Dodger General Manager Ned Colletti at 10:30 A.M. Arizona time.  

YOU SEE THIS FACE?: Dodger center fielder Matt Kemp advanced to the finals of MLB Network’s #FaceofMLB contest on Twitter by defeating Atlanta’s Jason Heyward in a vote. In next week’s finals, which will run from tomorrow through Friday, Kemp will face off with Cincinnati’s Joey Votto in MLB Network’s bracket to decide who the Face of MLB is. The current bracket matchups can be viewed here.

(pic link: @Dodgers)

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Sunday Dodger Videos: Ping Pong, the Oscars and a Video Showing the Progress at Dodger Stadium

Here are this Sundays Dodgers' Videos.

Ping Pong, next to Baseball, has been the most popular sport at camelback Ranch.  Watch Zack Greinke win a point against Clayton Kersahw.

Video Link:

Several Dodgers talk about the Oscars.

Video Link:

Here is a video taken within Dodger Stadium.  I am uncertain of the exact date it was filmwed, but it must have been fairly recently.  As you can see, it appears that they have laid all of the concrete for the new clubhouse and field level seats, and have begun putting in the new seats.

Video Link:

Stadium Bound shows a bit of the new scoreboards being installed.

Video Link:

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Dodgers Notes from Spring Training: Spring Game 1/ Home Game 1

Throughout Spring Training the Dodgers PR department sends out helpful daily notes from Camelback Ranch, and I am happy to pass them along.  See what they've written below.

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CHICAGO WHITE SOX (0-0) vs. LOS ANGELES DODGERS (0-0)
Saturday, February 23, 2013 – 1:05 p.m., Camelback Ranch – Glendale
RHP Dylan Axelrod vs. LHP Clayton Kershaw

(twitter link: @jphoornstra)

START ME UP: Today the Dodgers begin their 40-game exhibition schedule as they host the White Sox at Camelback Ranch – Glendale at 1:05 pm MT. Manager Don Mattingly has scheduled seven pitchers to throw in the game. Left-handed starter Clayton Kershaw will be followed by Ronald Belisario, Stephen Fife and Matt Magill in addition to non-roster invitees Kelvin De La Cruz, Gregory Infante and Mark Lowe…days until Opening Day: 37!

• Minor league left-handed pitcher Victor Garate will be available to pitch and will be wearing uniform number 95.
• The club will play 36 games in Arizona before playing its final four exhibition games in the greater Los Angeles area against the Angels and Single-A Rancho Cucamonga.
• On Monday, Feb. 25 the Dodgers will play host to the Cubs at 1:05 p.m. MT and Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully will be in the booth to call the club’s first televised game on PRIME TICKET. Of the seven televised Cactus League games between PRIME TICKET (four broadcasts) and KCAL (three broadcasts), Scully will be on air on Feb. 25 vs. CHC (PRIME), Feb. 28 vs. LAA (PRIME), March 7 vs. TEX (PRIME), March 17 vs. MIL (KCAL), March 18 vs. ARI (PRIME) and March 26 vs. COL (KCAL).

(pic credit: Jon Soo Hoo/LA Dodgers 2013)

KERSH-AWESOME: Today, starter Clayton Kershaw will toe the rubber for Los Angeles. The left-hander will attempt to become the first pitcher to win three consecutive Major League ERA titles since Greg Maddux accomplished the feat from 1993-95 as a member of the Braves.

• While Kershaw finished second in the NL Cy Young voting in 2012, he picked up one of baseball’s most prestigious honors this offseason with the Roberto Clemente Award, which recognizes a Major League Baseball player who best represents the game through positive contributions on and off the field, including sportsmanship and community involvement. Kershaw and his wife, Ellen, founded Kershaw’s Challenge, a charitable organization that encourages people to make a difference by giving back to at-risk children and communities in need. The charity has provided assistance to a variety of organizations, including to its cornerstone charity, “Arise Africa,” which helped the Kershaws build and now sustain an orphanage for children in Lusaka, Zambia called “Hope’s Home.”

PITCHING PREVIEW: Pitching has traditionally been a strength of the Dodger organization and last season, the club ranked third in the Majors with both a 3.34 team ERA and a .238 opponents’ batting average.

• Last season, Ronald Belisario tied for the Major League lead with eight wins as a reliever (Rex Brothers and Nate Jones), going 8-0 with a 2.54 ERA in his team-leading 68 relief appearances. The right-hander also led the club with 71.0 innings pitched and his eight wins were the most by a Dodger reliever since Guillermo Mota’s eight in 2004.
• Stephen Fife made five starts for the Dodgers in 2012, posting a 0-2 record with a 2.70 ERA (8 ER/26.2 IP). The right-hander was recalled on July 17 and made his Major League debut that night against Philadelphia, allowing one run on four hits in 6.0 innings
• Right-hander Matt Magill started 26 games at Double-A Chattanooga and posted an 11-8 record with a 3.78 ERA in 2012. The Simi Valley native held right-handed hitters to a .202 batting average and recorded career highs in starts, innings pitched (146.1) and strikeouts (168).

(pic credit: Jon Soo Hoo/LA Dodgers 2013)

INTO THE SWING OF THINGS: The Dodger lineup today features World Baseball Classic participants Adrian Gonzalez and Luis Cruz of Team Mexico and Hanley Ramirez of Team Dominican Republic. The trio is scheduled to stay in the game longer than the rest of the lineup in order to prepare for the WBC, which kicks off on March 2.

• The Dodgers will face Team Mexico in an exhibition game on March 6 at 1:05 p.m. at Camelback Ranch – Glendale.
• Currently, Team Italy is training at Camelback Ranch – Glendale and Dodger infielder Nick Punto will suit up for the Italians during the WBC. In addition to Cruz, Gonzalez, Punto and Ramirez, reliever Ronald Belisario will lace ‘em up for Team Venezuela.

HI, MY NAME IS: Skip Schumaker, who is starting in center field and batting sixth today, will make his first start in Spring Training for the Blue Crew. The utility man hit .276 in 107 games, appearing in all three outfield positions and second base for the Cardinals last season. The California native had spent his entire Major League career (2005-2012) with St. Louis.

YOU SEE THIS FACE?: Dodger center fielder Matt Kemp advanced to the finals of MLB Network’s #FaceofMLB contest on Twitter by defeating Atlanta’s Jason Heyward in a vote. In next week’s finals, which will run from Monday through Friday, Kemp will face off with Cincinnati’s Joey Votto in MLB Network’s bracket to decide who the Face of MLB is. The current bracket matchups can be viewed here.

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