Blog Kiosk: 9/1/2014 - Dodger Links - Ryu Returns as Sharp as Ever

Hyun-Jin Ryu made a glorious return from the DL yesterday afternoon.  He went seven strong innings, struck out seven, gave up only four hits and walked none.  At one point he retired 14 straight Padres.  His short stint on the DL may turn out to be fortuitous.  He will likely be depended upon by the Dodger should they go deep into the playoffs, so a well rested Ryu will be important.  The photo above features Ryu preparing for the game with catcher AJ Ellis and translator Martin Kim, via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2014.  Go here to check out more pics from Jon.

The Dodgers offense finally woke up against the Padres.  They mashed out twelve hits and scored seven runs.  Both Adrian Gonzalez and Matt Kemp continued their hot-hitting ways.  AGon had four hits and Kemp knocked out two; including the eventual winning run in the fifth inning.  Juan Uribe, who also just returned from the DL, was sharp at the plate, as well. He recorded two hits and drove in two runs.

Of note, Matt Kemp made a fantastic slide at home plate to score a run in the eight inning.  On a wild pitch Kemp raced for home and avoided a tag by the pitcher to score.  As Vin would say, "he looked dead to rights."  But with a little bit of quick thinking and fast reflexes, Kemp found a way to touch the plate before getting tagged.  Watch it below.

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The Dodgers maintain a 2.5 game lead over the Giants as they enter Labor Day.  Things are starting to get serious.  Now, check out some more links below.

• ICYMI:  Go here to check out homestand information for tonights game against the Nationals.
• Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "Haren likely to have next start pushed back."

Dan Haren is still listed as the Dodgers' probable starting pitcher for Wednesday's game against the Washington Nationals, but there are indications it will instead be rookie right-hander Carlos Frias.

He's likely to start on Friday. Bill Plunket at the LA Register notes that the Dodgers will be going to a six man rotation.  This not only helps keep our big three arms fresh, but also allows us to audition a potential #4 pitcher should one be needed for a playoff run.

• Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Onelki Garcia begins rehab assignment, back on Dodgers' radar."

"I've heard his name. We're running out of games down there, but he's a lefty," manager Don Mattingly said. "A lefty helps us, and Paco's a little bit away."

• The Dodger rookie ball club has made the playoffs.  Via Brandon Hart at the Ogden Raptors, "Raptors Clinch Playoff Berth with Win."  Their AA club also made the playoffs. Via Vince Lennon at WRCBtv.com, "Lookouts Clinch Playoff Berth."
• Check out who won Chucky.  As you may know, Joc Pederson gave away his 1994 Buick Century to one lucky fan on Fan Appreciation Day.

Congrats to Renee on winning @yungjoc650's1994 Buick Century! #GoTopes pic.twitter.com/lHGBQXvCNw
— Albuquerque Isotopes (@AbqTopes) August 30, 2014

• Puig can dance, but if only he could hit right now things would be great.  Doh!

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Nationals Series Starts Tomorrow - Scheduled Autograph Signings, Game Give Aways and Other Stuff!

The next homestand starts on Monday against the Washington Nationals, and several olde-tyme Dodgers will be in the house to sign free autographs for fans.  Below are the scheduled autograph opportunities and other odds and ends for this upcoming homestand.

BTW, the Extreme Loaded Dog concession stands will be making the Washington Dog, an all-beef hot dog wrapped in Virginia Ham.  It will be available Friday through Sunday at extreme loaded dog concession stands on the Field, Loge and Reserve levels. 

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Monday, September 1st at 5:10 PM

Happy Labor Day!  Monday's game starts at 5:10 PM.  Auto gates open at 2:30 PM, and stadium gates open at 3:00 PM.  This afternoon the Dodgers celebrate Josh Beckett's No-Hitter.  The first 40,000 fans will receive an Beckett Commemorative No-Hitter Pin.  Check it out on the right.

As part of his 27,273-mile media tour, Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao, eight-division world champion in boxing, will throw the ceremonial first pitch on Monday.  The Filharmonic, who appeared on NBC’s “The Sing-Off,” will perform prior to Monday’s game and will also sing the national anthem.

Former Dodgers Tim Leary (in right-field pavilion plaza) and Ken Landreaux (in left-field pavilion plaza) will be signing autographs for fans from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM.

• The Veteran of the Game presented by Bank of America is U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant Leon Pierce of Los Angeles. Pierce enlisted in 2002 and served with a Mortar Platoon maintaining personnel and equipment and ensuring his unit was mentally and physically prepared for combat operations. While deployed at Camp Leatherneck in the Helmand Province, Afghanistan, his vehicle was hit by an IED where he sustained several injuries. He is now recovering at the Wounded Warrior Battalion West, Camp Pendleton and hopes to attend SDSU to become a trauma nurse. Pierce’s accolades include the Purple Heart and the Iraq and Afghanistan Campaign Medals. Bank of America Senior Vice President Global Commercial Banking Felix Whittaker will present Pierce with an authenticated flag that has proudly flown over Dodger Stadium and display case.

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Tuesday, September 2nd at 7:10 PM

Tueday's game starts at 7:10 PM.  Auto gates open at 4:30 PM, and stadium gates open at 5:00 PM. It is another Dodger bobblehead day. The first 50,000 fans will receive a Magic Johnson Bobblehead.  See the bobblehead on the left.

Dodgers Radio AM 570 Fox Sports LA’s Petros and Money show will broadcast live from the left-field pavilion plaza. R&B singer Jeffrey Osborne will perform the national anthem.

Former Dodgers Dennis Powell (in right-field pavilion plaza) and Derrel Thomas (in left-field pavilion plaza) will be signing autographs for fans from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM.

• The Veteran of the Game presented by Bank of America is U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant Wyatt Waldron of Palmdale. Waldron was a 50 Caliber Heavy Machine Gunner with the 3rd Battalion 4th Marine Infantry and served three combat tours in Iraq. In 2004, his unit fought in the battle of Fallujah, Iraq, and pulled down the statue of Saddam Hussein. Waldron’s accolades include the Purple Heart for injuries he sustained from an IED blast, two Marine Corps Medals with Valor and the Silver Star. 

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Wednesday, September 3rd at 12:10 PM

Wednesday's game starts early at 12:10 PM.  Auto gates open at 9:30 AM, and stadium gates open at 10:00 AM.

Singer and songwriter Kim Devine will perform the national anthem. 

Former Dodgers Billy Ashley (in right-field pavilion plaza) and Matt Luke (in left-field pavilion plaza) will be signing autographs for fans from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM.

• The Veteran of the Game presented by Bank of America is U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant John Smith. In 1961, after hearing President John F. Kennedy’s first inaugural speech in which he stated ‘“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country,” Smith enlisted in the Air Force and served at the School of Aerospace Medicine at Brooks Air Force Base doing medical research. 

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Blog Kiosk: 8/31/2014 - Dodger Links - Losing Tough Again and Ryu & Uribe are Back

Just another tough loss for the Dodgers last night.  The Padres are showing that they are a team not to be ignored.  Sure, they can't hit a lick, but when you can send out hurlers who can pitch effectively it means you are always in the game.  Given some time and proper development we could see this franchise become relevant again.  BTW, four heirs to former Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley are part owners of the Padres, so the focus on pitching shouldn't be a surprise.  The Dodgers won due to pitching, and in a pitchers ballpark like PetCo there's no reason not to start there.

Last night, Zack Greinke matched wits and skills with Padres starting pitcher Ian Kennedy.  They both gave up just one run apiece and didn't figure in the final decision.  Defense ruled the day for the Dodgers.  They made some spectacular plays to help their pitchers along; including a diving catch into the stands by Justin Turner.  Check out some videos of the more remarkable Dodger defensive plays here, via Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider.  The photo above is of Turner making the death-defying catch, via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2014.  Go here to see more photos from the game.

For the second straight game these clubs went into extra innings, and the Padres pulled it out again with walkoff victory.  The Dodgers just couldn't capitalize on their opportunities.  They left ten men on base, and only scored because Adrian Gonzalez homered to tie the game in the sixth inning.

They play their rubber match this afternoon.  Hopefully, the Dodgers can salvage the series with a victory.

As it now stands, the Dodgers hold a perilous 2.5 game lead over the Giants.  I'm starting to sweat as we come down the stretch.  Now, below are more links to check out:

• ICYMI, Hyun-Jin Ryu has been activated off the DL to start the game this afternoon.  Carlos Frias is option to AAA, but you should expect that too last long.  Rosters expand on Monday, and I suspect Frias will be immediately brought back then.
• Juan Uribe has also been reinstated from the DL and will bat sixth in this afternoons lineup.  Infielder Miguel Rojas was optioned, but like Frias you should expect him back once rosters expand on Monday.
• Via Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider, "Dodgers remain on record strikeout pace."

Back in April – admittedly, when the season wasn’t even a month old – I couldn’t help but comment on the remarkable number of strikeouts that were piling up in Dodger games.

• Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "Bench coach Wallach designed unusual shift."

"I started thinking about it the previous at-bat," said Wallach, who left third baseman Justin Turner in his normal spot with the rest of the left side of the infield unprotected. "I thought it for sure was the right thing to do for Smith. Almost every ground ball he hits to the right side."

• Via Mark Saxon at ESPNLosAngeles.com, "Yasiel Puig slump sparks concern."

"The season is long, and it wears you down," Mattingly said. "It's part of learning to regulate yourself here, as far as rest or anything else. We've seen Dee Gordon and how much more consistent his approach is day in and day out now, staying at a certain level. I think Yasiel's really emotional, and it's hard to be really emotional and play 162."

• Via Bill Plunkett at the OC Register, "Kemp's power is back in a big way."

Don Mattingly said: “I don’t know if he’s just getting healthy after a couple years of injuries. Is he getting more confident that he’s been able to stay out there and he’s feeling good, you know? … But he’s definitely getting back to looking like himself.”

• Holy Mackerel!  Via Mina Kimes at ESPN The Magazine, "Curt Flood's monopoly man."  A single collector has been hoarding 1964 Topps Curt Flood cards for decades, and is thought to own a quarter of all those that exist.  His efforts have caused values to be unreasonably high for set collectors.
• Via Mark Townsend at Big League Stew, "Japanese high school game spans four days and 50 innings."  Wha...?

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Sunday Dodger Videos: Herges on Urias, Kershaw and Scott Van Slyke

Here are this Sunday's Dodger videos.

Check out this fun fan-made Dodger themed video for the Dropkick Murphy's song "The Boys are Back."

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Listen to RC Quakes pitching coach Matt Herges talk about Dodger prospect Julio Urias, via ieProSports.

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David Katz at ThePostGame interviews Clayton Kersahw.  He speaks about being an MVP candidate, the Dodgers potential this season, Yasiel Puig's maturity and why everyone should have a 'World Series or Bust' attitude.

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Via Stadium Bound, listen to Scott Van Slyke give his testimony at Dodgers' Faith and Family Day at Dodger Stadium.

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Another Dodger Prospect Wins an Award - Jose De Leon Named Pioneer League Pitcher of the Year

Prospect Jose De Leon has had a fantastic year in the Dodger organization.  He began the year hoping to improve on a dismal 2013 rookie season, and improve he did.  De Leon has just been named the Pioneer League's Pitcher of the Year.

In ten appearances with the rookie-ball Pioneer League Ogden Raptors he went 5-0 with a 2.65 ERA, struck out 77 in 54.1 innings and batters were hitting a paltry .217 against him.  Then, he was promoted to the Single-A Great Lake Loons ballclub and got better.  In four starts he went 2-0 with a 1.19 ERA, struck out 42 batters in 22.2 innings and batters hit only .171 against him.

In Dustin Nosler's great article about him on Dodgers Digest he said this about his dramatic turnaround:

“I’m feeling more comfortable, my delivery is cleaner this year. Those could be factors.”

De Leon throws a lively mid-90's fastball, a low-80's slider and a changeup that Nosler reports is his favorite pitch to throw.  As he indicated above, he also made some changes to his delivery that has obviously worked out well for him. 

On the season, he was twice named the Pioneer League Pitcher of the Week.  He won the awards for the week of June 23-29 and August 4-10.  De Leon then set a Great Lakes Loon club record with fourteen strike outs against Fort Wayne in his second start for the team.  BTW, this was two strike outs better than the previous mark held by Clayton Kershaw. 

In celebration of De Leon's accomplishment I made the above fantasy card for him.  The card uses a photo taken from a Raptors story at MiLB and the vintage 1964 Topps Baseball card design.  Below are his career statistics, via Baseball Reference:


In his last start of the year on Friday, Jose De Leon struck out twelve in 5.2 innings pitched.  You can watch strike out number twelve in the video below.

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Blog Kiosk: 8/30/2014 - Dodger Links - Extreme Shifting, Puig's Missing Bat and Praise for Kershaw

In one of the more extreme shifts you'll ever see, the Dodger stacked four infielders on the right side of the infield against Seth Smith of the Padres in the 12th inning of last nights game.  Check out their defensive alignment in the photo above, tweeted out by JP Hoornstra.  Smith, a proven groundball pull hitter, came up with the bases loaded, and did just as they expected (watch it here).  He grounded the ball to Dee Gordon. Unfortunately, the relay throw to home was a little too off the mark to allow for a doubleplay, so the Padres would get another at-bat.  That very next batter slapped a single to the right side to record a walkoff win.

The Dodger fell to the Padres, 3 to 2, and lost a game in the standings to the suddenly surging Giants.  Disappointing, eh?  They coulda, shoulda, won this one.  Haren, although not entirely on the mark last night, pitched six effective innings (watch highlights here).  He sprayed five hits, struck out three, walked one and gave up just two runs (one unearned).  The followup relief crew also held their own until long-man Kevin Correia walked the bases loaded to set up the shift explained above.

The Dodgers offense was helped along by an resurgent Haley Ramirez, who homered for the first time since coming back from the disabled list (watch it here).  Justin Turner continued his hot hitting ways, but that was not enough.  They could only muster two runs on eleven hits.

The Dodgers are now sitting on a 3.5 game lead over the Giants.  Now, below are some links to check out:

• Via Bill Plunkett at the OC Register, "Puig's bat missing some of its sizzle."

“Where has it gone?” McGwire repeated with a laugh when asked about Puig’s power. “You know what — he got off to a fast start with home runs. Once you do that, people think you're a home run hitter. But really it’s all about pitch selection and patience. He’s shown some great stretches with patience and he’s shown some stretches where he’s not patient at all.

“You have to hit strikes. When you simplify the game and stay within your zone, you can get pitches to drive like that. Sometimes he just gets out of that mode and tries too hard. We can’t forget that he's a very young hitter. And young hitters that aren’t really home run hitters that come out hitting home runs — then people try to put things in their mind that they are home run hitters and they try to do too much.”

• Via J.P. Hoornstra at Inside the Dodgers, "Greg Maddux offers some high praise for Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw."

“His consistency is off the charts good,” Maddux said. “Everybody who wears a major-league uniform is good in their own way. There’s guys who can do it every time they put on the uniform. … Every time you see a player whose bad games are good, it’s special.”

• Via Jeffrey Long at Beyond the Boxscore, "How to get a hit against Clayton Kershaw."  Check out this advanced scouting report.
• Chris Olds at Beckett shares some preview pics from Topps 2015 Sticker Baseball set, here.  Check out the Clayton Kershaw sticker on the right.  It is slated to come out on March 4, 2015.

• The new September edition of Dodger Insider Magazine features Clayton Kershaw on the cover and includes a stories on his Ping Pong 4 Purpose charity event, his MVP candidacy and his unprecedented domination of the strike zone in 2014.  There is also a 15-page special section offering the history behind every Dodger uniform number from 00 to 99.  Go here for ordering information or get a copy at souvenir stands at Dodger Stadium when the next homestand opens on Monday against the Nationals.  Check out the cover on the left.
• Via David Brown at Big League Stew, "Family of Jackie Robinson Little Leaguer is homeless."

His mother, Devona Benton, says she and Benton's father, a radiator tech who works part-time, could no longer afford their apartment after her hours were cut as a home-care provider for Catholic Charities. She's worked there for six years and sometimes it's been a struggle, but she says this is the first time her family had to split up to survive. She also is responsible for looking after her 16-year-old son, and for helping with the three grandchildren of her grown daughter. She's hoping and praying for more clients, but until that happens, the family will be fractured.

• OK, fine.  I'm gonna link to a Plaschke article, but only because it's a good one about LA Kings coach Darryl Sutter.  Via Bill Plaschke of the LA Times, "Kings Coach Darryl Sutter is never down on the farm."

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