Day 19 Spring Training Report

This afternoons Dodger lineup against the Rockies: Furcal ss; Blake 3rd; Ethier RF; Kemp CF; Gimenez 1st; Uribe 2nd; Thames LF; Barajas C; Lilly SP.

Below are Day 19 Spring Training Report from the Dodgers.

• CARRY A BIG STICK: The Dodgers will travel to Scottsdale and play their first-ever contest at brand new Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, the Spring Training home for the Rockies and Diamondbacks. Both NL West squads previously called Tucson their Cactus League casa. Today, the Dodgers play the first of two games this spring with the Rox as Colorado will come to Glendale on March 24. The divisional rivals meet for the first of 18 regular season games on April 5 in Denver, which will be the Dodgers fifth game of the 2011 season.
  

• RIGHT SAID TED: Dodger left-hander Ted Lilly will see his first Cactus League action this afternoon after a bout with the flu kept him from making his first start last week. Lilly ended up throwing 2.0 innings in a “B” game on March 3 to stay on his throwing schedule. The California native was acquired by the Dodgers at the trade deadline last season and then was resigned to a three-year deal less than a month after the season ended. Lilly was 7-4 with a 3.54 ERA over 12 starts with the Dodgers in 2010 and his 54 National League wins since 2007 rank fifth in baseball behind Adam Wainwright (64), Derek Lowe (57), Bronson Arroyo (56) and Tim Lincecum (56). Following Lilly, the Dodgers will send RHP Tim Redding, RHP Javy Guerra, RHP Mike MacDougal RHP Blake Hawksworth and RHP Kenley Jansen to the mound. The Rockies will send last year’s 19-game winner, RHP Ubaldo Jimenez, to the hill.

(Pic LInk: TwitPic Ibawk7)

• EXTRA, EXTRA: The Dodgers yesterday fell to 0-5 on the road in Cactus League, losing 5-3 to the Chicago Cubs in extra innings. Despite the loss, infielder Aaron Miles (.333) continued his hot start with a triple and a run scored while outfielder Jamie Hoffmann (.417) did the same, going 1-for-2 with a run. On the mound, right-hander Carlos Monasterios tossed 2.0 scoreless innings and reliever Ramon Troncoso fired 1.1 perfect frames. Troncoso has not allowed a run over three appearances (3.1 IP) while striking out three and allowing just one hit.

• LOTTA ZEROES: Chad Billingsley continued the Dodgers’ trend of superb starting pitching yesterday, allowing just one earned run over 3.2 innings. Through 10 games, Dodger starters have posted a minuscule 1.01 ERA (3 ER/26.2 IP). The Los Angeles projected rotation of Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Ted Lilly, Hiroki Kuroda and Jon Garland will boast five pitchers who each won 10 or more games last season. Their cumulative 2010 ERA of 3.39 (371 ER/986.0 IP) and .234 opponents’ batting average (857-for-3663) would have led all Major League starting rotations and their combined 844 strikeouts would have ranked third. Each member of the club’s starting rotation posted an ERA under 3.65, pitched more than 190.0 innings and made 30 or more starts last season.

• NEW FACES IN FIELD: Dodger outfielder Marcus Thames will make his first defensive start this afternoon as he will play left field and bat seventh. Thames has logged 24.0 innings as the Dodger designated hitter this spring to lead the club. Elsewhere, non-roster invitee Hector Gimenez will make his first start at first base, following 10.0 frames at catcher and 15.0 as the DH.

(Pic Link: TwitPic ezriness_)

(At Dodger Stadium for the Race for the Cure! yesterday )

• GRAND LARCENY – Dodger outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr. swiped another base yesterday and now has four this spring, which is tied with five other players for the Major League lead. The Dodgers currently rank third in the Cactus League with 14 stolen bases and in addition to Gwynn, Matt Kemp (2) and Eugenio Velez (2) have flashed some speed. Only two Dodgers have been caught stealing in 10 games this spring after the club stole just 10 bases in 30 Spring Training games last season.

• DON’T “B” ALARMED: Tomorrow morning at 10 a.m., the Dodgers and Mariners will hold a “B” game at Field 6 on the minor league side. Dodger right-hander Hiroki Kuroda will start the game and be followed by several big league hurlers. Right-hander John Ely will end up starting the game over in Maryvale against the Brewers, robbing Japanese baseball fans the chance to see the unusual starting matchup of Kuroda vs. Milwaukee’s Takashi Saito, who was the Dodger closer from 2006-08.

(Pic Link: TwitPic MrThinkBlue)

• FOUR ON THE FLOOR: Four Dodger minor leaguers will join the big league club at Talking Stick today with right-hander Merkin Valdez (#96), outfielder Angelo Songco (#95), left-hander Cole St. Clair (#97) and infielder Corey Smith (#98), suiting up for Los Angeles. Songco hit .271 with 15 homers and 71 RBI for Single-A Great Lakes last year and belted 34 career home runs at Loyola Marymount, which ranks seventh on the all-time list. Last season in three Cactus League games, Songco went 2-for-4 with a double, homer and two RBI. Smith played the entire season at Double-A Chattanooga and was named to the Southern League’s Midseason and Postseason All-Star teams after finishing second in the league with 86 RBI and ninth with a .467 slugging percentage. The New Jersey native was signed as a free agent before the 2010 campaign.

Lelands: Dodger "Bum" Willard Mullin Proof

(eBay Auction Link)

(click photo to enlarge)

Here is a very unusual proof sheet featuring Dodger mascot, the "Bum," in 18 different tennis related images. They were drawn by noted sports cartoonist Willard Mullin. It is unknown why these were created, and for what product it might be for.

You're a Dodger Fan!

Here's a little bit of The Honeymooners. Just too funny not to post.

YouTube Link:

eBay: A Couple of Dodger Minor League Bobbleheads

(eBay Auction Link)

Here are a couple of great minor league mini-bobbleheads I ran into on eBay featuring a couple of former Dodger stars. These two were apparently stadium give-aways sponsored by Best Western Hotels. I'm not sure what uniform Adrian Beltre is wearing, but Eric Gagne is donning a Las Vegas 51's uniform.

Day 18 Spring Training Report

This afternoon's Dodger lineup: Robinson-CF; Gwynn-LF; Gibbons-DH Navarro-C; Paul-RF; DeJesus-2nd; Mitchell-1st; Miles-3rd; Castro-SS Billingsley-RHP

Below are Day 18 Spring Training Notes from the Dodgers.

• NORTHSIDERS: The Dodgers head east to Mesa this afternoon to take on the Cubs as the two teams will square off at HoHoKam Stadium for the first time since 2009 after they were washed out a year ago. The clubs will battle two more times this spring, meeting on March 13 at Cashman Field in Las Vegas and on March 22 at Camelback Ranch - Glendale.

• BILLS ON THE HILL: Dodger right-hander Chad Billingsley will make his second Spring Training start today against the Cubs after striking out three in 3.0 scoreless frames on Tuesday against the Indians. The 2009 All-Star has posted a winning record with double-digit victories in each of his four full big league seasons and ranks sixth in the National League with 551 strikeouts over the last three seasons. Billingsley will be followed by Javy Guerra, Scott Elbert, Ramon Troncoso, Luis Vasquez and Carlos Monasterios. Right-hander Ryan Dempster will get the start for the Cubbies.

(Pic Link: TwitPic DodgersLakers)

(Progress on the field. A view of Dodger Stadium from yesterday)

• FIRING BLANKS – The Dodgers posted their second Spring Training shutout yesterday as six pitchers limited the Reds to just five hits, while walking only two. Clayton Kershaw was dominant, allowing just one hit and striking out three in 4.0 frames to pick up his first victory of the spring. Matt Kemp put the Dodgers on the board with an RBI double in the fourth inning and Trent Oeltjen drove in an insurance run with a single in the eighth. Lance Cormier, Jon Huber, Roman Colon, Wilkin De La Rosa and Oscar Villarreal each chipped in with a scoreless inning of relief to close out the win.

• START ME UP: Clayton Kershaw continued the Dodgers’ trend of superb starting pitching yesterday and through nine games, Dodger starters have posted a minuscule 0.77 ERA (2 ER/23.1 IP). The Los Angeles projected rotation of Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Ted Lilly, Hiroki Kuroda and Jon Garland will boast five pitchers who each won 10 or more games last season. Their cumulative 2010 ERA of 3.39 (371 ER/986.0 IP) and .234 opponents’ batting average (857-for-3663) would have led all Major League starting rotations and their combined 844 strikeouts would have ranked third. Each member of the club’s starting rotation posted an ERA under 3.65, pitched more than 190.0 innings and made 30 or more starts last season.

• OH HAPPY DAY – The Dodgers would like to wish a very happy birthday to outfielder Marcus Thames, who shares his birthday with Hall of Famers Willie Stargell and Lefty Grove. The 34-year-old posted career highs with a .288 batting average and a .350 on-base percentage in 82 games last season with the Yankees. Since the start of the 2006 season, Thames has averaged a home run every 14.93 at-bats, which was the fourth-best mark in the American League over that span (min. 1,200 AB), and the slugger has averaged a home run every 15.58 at-bats in his career, the 27th-best mark all-time (min. 1,500 AB).

(Pic Link: HitPix Dodgers)

("Maury's Pit")

• FIVE FINGER DISCOUNT – The Dodgers are currently tied for second among National League teams with 13 stolen bases during the spring season with speedsters Tony Gwynn Jr. (3), Matt Kemp (2) and Eugenio Velez (2) leading the charge. Only two Dodgers have been caught stealing in nine games this spring after the club stole just 10 bases in 30 Spring Training games last season.
• HIGH NUMBERS: Six Dodger minor leaguers will join the big league club in Mesa today with LHP Alberto Bastardo (#91), OF Elian Herrera (#90), OF Joc Pederson (#87), LHP David Pfeiffer (#92), RHP Juan Rincon (#91) and IF Rafael Ynoa (#89) suiting up for Los Angeles. Pederson, the Dodgers’ 11^th-round selection in the 2010 draft, was named the top prospect by Baseball America in the Hawaii Collegiate Baseball League this past summer after hitting .319 and earning a selection to the league’s All-Star Game. The 18-year-old from Palo Alto is the son of Stu Pederson, who was drafted by Los Angeles in the ninth round of the 1981 draft and appeared in eight games with the club in 1985.

(Pic Link: TwitPic MLBNetwork)

• TOGETHER IN TUCSON: It was announced on Friday that the Dodgers and Diamondbacks will play a Spring Training game on Friday, March 25 at 1:05 p.m. in Tucson with proceeds benefitting the Tucson Together Fund. The fund provides financial assistance to the victims, witnesses and their families for expenses associated with the January 8^th tragedy. The contest will be played at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium (formerly known as TEP) with tickets available at Dodgers.com/Spring.

Day 17 Spring Training Report

This afternoons Dodger lineup: Furcal-SS, Blake -3rd, Ethier-RF, Kemp-CF, Gibbons-DH, Uribe-2nd, Barajas-C, Mitchell-1st, Kapler-LF

Here is the Day 17 Spring Training Report from the Dodgers.

• SEEING RED: The Dodgers and Reds will meet for the second and final time of the spring this afternoon at Camelback Ranch. Los Angeles lost 3-1 to Cincinnati in Goodyear two nights ago. Last season, the Reds went 5-4 against the Dodgers and the two squads will meet for the first time in the 2011 regular season on June 3 at Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park. The Reds will invade Dodger Stadium a week later from June 13-15.
  

• TAKING THE MOUND: Dodger left-hander Clayton Kershaw will make his second start of the spring this afternoon after tossing 3.0 innings against the White Sox on Feb. 28. In that outing, the 22-year old gave up just one unearned run and two hits while striking out three. Kershaw is set to turn 23 in less than two weeks and entering his first career Opening Day start, he will have more strikeouts (497) and more wins (26) than any other player in baseball aged 23 and younger in the National League. The only player aged 23 or younger with more wins than Kershaw is Oakland’s 23-year-old Trevor Cahill, who has won 28 games over the last two seasons. Cahill is 18 days older than Kershaw. After Kershaw exits, RHP Lance Cormier, RHP Jon Huber, RHP Roman Colon, RHP Oscar Villarreal and LHP Wilkin De La Rosa will take the mound for Los Angeles. The Reds will counter with RHP Bronson Arroyo.

(Pic Link: TwitPic Dodgers)

(Practice Rundown Drills)

• SNAP THE STREAK: The Dodgers lost their fourth consecutive spring contest last night, falling to the Giants, 5-3, in front of a crowd of 11,261 on Fireworks Night. RHP Jon Garland made his 2011 debut and looked sharp, allowing just one unearned run and one hit over 3.0 innings. At the plate, Trayvon Robinson and Juan Castro each collected an RBI, but the Dodgers managed just seven singles in the contest. Through eight games, Dodger starters have posted a 0.93 ERA (2 ER/19.1 IP).

• GET ON THE BUS GUS: The Dodgers announced yesterday that the Metro will again offer the Dodger Stadium Express bus service from Union Station in downtown Los Angeles to Dodger Stadium beginning on March 28 with the Dodgers’ exhibition game against the Angels. The service will then run throughout the 2011 regular season under a grant approved by the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee (MSRC).

• A BIG THANK YOU: The Dodgers would like to acknowledge the fans and clients taking part in this year’s Spring Training trip. The group of nearly 70 people had a welcome dinner Thursday night where they met Andre Ethier, Chad Billingsley, Clayton Kershaw and Hall of Famer Tommy Lasorda. Prior to taking in the game vs. the Giants last night, the group received bunting instruction from Dodger legend Maury Wills and today will meet with Dodger Manager Don Mattingly and Dodger GM Ned Colletti before flying back to Los Angeles. In addition to several season ticket holders, the clients represented include KCAL, FSN PRIME TICKET, Hyundai, Kaiser Permanente, Farmer John, Time Warner and John Hancock.
  

• BIG MAC: The Dodgers would like to wish a very happy birthday to right-handed pitcher Mike MacDougal, who turns 34 today. MacDougal shares his big day with former Dodgers Kevin Brown, Paul Konerko and Chad Fonville. A little known fact is that MacDougal’s given name is actually Robert Meiklejohn. Meiklejohn is his mother’s maiden name. Now you know.

• ON THE INJURY FRONT: Dodger first baseman James Loney will miss today’s game with some stiffness in his left knee. Loney took an MRI this morning in Phoenix and the results are pending. The Houston, TX native is set to begin his sixth Major League campaign and over the last three seasons, his 480 games played are tied with Robinson Cano for third in the Major Leagues. Loney trails only Prince Fielder (482) and Adrian Gonzalez (482) over that time.

• TOGETHER IN TUCSON: It was announced yesterday that the Dodgers and Diamondbacks will play a Spring Training game on Friday, March 25 at 1:05 p.m. in Tucson with proceeds benefitting the Tucson Together Fund. The fund provides financial assistance to the victims, witnesses and their families for expenses associated with the January 8^th tragedy. The contest will be played at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium (formerly known as TEP) with tickets available at Dodgers.com/Spring.

• BIENVENIDOS: The Dodgers welcomed a contingent of Mexican media members to Camelback Ranch yesterday, including representatives from Sintesis TV, Azteca America, Puro Beisbol, ZETA, El Vigia de Ensenada and Notimex. The group will stay until tomorrow and this is the third year that the club has hosted members of the Mexican media in Glendale.

• A LITTLE SHIFTY: Today, former Dodger second baseman Steve Sax will be signing copies of his book, SHIFT: Change Your Mindset And You Change Your World outside the Team Store in the Center Field Courtyard from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

• PAYING RESPECTS: A private memorial service for Hall of Famer Edwin “Duke” Snider will be held on March 12. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to the Fallbrook Union High School Baseball Program c/o Fallbrook Baseball ASB, 2234 S. Stage Coach Lane, Fallbrook, CA 92028.