2018 Topps Now - #378 - Muncy and Pederson are on a Home Run Tear

This has been a wild month.

Not too long ago fans were ready to thrown in the towel. The Dodgers had gotten off to a terrible start to the season, so doom and gloom prevailed. Now, after slugging their 53rd homer as a team during the month of June last night (tying a club record), we find ourselves right in the thick of a division race. Best yet, Topps decided to commemorate the Dodger power surge by issuing a Topps Now card that makes note of two specific Dodgers' for being the first duo to hit ten or more home runs during the same month in franchise history. They are Max Muncy and Joc Pederson. See the card above and below. Go here to check it out and order.

Blog Kiosk: 6/29/2018 - Dodgers Links - Some Odds and Ends

Kershaw looked liked he hadn't missed a beat. He was fantastic during his first start since going on the DL. Per Alden Gonzalez at ESPN:

"I saw 100 percent from him," Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes said of Kershaw. "I didn't see anything hampering or laboring or anything. I thought he was the Kershaw that I know."

Dave Roberts added more, via Rowan Kavner at Dodger Insider:

“Very positive for us going forward,” said manager Dave Roberts. “Clayton was efficient, got up and down five times, felt the fastball had life (at 92–93 mph), good command. Curveball was sharp and the slider was good. I think that it’s only going to get better.”

Photo above of Kershaw via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2018 at Dodger Insider. Clayton went five innings, striking out six and walking none. Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1990 Fernando Valenzuela no-hit the Cardinals, 6-0, at Dodger Stadium.  With 119 pitches he struck out seven and walked three.  Also, on this same night, former Dodgers starter Dave Stewart threw a no-hitter against the Blue Jays; thereby marking the first time in modern Baseball history that two no-hitters were thrown on the same day. In 1995 Hideo Nomo struck out thirteen Rockies to give him a then team record of 50 strike outs in four consecutive starts. In 1996 Mike Piazza hit three home runs against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. He became the fifth Dodger to hit three homers in a game. In 2012 the Dodgers signed amateur free agent Yasiel Puig.
• Happy Birthday, Wilbert "Uncle Robbie" Robinson, Farmer Steelman, Bobby Morgan, Rick Honeycutt & Pedro Guerrero!

Rockies Series Starts Friday - Stadium Giveaways, Pregame Info and Other Stuff!

The next homestand starts on Friday against the Colorado Rockies. Below are some odds and ends for this upcoming homestand. Here are some important links:

• 2018 Broadcast Schedule
• Parking Information 
• Special Events Schedule
• Promotions & Giveaways Schedule
• Silent Auction Schedule 
• Friday Night Fireworks Schedule 
• Dodger Stadium Express / LA Metro  

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Friday, June 29th at 7:10 PM
Rich Hill vs Tyler Anderson
TV: SportsNet LA, SNLA Spanish
Radio: AM 570 LA Sports, NHK Radio, KTNQ 1020

2018 Topps Inception - All the Dodgers Base Cards

In addition to the release of Topps' Stadium Club brand, they also put out their mid-range Baseball brand called 2018 Inception this week. As you can see, they have a kind-of dark foreboding look to their design. Within the 100 card base set are six Dodger players. Check them all out below. Go here for a complete checklist.

Base

#19 Kenley Jansen           #36 Alex Verdugo

Blog Kiosk: 6/28/2018 - Dodgers Links - Some Odds and Ends

Things seems to be going right, right now. Per Ken Gurnick at MLB.com:

"It's scary facing us, I think," said Bellinger, who has four homers in the last six games. "We're clicking right now. It's fun to be a part of."
...
"Everyone just passes the baton, works the at-bats, gets the pitchers working and we are able to capitalize on mistakes," said Pederson.

Max Muncy, Joc Pederson and Cody Bellinger slugged homers last night to lead the Dodgers to victory over the Cubs, 7-5 (boxscore). BTW, the Dodgers have hit 51 homers in June, and sit just two shy of a franchise record and seven short of the Major League mark.

Photo above of Max Muncy via Juan Ocampo/LA Dodgers 2018 at Dodger Insider. Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1907 then Yankees catcher Branch Rickey (who would be known for signing Jackie Robinson decades later) saw twelve Senator runners steal a base on him. In 1969 the Dodgers and Don Drysdale shut down the Padres at Jack Murphy Stadium by the lopsided score of 19-0. They break a LA Dodgers all-time record for runs scored in a game. In 2008 the Dodgers were no-hit by the Angels (Jered Weaver and Jose Arredondo), but still won the game, 1-0. The lone run was scored in the fifth inning when a couple of errors and a sacrifice fly by Blake DeWitt scored the eventual winning run.
• Happy Birthday, Fred Miller, Al Downing & Jose Flores!

Weekend Autograph Opportunity: 12 Happy Dodgers at the GT Sports Marketing Show (UPDATE-Prospects Kendall, Bannon and Wong in Azusa)

Here are this weekends autograph opportunities and events throughout the Southland. As always, be sure to check the Blue Heaven Calendar for other events (a link can always be found on the tab at the top of this page, just left of center), and always confirm with the establishment. Everything is subject to change.  Please email me with any tips about upcoming events in Southern California.  As the rest of the week progresses I'll update this post with other events (if there are any) as I become aware of them.  Also, I don't always list every event below, so be sure to check my Calendar.  I always try to favor free signing events over paying events.  Click on any pic to embiggen.

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