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Post by Zig on May 28, 2014 7:26:05 GMT -5
Hanley Returns; Crawford Injury Opens Door for Kemp
Hanley Ramirez returned to the lineup Tuesday after missing the previous four contests with a calf injury, and the shortstop drove in a run in a victory over the Reds. Matt Kemp, on the other hand, was benched for a fifth straight game, but it appears his time is coming. It’s just not the way the Dodgers wanted to open up a spot for him.
Carl Crawford suffered a nasty looking left ankle injury Tuesday and is headed to the disabled list. X-rays came back clean, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if Crawford has some ligament damage.
"It didn't look good. (Trainer) Stan (Conte) didn't sound good," manager Don Mattingly said.
We’d have to concur, Donnie.
Kemp was named the team’s everyday center fielder by Mattingly just a few weeks ago, but he’s since fallen out of favor and has been working out in left field. The position could be Kemp’s new home while Crawford is sidelined, and perhaps for even longer than that. Kemp is batting .262/.325/.450 with five homers, 13 RBI and five stolen bases after striking out in a pinch-hitting appearance Tuesday.
source:Rotoworld
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Post by Zig on Jun 3, 2014 8:24:11 GMT -5
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Clayton Kershaw's first home win of the season was a perfect example of how the two-time Cy Young Award winner has made a living out of pitching through early adversity and getting stronger as the game goes along. Kershaw shrugged off a two-run homer by Jose Abreu in the rookie's return from the disabled list, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago White Sox 5-2 Monday night. ''It was one pitch. That's all it was tonight. One pitch. But he was great all the way to his last one,'' Dodgers catcher Drew Butera said. Kershaw (4-2) allowed four hits over eight innings, striking out nine and walking none. Kenley Jansen got three outs for his 17th save. ''I think Kershaw just continues to fight no matter what. If they get him once, he's going to keep it right there,'' Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt said. ''He's not happy about the home run, but he's able to put it behind him and keep going. That's the sign of a guy with a short memory. The great ones don't worry about the past. They just know what they've got to do going forward.'' Justin Turner's two-run single keyed a five-run sixth inning in which all the Dodgers' runs were unearned. ''That's how you win games. You take advantage of one little mistake, and a lot of times it ends up rolling into a big inning,'' outfielder Scott Van Slyke said. ''Good teams do that. When they get the opportunity, they take advantage.'' Jose Quintana (3-5) gave up six hits through six innings and was charged with all five unearned runs. The Dodgers parlayed two infield errors, four singles and a walk into the five-run rally that put them ahead. All the runs came with two outs. Kershaw led off with a single and Matt Kemp reached on one-out grounder that went under second baseman Gordon Beckham's glove for an error with the infield overshifted to the left side. Yasiel Puig struck out on a high fastball and slammed his bat in frustration, but the Dodgers got a break when third baseman Conor Gillaspie fielded Hanley Ramirez's grounder behind the bag and bounced his throw past first base as Kershaw scored. ''He had a chance to get the force at third, but that's an error and that's part of it,'' Chicago manager Robin Ventura said. ''Q pitched a great game, going inning for inning with Kershaw, and he deserved a better fate. There's no two ways about it. But when you don't play defense, and give a team like that opportunities, you leave that little crack in the door. And they kicked it wide open.'' Adrian Gonzalez drove in Kemp with an infield hit, and Quintana gave up a two-run single to Turner and an RBI single to Butera after a walk to Van Slyke. ''It's always fun to get hits, and it's always fun when you're part of the run-scoring,'' Kershaw said. ''Sometimes with us, it takes a couple times to get through the lineup. I knew if I just kind of kept us in the game, gave us a chance, we were going to break out.'' Kershaw needed only 12 pitches to get through the first two innings and retired his first 10 batters before Beckham singled and Abreu followed with his 16th homer. The Cuban slugger was leading the majors in homers and ranked second in RBIs with 42 before missing 14 games with tendinitis in his left ankle. The White Sox were 8-6 in his absence. ''It was nice, coming against a guy like Kershaw,'' Ventura said. ''It didn't seem like he missed too much of a beat. When we have that guy swinging the bat good, we're a better offense.'' The only other baserunner the White Sox had against Kershaw through the first six innings was Moises Sierra, who hit a dribbler to the right of the mound and beat the left-hander's throw to first base with two outs in the fifth. Kershaw, who led the majors in ERA each of the previous three seasons, made only 66 pitches through six. ''I was throwing strikes. They were swinging and my pitch count was low those first four, five innings,'' Kershaw said. ''They've got some aggressive guys over there. It doesn't really bother me as long as I make my pitches early.'' sports.yahoo.com/news/kershaw-pitches-dodgers-5-2-050604868--mlb.html |
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bigddude
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Post by bigddude on Jun 5, 2014 15:01:59 GMT -5
Baseball is a family affair -
Dee Gordon, the Major Leagues' stolen-base leader, won't have a chance to swipe his 36th bag of the season today, an off-day for the Dodgers. But it will still be a big day for Gordon, who should have time to watch his younger brother, Nick, take a big step toward his own big league dreams.
The 2014 First-Year Player Draft begins tonight, with a Draft preview show beginning at 6 p.m. ET on MLB.com and MLB Network, and live coverage from MLB Network's Studio 42 starting at 7 p.m. ET. The top 74 picks will be streamed on MLB.com and broadcast on MLB Network, and Nick Gordon is just one of the players with Major League bloodlines who should hear his name called early in the proceedings.
Gordon, a left-handed-hitting shortstop from Olympia (Fla.) High School, has made a commitment to Florida State, but he is ranked No. 5 by MLB.com among the Draft's top prospects. He could become the third member of his family to play in the Majors, after Dee and their father Tom, who pitched for 21 seasons as both a starter and closer.
The Gordons certainly wouldn't be the first family to accomplish that sort of three-peat. Baseball has a long history of family bloodlines, from the Boones to the Bells to the Hairstons. This year's class of potential draftees doesn't stray from that dynamic.
Several of MLB.com's Top 200 Draft prospects sport a Major League lineage. And while that doesn't guarantee success, it certainly can help pique the interest of organizations and talent evaluators.
Among the players who could benefit from those ties are No. 25 prospect Casey Gillaspie, a switch-hitting first baseman who plays at Wichita State, as did his older brother, Conor, who was taken 37th overall in 2008 and now mans third base for the White Sox. There's also Tullahoma (Tenn.) High left-hander Justus Sheffield (No. 39), a Vanderbilt commit and the nephew of 500-home run hitter Gary Sheffield. Speaking of that club, Damien (Calif.) High School right-hander Grant Hockin (No. 91) is the grandson of the late Hall of Fame slugger Harmon Killebrew, who walloped 573 homers. And Seminole State (Fla.) Community College pitcher Jake Cosart (No. 99) has a powerful right arm, just like his brother, Astros starter Jarred.
Louisiana State right-hander Aaron Nola and University of San Francisco outfielder Bradley Zimmer not only are top-10 prospects, but also the younger brothers of 2012 draftees. Austin Nola is playing shortstop for the Marlins' Double-A affiliate after being taken in the fifth round two years ago, while Royals pitching prospect Kyle Zimmer -- the fifth overall selection that year -- also has ascended to Double-A.
No. 20 prospect Derek Hill, an Elk Grove (Calif.) High School center fielder, is the son of Dodgers scout Orsino Hill, the 24th overall pick in 1982. Orsino never made the Majors but played 12 seasons of pro ball as an outfielder.
In some cases, the athletic heritage can come from outside of baseball. Take No. 17 prospect Michael Conforto, a power-hitting Oregon State outfielder who is the son of Penn State linebacker Mike Conforto, and gold-medal-winning Olympic synchronized swimmer Tracie Ruiz-Conforto.
As the Draft continues through Saturday, with MLB.com providing exclusive coverage of the second and third days, familiar names will continue to pop up and provide feelings of nostalgia -- or maybe old age.
Among the potential draftees are heralded names such as Ramirez (Manny, son of Manny), Ripken (Ryan, son of Cal Jr.) and Rivera (Mariano, son of Mariano). That's just a small part of a list that could spark memories of a 1990s baseball-card set, including Alfonzo (Giovanny, nephew of Edgardo), Benes (Shane, son of Andy), Bonilla (Brandon, son of Bobby), Borders (Levi, son of Pat), Dykstra (Luke, son of Lenny), Fernandez (Alexander, son of Alex), Moyer (Hutton, son of Jamie), Santiago (Benito, son of Benito), Sprague (Jed, son of Ed) and Zeile (Shane, son of Todd).
There also are other brothers of current Major Leaguers, such as Texas Christian first baseman Kevin Cron and East Carolina right-hander David Lucroy, brothers of C.J. Cron and Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy. And don't forget Lipscomb University righty Hunter Brothers, brother of the Rockies' Rex Brothers (say that 10 times fast).
Yes, it's safe to say that Dee Gordon won't be the only proud big league sibling, and Tom Gordon won't be the only proud father with Major League memories during the Draft.
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Post by Zig on Jun 8, 2014 8:52:04 GMT -5
Puig leaves game vs. Rox with hip flexor strain
DENVER -- Yasiel Puig left Saturday's Dodgers-Rockies game with a strained left hip flexor, but there were no tests scheduled, which manager Don Mattingly considered a sign the injury is not serious.
Puig said he suffered the injury sliding into second while trying unsuccessfully to break up a double-play hit into by Adrian Gonzalez in the top of the fourth inning. Puig left the game in the fifth and is considered day to day.
"I felt a stretch in the leg," Puig said, motioning toward the left side of his lower abdomen. "I got treatment and hope it's not a big issue. I didn't want to come out, but medical said if I didn't come out, it could get worse."
Puig -- the leading vote-getter among National Leahue outfielders for the All-Star Game in the most recent balloting -- said he hoped to be able to play "if not tomorrow, then Monday in Cincinnati."
"It's not something that concerns me right now," he said. "Obviously, I want to play tomorrow. It's up to the medical staff."
Dodgers' Gordon exits with right hip discomfort
DENVER -- Dodgers second baseman and offensive catalyst Dee Gordon, removed from Saturday's game in the fourth inning with right hip discomfort, downplayed the severity of his condition and predicted he could return to the lineup as soon as Sunday.
"It feels way better now," Gordon said after several hours of treatment. "When I tried to run, it felt weird. I can't explain it. But I should be all right. I'm fine."
Manager Don Mattingly said no tests are scheduled for Gordon.
Gordon said his hips tend to "get jammed up" and he gave them a workout at the mile-high elevation Friday night with a pair of triples and a stolen base. He said he woke up with the discomfort Saturday, and believed it would loosen up as the game progressed.
But that didn't happen, and the medical staff convinced him to leave the game and avoid making things worse.
"It's a long season, and I can't just, for one game, jeopardize the season," he said. "I couldn't run the way I want to, but I'm fine. Nothing crazy or nothing."
Valentin avoids eye damage after being hit by ball
John Valentin is the Dodgers' assistant hitting coach. (Getty)
DENVER -- Dodgers assistant hitting coach John Valentin was struck on the left eye by a batted ball in the indoor batting cage at Coors Field on Saturday, but never lost consciousness and the club said he suffered no fractures or eye damage.
Valentin was taken by paramedics to a local hospital where he was checked out, and he then returned to the team hotel and will fly with the team to Cincinnati for Monday's series opener.
Andre Ethier hit the ball. The incident occurred in the indoor cages as the Dodgers were not taking batting practice on the field for the Saturday day game after playing a night game Friday.
Billingsley set to resume Minor League rehab
DENVER -- Dodgers pitcher Chad Billingsley resumes his Minor League rehab assignment on Sunday for Class A Rancho Cucamonga.
Billingsley, recovering from last year's Tommy John surgery, had advanced to make one rehab start in early April, but felt a pop in the elbow during that game and was shut down with flexor tendinitis.
He received a platelet-rich plasma injection and slowly resumed his rehabilitation. Although no timetable has been given for his return, the All-Star break is a likely target.
Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said injured players Carl Crawford, A.J. Ellis and Juan Uribe continue to make progress, but none is ready for a rehab assignment.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2014 9:49:56 GMT -5
Hey, beefman!!!!!!!
Where'd ya go, dude?
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Post by mrpickles on Jun 9, 2014 8:45:02 GMT -5
Im as sick of Puig as anyone ... but this article by the greatest baseball writer alive (Jayson Stark) is unbelievable
Detailing Yasiel Puig's historically great run
I'm still trying to figure out how Yasiel Puig lasted until the fifth pick in our Franchise Player Draft. Unless we're now deducting points for speeding tickets, the lowest he should have gone, in a sane world, was second.
But that was out of my control. I picked 27th. What is within my control is being able to document that this man's first year in the big leagues was unlike pretty much anything we've witnessed in our lifetimes.
And I can actually prove that -- with Five Astounding Yasiel Puig Anniversary Facts:
• 1. This is Puig's stat line over the first calendar year (and 157 games) of his big league career:
.326/.405/.559/.964/30 HR/71 XBH/191 hits/16 SB
Wow.
I've looked at every player who debuted in the past 50 years. Nobody matched or beat every number on that line over his first 157 games. Yep, I said nobody. Not Mike Trout or Albert Pujols or Ryan Braun or Miguel Cabrera. Nobody. So we'll have to break up this comparison into sections.
• 2. If we drop stolen bases from the criteria, the only hitter in the past half-century to match or better Puig was that Pujols guy. His first 157:
.333/.408/.621/1.029/37 HR/87 XBH/191 hits
So it's Puig and Albert. Pretty good group.
• 3. If we forget the whole slash-line concept, the only hitter in the past half-century who even piled up 30 homers, 71 extra-base hits and 16 steals in his first 157 games was Braun (with 47 HR, 94 XBH and 16 SB).
What about Trout, you ask? He had the homers (32) and the steals (48). But he didn't get to 71 extra-base hits (67). And oh by the way, Trout also didn't match any number on Puig's slash line (.309/.374/.535/.909).
• 4. OK, let's simplify this even further. You know how many other players in the history of baseball have even reached 191 hits and 30 homers (regardless of any other numbers) in their first calendar year in the big leagues? Only four, according to the Dodgers. Another stellar group:
Chuck Klein 1928-29 (232 H, 42 HR)
Hal Trosky 1933-34 (193 H, 33 HR)
Pujols 2001-02 (196 H, 37 HR)
Braun 2007-08 (204 H, 47 HR)
• 5. And, finally, let's just zap the whole concept of First Year in the Big Leagues. Whaddaya say? And let's compare Puig to everybody in baseball over the past calendar year. Here's what you'll find:
Precisely one other player in the entire sport has put up a .326/.405/.559/.964/30 HR line since Puig arrived in the big leagues. You've heard of him.
That would be Cabrera:
.330/.414/.590/1.004/37 HR
And Trout just misses -- at .324/.437/.559/.996/28 HR.
So how great has Yasiel Puig been? Oh, only historically great. And MVP great. And can't-take-your-eyes-off-him great.
In other words … I just wish I'd have had that No. 2 pick!
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Post by Zig on Jun 18, 2014 6:32:58 GMT -5
Ramirez homers, gets injured in Dodgers' 4-2 winBy JOE RESNICK (Associated Press) 3 hours ago AP - Sports LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Zack Greinke and Jhoulys Chacin both had to grind through six innings Tuesday night. The difference for the Los Angeles Dodgers was the home run ball. Sign up for Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Hanley Ramirez hit a two-run shot against Chacin before leaving with a hand injury, and Greinke got some critical outs with runners in scoring position during a 4-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies. Matt Kemp also went deep and Carlos Triunfel hit his first major league home run after replacing Ramirez. Greinke (9-3) threw a season-high 117 pitches over six innings, allowing a run and three hits with five strikeouts and two walks. ''It was definitely a tough game,'' said Greinke, who tied St. Louis' Adam Wainwright and Cincinnati's Alfredo Simon for the NL lead in wins. ''It seemed like they had guys on base every inning. There were a lot of foul balls on two-strike counts where they just kept fighting it off. So it gets really tough.'' Ramirez, a three-time All-Star shortstop and the 2009 NL batting champion, left in the seventh with a bruised ring finger on his right hand after Corey Dickerson's hard grounder to him deflected into short center field for an RBI double that trimmed the Dodgers' lead to 3-2. ''That was a rocket - kind of an in-between hop to Hanley,'' said Rockies manager Walt Weiss, who played 1,397 games at shortstop in the majors and 37 of them at Dodger Stadium. ''There's not much you can do there as a shortstop. You hope that you can smother it if it falls at your feet, but that ball was hit so hard, there's not a lot that Hanley could do on that one.'' X-rays on Ramirez's throwing hand were negative. ''That's great news for us. We obviously dodged a big bullet,'' catcher A.J. Ellis said. ''Hanley's probably the biggest part of our lineup when we're going right. He carried us last year, and I feel like he's getting close to that point where he can carry us again. He's definitely one of the best bats in all of baseball, and we'll be happy to get him back whenever he's ready.'' Triunfel took over at shortstop and reliever J.P. Howell gave way to Brandon League. The Rockies loaded the bases, but League retired Wilin Rosario on a grounder to third. Triunfel provided an insurance run against Tommy Kahnle with a towering drive that landed in the lower seats in the left-field corner. Brian Wilson pitched a scoreless eighth and Kenley Jansen got three outs for his 20th save, the third straight season that the former catcher has reached that figure. Chacin (1-5) gave up three runs, seven hits and three walks in six innings. The right-hander escaped a bases-loaded jam in the sixth when he retired pinch-hitter Justin Turner on a popup. ''I knew he didn't want to come out of that game. I just went out there to check with him and make sure he was OK,'' Weiss said. ''I wanted to let him try to get through that inning because he battled all night, so I felt he earned that. He stepped up and pitched his way through that inning.'' Eleven members of the Los Angeles Kings escorted the Stanley Cup to Dodger Stadium for a pregame ceremony, four days after they won their second NHL championship in three years. The Dodgers posed with them for a group photo, then showed off their own ''power play'' as Ramirez hit a two-run homer in the third and Kemp led off the fourth with his seventh of the season. Greinke also received some defensive help. Rookie third baseman Miguel Rojas robbed Dickerson in the third with a skidding, backhanded stop down the line. Right fielder Yasiel Puig took away a potential bloop single from Rosario in the fourth with a diving grab after a long run. Greinke got through the first unscathed after giving up one-out singles by Dickerson and Troy Tulowitzki. The Rockies loaded the bases with none out in the sixth, but all they got off Greinke was a sacrifice fly from Rosario. ''Zack competed. They really battled him hard and he really grinded through some tough innings,'' Ellis said. ''That was huge for us. That inning could have spiraled out of control and really depleted our bullpen.'' NOTES: Conn Smythe Trophy winner Justin Williams and his now clean-shaven Kings teammates took batting practice, fielded grounders and shagged flies. Each player threw a ceremonial first pitch simultaneously to a corresponding Dodger. After that, Kings defenseman Willie Mitchell carried the Cup over to the Rockies' dugout, where he posed with Canadian-born 1B Justin Morneau. ... Rockies RHP Nick Masset began serving the three-game suspension he received from Major League Baseball on Tuesday for throwing at Atlanta catcher Evan Gattis last Thursday. Masset also was fined an undisclosed amount. ... The Dodgers signed their first-round draft pick, RHP Grant Holmes, the 22nd overall selection out of Conway High School in South Carolina. He got a $2.5 million signing bonus. ... Chacin was coming off a 10-3 victory against Atlanta in which he held the Braves to two hits over seven scoreless innings. ... Ramirez came in 0 for 9 against Chacin, who had allowed four homers in 45 2-3 innings over his eight previous starts this season. sports.yahoo.com/news/ramirez-homers-gets-injured-dodgers-055813077--mlb.html
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Post by Zig on Aug 8, 2014 10:33:14 GMT -5
Josh Beckett is expected to be placed on the disabled list with a hip injury and will be replaced in the rotation by Roberto Hernandez, who was acquired from the Phillies on Thursday
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