The Dodgers At The Break

The Los Angeles Dodgers arrive at the All Star break 11 games over .500 and 6 1/2 games behind the San Francisco Giants in the National League West, still within striking distance. Considering all of the injury problems the Dodgers have had and the problems they have had fielding a starting rotation, the Dodgers are not in bad shape to make a run at the Giants.

The Dodgers have used 12 different starter pitchers this season. They have used a combination of rookies, cast offs, and fringe pitchers to find that fifth starter they have been missing all season. Injuries increased the need for starting pitching to force the Dodgers to trade for Bud Norris. Brandon McCarthy and Hyun Jin-Ryu have finally returned from injuries and when Clayton Kershaw comes back in a couple of weeks, the Dodgers will finally have a full compliment of major league starting pitchers for the first time all season.

The Dodgers offense has been inconsistent all season as they are 12th in the National League in batting average at .241 and ninth in runs scored. Injuries have also taken their toll on the Dodgers. Andre Ethier was injured in Spring Training has not played at all, Yasmani Grandal has been battling injuries for most of the season, Scott Van Slyke was injured early and has never got going, and Yasiel Puig has had his usual stint on the Disabled List. Carl Crawford was a shadow of his former self and was released still being owed $35 million. Alex Guerrero never lived up to the hype when he was signed out of Cuba and was released as well as the Dodgers decided to clean house and gain some productivity.

Rookie Corey Seager has been as good as advertised as he leads the team in almost every offensive category. He leads the team in batting average at .297, homeruns with 17, and is third on the team in runs batted in with 42. Fellow rookie Trayce Thompson, acquired via trade in the off season, has flashed some power with 13 homeruns and is second on the team in stolen bases with five. Veterans Chase Utley and Howie Kendrick have manned second base admirably, Adrian Gonzalez has lost his power stroke but is still tied with fellow veteran Justin Turner for the team lead in RBI's with 44.

The Dodgers are still in contention for the National League West title and if they can't chase the San Francisco Giants down are in line for a Wild Card berth. Injured Dodgers are slowly making their way back into the lineup and the starting rotation setting the Dodgers up for a strong second half run.

A Little Dust Up

Justin Turner and Yasmani Grandal had a little dust up the night against the Milwaukee Brewers but I believe the media is making a much bigger deal out of it than what it was. The Oakland A's of the early 1970's and the New York Yankees of the late 1970's used to stage "Friday Night at the Fights" and the Oakland A's won three consecutive World Series titles from 1972-74 and the New York Yankees won titles in 1977 and 1978.

In Justin Turner's estimation, Yasmani Grandal made a base running error that almost cost the Los Angeles Dodgers the tying run in a close game. It was also a lot of frustration on Grandal's part. Grandal's batting average is down into the low .180's, he has been fighting injuries for much of the season, and his play has suffered. A base running mistake is something you would not expect from a veteran player like Grandal.

Justin Turner goes out in the next game against the Milwaukee Brewers and drives in all three of the Los Angeles Dodgers runs with two solo homeruns and the walk off single in a 3-2, 10 inning victory. The Dodgers need something to get the offense started and maybe this was a team building event.

Back In The New York Groove

I borrowed the title of this blog from the old Ace Frehley song after watching Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers dominate the New York Mets in a 5-0 victory. Kershaw allowed three hits, struck out 13 and walked only one in pitching the complete game shutout. The Dodgers gave him all of the run support he needed in the first two innings, scoring all five of their runs, led by a Chase Utley solo homerun and a Yasmani Grandal three run shot.

I couldn't help but feel the game was over after the Dodgers put up a four spot in the bottom of the first inning. Kershaw may give up a run or two but he is usually not going to be involved in a slugfest. Kershaw's control is what has amazed me this season. He has only issued four walks (while striking out 77) in 62 innings pitched and that kind of control is not common in a power pitcher. He is always around the plate and the opposing hitters are still only batting .186. He has a WHIP of 0.73, and ERA 0f 1.74 and a record of 5-1. Should MLB go ahead and give him the Cy Young Award now or wait until the end of the season?

The First Two Weeks

The first two weeks of the Los Angeles Dodgers season has had its ups and downs and its disappointments and surprises. They are 8-5 with an early one game lead over the San Francisco Giants who they have already played seven times. The starting pitching behind Clayton Kershaw and Kenta Maeda has been inconsistent, the bullpen has been shaky at times, and the first two outings of Ross Stripling's career have been a surprise although he does not have a win to show for it. Kershaw has gotten off to a good start with a 2-0 record with a 1.64 ERA but I am almost disappointed when he gives up a run. I would also have to list Maeda has a bit of a surprise as he has inly allowed one earned run in his first 19 innings. Kenley Jansen has gotten off to a great start with five saves in his first five games and he has not allowed a run.

The Los Angeles Dodgers offense has also been up and down. Regulars Yasmani Grandal and Howie Kendrick are just now working their way back into the lineup and that should help the Dodgers as they are fifth in the league in runs scored, averaging five runs a game, but their has been a power shortage as the Dodgers only have eight homeruns in 13 games. Yasiel Puig (.356) and Enrique Hernandez (.400 with two homeruns off Madison Bumgarner) off both gotten off to hot starts at the plate. Corey Seager has gotten off to an OK start but I was hoping he would just blow the National League away with his skills. Injuries to Carl Crawford and Scott Van Slyke has opened the door for Trayce Thompson to get some playing time.

An Injury Depleted Roster

The Los Angeles Dodgers are starting the season with ten players on the Disabled List including three starting pitchers- Brandon McCarthy, Brett Anderson, and Hyun-Jin Ryu- and three starting position players- left fielder Andre Ethier, second baseman Howie Kendrick, and catcher Yasmani Grandal.

All of the injuries allowed some rookies to open the season with the Dodgers. The Dodgers opening day roster includes three rookies- shortstop Corey Seager, outfielder Trayce Thompson, and Ross Stripling who earned the role of the Dodgers fifth starter. Non-roster invitee utilityman Charlie Culberson also made the roster with a solid spring at the plate and he showed the ability to play multiple positions. A late addition to the Dodgers pitching staff, reliever Louis Coleman also made the roster as it was decided to option left hander Luis Avilan to AAA Oklahoma City. Coleman was signed right as camp opened.

The Pre-Disabled List

It looks like one of the few injured Dodgers that will be ready for opening day is shortstop Corey Seager. I do not know when the Dodgers can officially start a Disabled List but it looks like they will be able to already fill that list. How many players can you put on the Disabled List? Yasmani Grandal's shoulder is still bothering him, Howie Kendrick was scratched from his latest start with a calf problem, and then there are the pitchers. Brett Anderson has already been lost for several months, Alex Wood has had various issues, Scott Kazmir has had a mystifying loss in velocity, and Mike Bolsinger was scratched from his last start due to an abdominal muscle issue.

A Camp Of Attrition

Spring Training 2016 has turned into a camp of attrition for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers are still looking to fill out their starting rotation but the candidates- Brandon Beachy and Mike Bolsinger are the frontrunners- but they went down with nagging injuries with only a little more than a week to go in camp. Alex Wood has also been slowed by injury and has only made two stats this spring and Scott Kazmir had an encouraging last outing after getting shelled in his first two starts.

Rookie shortstop Corey Seager has been sidelined by a knee strain and has been limited to 13 at bats this spring, Andre Ethier just went down after taking a foul ball off of his lower leg, Yasmani Grandal has a shoulder issue, Howie Kendrick has missed some time, Adrian Gonzalez is just now getting in some time on the playing field, and Justin Turner is working his way back from microfracture surgery in the off season. That would be three potential members of the starting rotation and six regulars. As a Dodgers fan, that is not the start to the season I was hoping for.

Wood Steps Up

Alex Wood pitched the best game of his young career against the Colorado Rockies only allowing one hit in eight innings on only 78 pitches. With only a 2-0 lead and with a big lead in the National League West, Manager Don Mattingly elected not to send Wood out for the ninth inning. He sent out close Kenley Jansen to finish off the game and he gave up a hit before earning his 32nd save.

Catcher A.J. Ellis continued his second half resurgence, hitting his sixth homerun of the season, a solo shot in the second inning. Ellis has batted .270 over his last 30 games also hitting all six of his homeruns. He has settled into a backup role behind starter Yasmani Grandal but Ellis playing time has increased down the stretch.

Clutch Hitting

Howie Kendrick came up clutch again as he hit a walk off single with one out driving in Yasiel Puig with the winning run in the Dodgers 7-6 victory over the Arizona Diamond Backs. Puig went four for four with a walk, hit a three run homer in the second inning, and has been en fuego since coming off the Disabled List a week ago. Kendrick's heroics would not have been needed but Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen gave up a game tying homer to A.J. Pollock in the top of the ninth. That was Jansen's first run allowed this season. Yasmani Grandal also homered for the Dodgers.

One Good Inning

Michael Wacha is the latest St. Louis Cardinals pitching wunderkind. He came into last night's game against the Dodgers with a 7-0 record and for the first five innings, he owned the Dodgers. He carried a no hitter into the sixth inning and the Dodgers possessed a 42 inning road scoreless streak. Wacha lost his no hitter and a precarious 1-0 lead as the Dodgers scored four runs in the top of the sixth inning, the last three coming on Yasmani Grandal's two out, three run homerun. The Dodgers only managed three hits off of Wacha but three walks and timely hitting lead them to the victory.

When I saw the pitching matchup of Wacha versus Carlos Frias, I did not like the Dodgers chances. Frias settled down after a shaky first inning when he gave up an unearned run and pitched seven solid innings, getting his fourth win. The Dodgers really needed him to produce and he pitched deep into the game, saving a few bullpen arms in the process.

The Backup Catcher

The backup Catcher has had a valuable role on a baseball team since the beginning of baseball. Catching is physically the toughest job on a baseball team. Foul tips, the constant squatting behind the plate, the now rare home plate collision, and blocking pitches in the dirt takes it's toll on any catcher. That is what makes a backup Catcher so valuable. Being a great hitter is not a necessity for a backup. Being able to call a good game, handle a pitching staff, throw out the occasional baserunner, and play solid defense is all a backup catcher needs to do to cement his roll on the team.

The backup catcher probably does need to bat higher than the .116 which is what Dodger backup Catcher A.J. Ellis is currently hitting. That is barely over half of the infamous Mendoza Line. This is after he batted .191 last year as the primary starter. Starter Yasmani Grandal and his .291 average is on the seven day concussion disabled list so Rookie Austin Barnes got the call from AAA Oklahoma City and went 1 for 3 in his debut on Sunday.

I don't know if the Dodgers are shopping for a backup Catcher or not but it will be interesting to see what happens around the trade deadline.

Bolsinger Makes His Case

Mike Bolsinger pitched six strong innings against the Colorado Rockies, giving up three hits, striking out six and walking two. He made a fourth inning two out RBI single by Yasmani Grandal stand up. Yimi Garcia got back on track after two bad outings by pitching an inning of scoreless relief, Chris Hatcher pitched a scoreless eighth, and Kenley Jansen earned his first save of the year by shutting the door in the ninth inning.

That was Bolsinger's third start of the year and he lowered his ERA to 1.04. He finally made it through the sixth inning and he is doing what the Dodger's need him to do- Keep them in games, go as deep as he can and save the bullpen some innings, and he is now 2-0 in three starts. Depending on what happens with Ryu and McCarthy, he may not be around all season long but he is making his case for at least the 5th starter's job.

Prospects In Oklahoma City

Several of the Los Angeles Dodgers top prospects have made it to AAA Oklahoma City. One of the Dodgers top prospects, starting pitcher and #13 ranked Zach Lee, is off to a strong start with a 4-2 record and a 2.70 ERA with a strikeout to walk ratio of 3 to 1.

Top prospect Corey Seager got the call to Oklahoma City a few weeks ago from AA Tulsa where he got off to a .375 average with 5 homeruns in 80 at bats. At 21 years old, is the second youngest player in the Pacific Coast League. He has played both Third Base and Shortstop at Oklahoma City and he is still feeling his way around batting in the mid .270's with 5 RBI's.

#7 ranked prospect, Second Baseman Darnell Sweeney, provides an element of speed that the Dodgers are missing from this year's team. He has 17 steals in 34 games and can play both the infield and outfield although he is seen as primarily a second baseman.

#8 prospect, Outfielder Scott Schebler has not hit for a high average this season but he does have 6 homeruns and has hit in every league he has been in since being drafted by the Dodgers in the 26th round of 2010. With the Dodgers crowded outfield, he might be a trade possibility at the trade deadline this season.

#11 prospect Austin Barnes was acquired by the Dodgers from the Miami Marlins in the Dee Gordon trade and is one of those rare players that has played both Catcher and Second Base. He is batting in the mid .270's with 3 homeruns and 4 stolen bases and if anything happens to A.J. Ellis or Yasmani Grandal, may get the call at some point this season.

A Grandal Day In Milwaukee

First of all, I have got to come up with better titles. Yasmani Grandal hit two homeruns yesterday and drove in eight in the Dodgers 14-4 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. Grandal has resurrected his batting average from well below the Mendoza line just a week ago to .301 after his breakout game against Milwaukee. He got on base all six times he went to the plate (two walks) batting second behind rookie Joc Pederson.

The Cuban Connection

The Dodgers used their Cuban pipeline to bat their way to a 7-4 win in Arizona yesterday. Cuban born Yasiel Puig and Alex Guerrero hit their first homeruns of the season and Yasmani Grandal had two hits and scored two runs. Geurrero also drove in four as part of a three hit performance and Rookie Centerfielder Joc Pederson had three hits and hit his first homerun of the season as well.

The Dodgers had a 7-0 lead heading into the ninth inning behind seven scoreless innings from Zach Greinke and one inning from Pedro Baez. Paco Rodriguez started the ninth inning and got one out and was credited with giving up one run, Chris Hatcher came in a gave up three runs, sending his ERA into the stratosphere at over 33. He did manage to get the second out in amongst the fireworks, and Joel Peralta got the final out and earned his second save. It took three pitchers and 46 pitches to get the final three outs in order for the Dodgers to secure the 7-4 win.

My Kingdom For A Relef Pitcher

The Los Angeles Dodgers need someone in their bullpen to step into the closer's role until Kenley Jansen gets back. J.P. Howell took the loss last night after allowing a walk off single in the tenth inning in the Dodgers 4-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks last night. A single, a wild pitch, and a steal of third base sandwiched around an out gave the Diamondbacks the win.

With the exception of allowing a three run homer to Paul Goldschmidt, Dodgers starter Brett Anderson pitched a solid game in his first start. Yimi Garcia pitched two innings of scoreless relief and Joel Peralta also pitched a scoreless inning.

Jimmy Rollins drove in two runs and Yasmani Grandal hit his first Homerun as a Dodger to account for all of the Dodgers runs.

Defense And Relief Pitching

The two biggest upgrades the Dodgers made this offense was in their defense and in their relief pitching and both led to the demise of the Dodgers in their 7-3 loss to the San Diego Padres last night. The combination of Yasmani Grandal at Catcher, Jimmy Rollins at Shortstop, Howie Kendrick at Second Base, and Joc Pederson in Centerfield was supposed to shore up the Dodgers defense. It is only one game, it is the beginning of the season, and what took place last night is an aberration to what will happen the rest of the season.

Zach Greinke gave up 2 hits and 1 run in his six innings in his 2015 debut and then the relief pitching followed with an uninspired 3 innings of work allowing 6 runs, only 3 earned, and Chris Hatcher faced 4 batters in the ninth inning and did not record an out as the Padres put the game away.

Rollins made two errors in a game for the first time in almost five seasons and Grandal made the third Dodgers error of the night in the ninth inning that sealed the Dodgers fate.

The Dodgers also made several mental errors last night that cost them. Jimmy Rollins getting thrown out at third and Yasiel Puig not appearing to know how many outs their were on a one out fly ball that allowed Derek Norris to take Third Base. Like I said it is still early in the season and I believe those are what most coaches like to call "coachable" moments.

The Dodgers offense was Adrian Gonzalez. He had three of the Dodgers seven hits, drove in two of their three runs including his second homerun in as many games, and is off to a great start, the kind of start the Dodgers needed him to have. He can put the Dodgers on his back and carry them for a while until somebody else gets hot.

These Are Not The Same Dodgers- Part II

The Los Angeles Dodgers really got it cranked up at Baseball's Winter Meetings. After a day of denying that Dee Gordon was even being shopped, the Dodgers traded him, Miguel Rojas, and Dan Haren to the Miami Marlins for their #1 overall prospect Andrew Heaney, reliever Chris Hatcher, Enrique Hernandez, and catching prospect Austin Barnes.

I really do not like this trade for several reasons. The Dodgers gave up an All-Star in Gordon who lead the National League in Triples and Stolen Bases and who is arguably the fastest player in Major League Baseball and a veteran starter in Dan Haren for four unproven players.

Heaney did not stick around long enough to even get a Dodgers jersey as he was traded to the (whatever their name is this week) Angels for Second Baseman Howie Kendrick and I am still not liking the overall balance of this trade. Rojas and Hernandez was a wash as both have about the same amount of major league time in and are both middle infielders, Hatcher 30 years old middle reliever who has pitched in parts of four seasons with the Marlins, appearing in 81 total games, and Barnes who only has 62 at bats at the AA level.

The long rumored Matt Kemp trade finally happened as he was traded to National League West rival San Diego Padres along with Catcher Tim Fedorowicz for Catcher Yasmani Grandal, and pitching prospects Joe Wieland and Zach Eflin. I was not a big fan of this trade either. True the Dodgers had a glut of outfielders and Kemp was the logical choice to be traded (it should have been Ethier but he now has next to no trade value) but he was one of the hottest bats in the National League in the second half of last season. Grandal has always been a prospect since he first signed a contract with the Cincinnati Reds but he only has what amounts to a full seasons of experience under his belt.

Once again, Eflin did not stick around long enough to get a jersey as he, along with Dodgers pitching prospect Tom Windle, was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for longtime Phillies Shortstop Jimmy Rollins. This is the only trade that made sense unless Eflin or Windle turn into twenty game winners.

The Dodgers also signed Free Agent Right handed starter Brandon McCarthy to slide into Haren's spot in the rotation. This is, without a doubt, the most active the Dodgers have been in the off season in years, if not ever.