Giants 3, Dodgers 3.

The Dodgers salvaged a point in the standings before an announced crowd of 13,655 — a Cactus League record — at Camelback Ranch. [box score]

Dodgers right-hander Aaron Harang pitched four interesting innings; the stage was set when a whipping wind blowing out to left field picked up prior to the game. Brandon Belt benefited when his fly ball to left turned into a two-run homer that gave the Giants a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning.

But those were the only runs Harang allowed, thanks in part to a first-inning double play started by Justin Sellers at third base. Harang walked none, struck out four, and allowed seven hits in his third appearance of the spring.

The Dodgers got a run back in the bottom of the first. Sellers led off with a double and came around to score on a single by Juan Rivera. That was the only run the Dodgers’ lineup — counting only Rivera, Matt Kemp, James Loney among the projected opening-day starters — could produce against journeyman left-hander Brian Burres in three innings.

Kemp singled in Tim Federowicz in the fifth inning and Luis Cruz homered (to left field, naturally) in the sixth to put the Dodgers ahead 3-2.

In the eighth inning, Gregor Blanco doubled off minor-league pitcher Shawn Tolleson and scored the tying run on a sacrifice fly by Belt.

That accounted for all the scoring which, naturally, barely accounted for the story in the Dodgers’ third tie game of the Cactus League (8-4-3).

Continue reading “Giants 3, Dodgers 3.” »

Vin Scully addresses the Dodgers’ ownership situation.

Prior to today’s broadcast –his first of the spring –Vin Scully was asked how he and the team would potentially be affected by a change in ownership. His answer:

This is just my own particular feeling: The things that happen in the front office, I don’t believe, have any affect whatsoever on the players or on us. It’s like on a ship, we’re down there shoveling coal and the big discussion is up on the bridge with the captain. Same thing. we’re not involved with them. So I can’t see any change in ownership having any effect at all. … The team finished up the last third of the season 41-25 – 16 games above .500. that’s pretty good baseball. If they can come up with two thirds like that in this division, they’re going to be very highly competitive. I don’t think the new ownership matters at all. The only difference perhaps, and I’m only guessing, but with a new ownership not as hard pressed for money because of the bankruptcy situation, maybe that will help Ned Colletti later on, because he certainly has not had much to work with this time of year.

Again, I repeat, ballplayers, they are remarkable. They have such unbelievable sense of concentration. I’ve seen players going through terrible divorces and scandals, God knows what, they walk up to the plate and somehow or another everything is screened out. That’s why I don’t think anything going on in the front office has anything to do with the players at all.

More from Scully about his reduced broadcast schedule in tomorrow’s editions.

Rockies 8, Dodgers 6.

The Dodgers rallied from a four-run ninth-inning deficit before losing, 8-6, to the Colorado Rockies on Saturday before an announced crowd of 12,465 at Salt River Fields. [box score]

Tim Wheeler‘s two-run, walk-off home run off Logan Bawcom — a reserve reliever from the Dodgers’ minor-league camp — ended the game.

Dodgers starter Nate Eovaldi threw three innings, allowing four hits, no walks and striking out one. His fastball reached into the mid-90s — per the in-house radar reading at Salt River Fields — in his third spring appearance.

Most impressively, Eovaldi was able to work out of some jams to preserve the shutout. He allowed a leadoff single in the second inning that led to a first-and-third, one-out bind, but struck out Wil Nieves and inducing a groundout by Guthrie to end the inning.

Eric Young and Marco Scutaro singled to lead off the third inning. Each moved up a base with one out, but Eovaldi escaped this jam, too.
Continue reading “Rockies 8, Dodgers 6.” »

Dodgers announce broadcast schedule.

The Dodgers announced their 2012 broadcast schedule on Saturday.

First things first: Vin Scully will call more than 100 games this year — his 63rd behind the mic — including all home games, and road telecasts in California and Arizona. The first three innings of each of the games Scully calls will be simulcast on the radio.

Approximately two-thirds of the games will be televised on PRIME TICKET, the other third on KCAL 9. National and regional telecasts on FOX and ESPN complete the schedule. On the radio, fans can listen to all games on Dodgers Radio AM 570 Fox Sports Los Angeles and in Spanish on Univision Radio’s KTNQ 1020.

Nine games are listed as “to be determined.”

The complete schedule in .pdf form is here:

2012 Los Angeles Dodgers Regular Season Broadcast Schedule.pdf

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Dodgers 5, Rangers 2.

James Loney, back in the lineup after being sidelined by a strained calf muscle, went 2-for-3 with his first home run of the spring in a 5-2 win over the Texas Rangers before an announced crowd of 11,082 at Camelback Ranch. [box score]

“James was out a couple days, came right back and looked exactly the same,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. “Seems like he’s confident. Should be an interesting year for him.”

Loney is hitting .357/..471/1.113 with four RBIs in four at-bats.

Juan Rivera and Juan Uribe also had two hits apiece as the Dodgers (8-3-2) started their expected opening-day lineup against the Rangers’ Greg Reynolds. The right-hander lasted three innings, giving up seven hits, four runs (four earned), walking one and striking out two.

Starter Ted Lilly allowed one hit — a triple — and no runs in four innings of work
against the Rangers. The left-hander struck out two, walked none and threw 27
of his 44 pitches for strikes.

Lilly said the results “were probably better than I threw the ball,” but the manager liked what he saw.

“His stuff is crisper right now than it was last year for sure,” Mattingly said.

Javy Guerra, Scott Elbert, Wilfredo Ledezma and Scott Rice threw scoreless innings out of the bullpen. Kenley Jansen allowed both Texas runs, on solo home runs by Brandon Snyder and Alberto Gonzalez.

A few more notes:

Continue reading “Dodgers 5, Rangers 2.” »