Daily Distractions: Accentuating the positive, and tracking down some former Dodgers.

Posted on by

In my game story last night, I highlighted what ailed the Dodgers in their 5-3 loss to the Giants. (Photo gallery)

To be fair, here’s what the Dodgers did well in their first series of the season:

– Limited the Giants to a .208 batting average;
– Walked only two batters in the three games, while striking out 19;
– Didn’t allow a stolen base, while catching the Giants’ lone attempted thief;
– Turned a league-high seven double plays;
– In lieu of traditional offensive means, they got in the way of three San Francisco pitches.

OK, maybe the last one’s a stretch.

The positives paint a clear picture: the Dodgers pitchers were doing their jobs for the most part and, when they weren’t, the defense was helping out (Skip Schumaker‘s error last night serving as the obvious exception).

Here are some bullet points for an off-day for the Dodgers, except for Chad Billingsley, who will make his debut tonight in Rancho Cucamonga:

• Manny Ramirez homered for his Taiwanese team last night. It’s important to note that his team, the EDA Rhinos, were trailing the Lions 8-4 at the time. Either the announcer didn’t know the score at the time, or didn’t care:

• Kevin Gregg is still waiting for a job, but another former closer is not. Jose Valverde signed a minor-league contract with the Detroit Tigers today.

• Speaking of guys waiting for a job … Bobby Abreu, who finished last season with the Dodgers, owns a basketball team in Venezuela, the Panteras de Miranda (Miranda Panthers)  but he doesn’t have a job in baseball. According to Alfredo Villasmil of the Venezuela-based Diario Ultimas Noticias, “He hasn’t announced his retirement yet; in fact he thinks he can still play baseball at the highest level. Now he’s just unemployed and waiting for an offer.” Abreu hit .246/.361/.344 with the Dodgers and .353/.450/.412 for the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes.

• BaseballAmerica.com revisits the whereabouts of the Dodgers’ Top 10 prospects.

• Speaking of Yasiel Puig, he doesn’t know who Bo Jackson is. But he knows that he reminds people of Bo Jackson (courtesy YouTube):

• Another former Dodger, switch-hitting catcher Mike Sandlock, still dreams of playing baseball too. The New York Times has his story.

• Aloe Blacc, who sang the national anthem on Opening Day, does a fantastic cover of Femme Fatale by the Velvet Underground: