Daily Distractions: Julio Urias gets his Mexican food, and Dodgers fans in Rancho Cucamonga get their prospects.

Julio Urias

Julio Urias struck out Will Venable and Yonder Alonso and got Chris Denorfia to ground out in his only spring training inning. (Associated Press photo)

This is a rough map of all the Mexican restaurants in Rancho Cucamonga.

Julio Urias is waiting.

On March 15, after he pitched a scoreless inning against the San Diego Padres — something Brian Wilson couldn’t do last night — Urias still didn’t know where he would begin the regular season. At least the Dodgers’ prized pitching prospect had no trouble identifying the hardest part of being uprooted to the United States at 16.

“It wasn’t really hard except for the food,” he said in Spanish. “The food was probably the hardest part for me.”

Fortunately for Urias, now 17, there are many options in the neighborhood of the Dodgers’ Single-A affiliate in the California League.

As we reported yesterday, Urias will be assigned to Rancho along with 2013 first-round draft picks Chris Anderson and Tom Windle, along with Corey Seager, the Dodgers’ first-round pick in 2012.

In case you’re counting at home, that’s four of the club’s top 10 prospects (per MLB.com) playing in one spot, about an hour east of Los Angeles.

Urias, Anderson and Windle all finished last season with Class-A Great Lakes, and each saw action in one Cactus League game. The Dodgers drafted Anderson and Windle in the first and second rounds of the 2013 draft, respectively, out of college. Urias was signed as a free agent out of Culiacan, Mexico.

Pitcher Zach Lee and outfielder Joc Pederson will begin the season with Triple-A Albuquerque. So will Matt Magill and possibly Onelki Garcia once he’s healthy.

Some bullet points for a Cesar Chavez Day:
Continue reading “Daily Distractions: Julio Urias gets his Mexican food, and Dodgers fans in Rancho Cucamonga get their prospects.” »

Spring training ends poorly for Dodgers’ Dan Haren.

Miguel Rojas

Miguel Rojas, who grounded out on this at-bat Saturday, finished spring training with a .387 batting average, second on the Dodgers to Justin Turner’s .389. (Associated Press photo)

ANAHEIM — Dan Haren‘s final spring tuneup was one to forget.

The right-hander allowed all six Angels runs in a 6-2 Dodgers loss before an announced crowd of 43,553 at Angel Stadium on Saturday.

The Dodgers resume regular-season play tomorrow in San Diego. It’s the Padres’ first game of the season. Opening Day for most major-league teams is Monday.

Last weekend, the Dodgers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks twice in Sydney, Australia and have a regular-season record of 2-0. They came back and lost two of three to the Angels, officially finishing spring training with a 7-12-5 record.

Haren didn’t go to Australia. Since the Dodgers only needed two starting pitchers (and kept Paul Maholm for insurance), Haren stayed behind and pitched minor-league spring training games in Arizona.

The playing environment changed dramatically Saturday. Haren went from games with no official statistics and no names on the back of players’ jerseys to a sold-out stadium. The change seemed to have caught him by surprise.

The Angels scored two runs in the first inning on back-to-back RBI doubles by Albert Pujols and David Freese. In the second inning, Mike Trout and Kole Calhoun hit back-to-back home runs.

Trout’s home run came on a hanging split-fingered fastball, Haren said, while almost all of the Angels’ other hard hits came off his cut fastball. Haren allowed six hits in two innings.

“It was just kind of getting it a little bit flat,” Haren said of his cutter. “I have to have the mindset of driving it down and away to a righty rather than just leaving it out there.

“I’m going to throw quite a few of them in the bullpen. I need to get that sharpened up. My other pitches were actually OK. I struggled with it last start too in the minor leagues. I threw a bunch in the last inning of that game.”

Haren starts Wednesday in San Diego, the finale of the three-game series with the Padres. His final major-league spring training ERA: 6.00.

“It’s the last one that doesn’t count,” Haren said. “No use thinking about it too much. I got some work in. It’s been a while since I felt like I’ve been on a mound, it seems like, at least in a real game. It didn’t turn out the way I wanted it to. I feel OK. Just flush it down and move on to the next one.”

Said Dodgers manager Don Mattingly: “I’m glad it’s tonight and not Wednesday.”

The Dodgers scored both of their runs in the third inning on a two-run double by Chone Figgins. Most of the starters played only two defensive innings.

It was a good day for the Dodgers’ bullpen. Against almost entirely major-league competition, they combined for six scoreless innings: One by Brandon League, three by Matt Magill and two by Red Patterson.

The box score is here.

A few more notes:
Continue reading “Spring training ends poorly for Dodgers’ Dan Haren.” »

Dan Haren takes the ball in the Dodgers’ final exhibition game against the Angels.

Dan Haren

Dodgers starter Dan Haren pitched for the Angels from 2010-12. (Associated Press)

ANAHEIM — Dan Haren will face Tyler Skaggs today in the Dodgers’ final exhibition game before the regular season resumes Sunday in San Diego.

Because Sunday’s game is just down the Interstate 5, the Dodgers’ starters will catch a bus in the middle of the game to the team hotel in San Diego. The rest of the team will depart after the game. We already have a firm idea of who will be on the 25-man roster that is due to the league tomorrow.

Several minor-league players are uniform for the Dodgers today: RHP Matt Magill (#36), OF Jamie Romak (#95), OF Scott Schebler (#92), INF Clint Robinson (#73), INF Brendan Harris (#35), RHP Pedro Baez (#62), C Tim Federowicz (#26), RHP Sam Demel (#38), RHP Zach Lee (#64), RHP Red Patterson (#78), C Jose Capellan (96), INF Miguel Rojas (#72), INF Corey Seager (#94), INF Darnell Sweeney (#87), OF Joc Pederson (#65), OF Trayvon Robinson (#90) and LHP Tom Windle (#97).

Magill will pitch after starter Dan Haren, who isn’t expected to throw more than an inning or two. Brandon League will also throw an inning in relief, his first against a major-league team after some occasionally rocky minor-league outings in spring training. League also pitched in a Dodgers intrasquad game Wednesday.

Here are the lineups for both teams:

Continue reading “Dan Haren takes the ball in the Dodgers’ final exhibition game against the Angels.” »

Clayton Kershaw to the disabled list, Jose Dominguez to Triple-A all but sets Dodgers’ Opening Day roster.

ANAHEIM — Clayton Kershaw played catch with Dodgers head athletic trainer Stan Conte this afternoon. Each of his throws was a little bit farther than the one before, as Kershaw moved backward until he stood about 100 feet from Conte. One throw was interrupted by a magnitude-4.1 earthquake about 14 miles north of here. The 27th throw was his last. Here’s what it looked like:

Kershaw “felt something” in his upper left back on that throw according to Dodgers manager Don Mattingly, in the same teres major muscle that showed inflammation in an MRI exam Wednesday. The pain was enough to end Kershaw’s throwing session and earn him a spot on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 23.

“At that point, we knew he couldn’t go any farther,” Mattingly said.

Kershaw, who signed a seven-year, $215 million contract extension in January, allowed one run in his Opening Day start against the Diamondbacks in Sydney, Australia. He has never been on the disabled list in his career.

The 26-year-old will be eligible to return from the DL as early as April 7. That’s an off-day for the Dodgers, who host the Detroit Tigers on April 8 and 9. Including the second of two games the Dodgers played in Australia against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Kershaw will only miss seven games.

There’s a possibility that Kershaw might be healthy enough to pitch sometime at home next weekend against the San Francisco Giants — at least, that Kershaw would try to be ready by then. But, as Mattingly said, “we have to save Clayton from Clayton.”

Can he only spend the minimum 15 days on the disabled list? Mattingly wouldn’t say.

Kershaw will take a day off from throwing Sunday, then try to resume throwing Monday when the Dodgers have an off-day workout at Petco Park in San Diego.

Hyun-Jin Ryu is expected to start the Dodgers’ home opener against the San Francisco Giants on Friday. Saturday’s start will go to either Josh Beckett — who is eligible to return from the 15-day disabled list then — or Paul Maholm.

Ryu will also start tomorrow’s game in San Diego against the Padres. Zack Greinke starts Tuesday’s game and Dan Haren starts Wednesday.

Jose Dominguez was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque on Sunday, essentially beating Chris Withrow — another hard-throwing right-hander — for the final spot in the Dodgers’ Opening Day bullpen.

That all but solidifies the Dodgers’ Opening Day roster, barring any injuries today in their final Freeway Series game against the Angels:

Catchers (2)
A.J. Ellis
Drew Butera

Infielders (6)
Adrian Gonzalez
Dee Gordon
Hanley Ramirez
Juan Uribe
Justin Turner
Chone Figgins

Outfielders (5)
Carl Crawford
Andre Ethier
Yasiel Puig
Mike Baxter
Scott Van Slyke

Pitchers (12)
Hyun-Jin Ryu
Zack Greinke
Dan Haren
Paul Maholm
Kenley Jansen
Brian Wilson
Chris Perez
J.P. Howell
Paco Rodriguez
Chris Withrow
Jamey Wright
Brandon League

Disabled List (3)
Clayton Kershaw
Matt Kemp
Josh Beckett

Hyun-Jin Ryu starts Sunday, Darnell Sweeney is an understated hero, and other postgame notes.

Darnell Sweeney

Dodgers prospect Darnell Sweeney is soaked with water and sports drink after hitting a single to center field in the 10th inning, scoring Trayvon Robinson and ending the game. The Dodgers defeated the Angels 5-4 in 10 innings. (John McCoy / Staff photographer)

Hyun-Jin Ryu will start for the Dodgers in San Diego on Sunday, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said after the Dodgers’ 5-4, 10-inning win over the Angels on Friday.

Ryu is already 1-0 with a 0.00 earned-run average after picking up the win last Sunday in Sydney, Australia. Ryu shut out the Arizona Diamondbacks for five innings before a toe injury caused him to come out of the game.

That injury has healed, Mattingly said, and Ryu will oppose Andrew Cashner at Petco Park in the Padres’ Opening Day game.

Clayton Kershaw was originally scheduled to start the game, but a back injury forced him to sit out. Kershaw might begin the season on the disabled list.

Ryu threw a bullpen session prior to Friday’s game and passed that preliminary test. Zack Greinke will pitch the second game of the series Tuesday against Ian Kennedy and Dan Haren will oppose Tyson Ross on Wednesday.

Haren will also start the finale of the Freeway Series on Saturday, a game that’s scheduled to begin just after 6 p.m. at Angel Stadium.

As for Friday’s game, played before an announced crowd of 39,143 at Dodger Stadium and interrupted by a magnitude 5.1 earthquake, the Dodgers nearly blew it.
Continue reading “Hyun-Jin Ryu starts Sunday, Darnell Sweeney is an understated hero, and other postgame notes.” »