Some odds and ends from Thursday at Camelback Ranch, the final day before the Dodgers’ position players are expected to report to spring training.
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Some odds and ends from Dodgers spring training.
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Tag Archives: Aaron Harang
Dodgers spring training preview: Starting pitchers.
Forget having the best 1-2 starting combination in baseball. Ned Colletti clearly intended to put together the majors’ best 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 staff this winter.
Mission accomplished.
When the Dodgers pitchers and catchers report to camp Tuesday, they present a puzzling situation that only time can solve. Chad Billingsley hopes time can heal the torn ligament in his elbow, not season-ending Tommy John surgery. Ted Lilly hopes he can pitch like a legitimate fifth starter, having not pitched in the majors since last May because of injuries. He, Chris Capuano and Aaron Harang may have to hope that Colletti can find a desirable destination for their talents outside of L.A.
If healthy, it’s hard to imagine this group staying together. Otherwise, the Dodgers are left with the first eight-man rotation in major-league history, and wouldn’t that be an interesting outcome to what promises to be an interesting camp.
Poll: Who makes the Dodgers’ opening-day bullpen?
We don’t have confirmation yet, but if the Dodgers wind up signing Peter Moylan (as has been reported), the competition for the final spot out of the bullpen becomes interesting.
Update: Moylan confirmed that he’s joining the Dodgers via Twitter:
I’m also really looking forward to new opportunities with the @dodgers organization.
— Peter Moylan (@PeterMoylan) January 17, 2013
Don Mattingly’s toughest decision down the stretch.
Conventional baseball wisdom holds that pitching takes on greater importance in the playoffs than the regular season, and Dodgers manager Don Mattingly has lived it.
When he was the New York Yankees’ batting coach from 2004-07, he recalled, “(Robinson) Cano was hitting ninth. It was dangerous. But those clubs didn’t win.”
Mattingly believes the reason was simple.
“We didn’t pitch enough,” he said. “Playoffs are a whole different animal. Short series are always tough, even a seven-game.”
Assuming the Dodgers qualify, who will begin the playoffs in the starting rotation? Mattingly ducked the question for a second straight day Sunday and he can for the moment, with only five healthy starters on the active roster. He won’t be able to if/when Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Josh Beckett, Joe Blanton, Chris Capuano and Aaron Harang are all healthy.
This could be the manager’s biggest decision all season, if not in his brief career.
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Rivera healing, expects to avoid DL.
Following up on yesterday’s item about Juan Rivera: The veteran said Wednesday that he does not expect to go on the disabled list as a result of the left hamstring soreness that forced him to leave Tuesday night’s game.
“Give me a couple days,” said Rivera, always a man of few words. “Two days.”
Rivera will not play against the Atlanta Braves tonight, but that was a previously planned day off, manager Don Mattingly said. The Dodgers are off Thursday.
Rivera stretched Wednesday with head trainer Sue Falsone and “he did more than she thought he would be able to,” Mattingly said.
One other injury update: Aaron Harang had a large bruise on his left foot after hitting a ball off the foot Tuesday. He isn’t expected to miss his next start.
White Sox 3, Dodgers 1.
Aaron Harang threw six strong innings, but the White Sox (11-15) prevailed against the Dodgers (12-11-4) before an announced crowd of 5,091 at Camelback Ranch. [box score]
Harang allowed six hits — all singles — walked one, and struck out six in six innings. Three of those singles came in the fifth inning, allowing Chicago to score its only run against the 6-foot-7 right-hander. Harang threw 104 pitches, 66 for strikes, and left with the score tied 1-1. In his last two starts, spanning 11 innings, he has allowed two runs and 11 hits.
Reliever Josh Lindblom allowed a solo home run to Trayce Thompson in the seventh inning and Scott Rice served up an RBI single to Adam Dunn in the eighth.
The Dodgers got their only run when Josh Fields singled and came around to score on an A.J. Ellis sacrifice fly in the fifth inning.
Two days after bunting a ball into his groin, Juan Uribe went 2-for-3. Juan Rivera doubled and a single by Ellis accounted for the Dodgers’ fifth hit of the game.
A few more notes:
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).
Dodgers 9, Angels 1.
The Dodgers chased Jered Weaver after 1 2/3 innings and collected 12 hits in an easy win over the Angels. At 6-1-2, the Dodgers trail only the Detroit Tigers (6-1-1) for the best overall spring training winning percentage, and are in sole possession of the best record in the Cactus League. [box score]
Juan Rivera went 2-for-3, tagging Weaver for a double and hitting his third home run (in three days) off reliever Andrew Taylor. All four of his Cactus League hits (4-for-12) have gone for extra bases.
Trent Oeltjen went 2-for-2, Matt Kemp scored a pair of runs and stole a base, and Dee Gordon stole his fourth base of the spring on his fourth attempt.
Starter Aaron Harang (1-0) allowed an RBI double to Angels catcher Chris Ianetta, the only run he allowed in three innings. Harang struck out two, walked none and allowed three hits.
“I was just making sure overall I was mechanically feeling right,” Harang said. “I executed some good pitches. … I still have to get a feel for (my slider). It’s still early. A couple things I’ll work on in the bullpen next week and in my next two starts.”
Weaver, who allowed three runs — all earned — saw his spring ERA rise to 7.36. The Dodgers tacked on four more runs against non-roster invitee Matt Shoemaker, who has a photo of Billy Mays hanging from his locker in the Angels’ clubhouse.
More in tomorrow’s editions. A few notes:
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A’s 3, Dodgers 3. Update.
The Dodgers and A’s were tied at 3 apiece after the top of the ninth inning at Phoenix Municipal Stadium on Wednesday, when everyone agreed to go home. [box score]
“Four veteran umpires out there,” manager Don Mattingly quipped after the Dodgers “moved” (to borrow a common hockey phrase) to 1-1-1.
Most of the Dodgers’ starting position players were given the day off, but it was the first live-game action for starting pitcher Aaron Harang and relievers Kenley Jansen, Scott Elbert and Javy Guerra, all of whom are expected to play important roles out of the bullpen this season.
Harang had an awful four-batter stretch in the first inning, allowing two doubles, two singles and two earned runs –all with two outs. Otherwise he was perfect, but left with the Dodgers trailing 2-0.
“That’s why we throw 5 or 6 starts throughout the spring,” said Harang. The left-hander had been dealing with foot soreness earlier in the spring but he said that was not an issue today.
Jansen, Elbert and Guerra all threw scoreless innings, though it was a bit of a struggle for Elbert and Guerra.
Elbert allowed a walk and a single with two outs in his lone inning, the sixth, then struck out the A’s Cedric Hunter with runners on first and third. Guerra allowed a pair of walks in the seventh but was bailed out by a double play when he struck out Josh Reddick, and Eric Sogard was caught stealing third base, to end the inning.
Cory Sullivan, getting his first Cactus League start in left field, went 3-for-4. The rest of the Dodgers lineup went 1 for 25.
A few more notes:
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