Tag Archives: Arizona

Daily Distractions: Going to WAR over the Dodgers’ worst position.

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Nick Punto

Is infielder Nick Punto part of the Dodgers’ solution or part of the problem? (Getty Images)

What has been the least productive position for the Dodgers this season? Third base? Shortstop?

Guess again.

FanGraphs.com recently calculated the WAR (wins above replacement) for every team by position. (For an explanation of the frequently misunderstood statistic, which is calculated differently by FanGraphs and Baseball-Reference.com and has gained popularity in recent years, click here.) According to FanGraphs’ WAR, second base has been the least productive position for the Dodgers this year.

In fact, only five teams have gotten less out of the position than the Dodgers, in terms of offense, baserunning and defense. Mark Ellis (17), Nick Punto (10) and Skip Schumaker (6) are the only three Dodgers who have started games at second base this season.

The Dodgers’ best position, relatively speaking, is first base. Only the Reds and Tigers have gotten more WAR out of the position this season.

The chart has its limits. Take the Angels, for example. Add up their position-by-position WAR, and they should have the fourth-best team in baseball. In reality the Angels are 10 games under .500. The Baltimore Orioles are tied for first place in the American League East, yet their combined WAR ranks 21st in the majors.

This is why you play the games.

More bullet points for a Thursday morning:
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Brandon League’s job is in jeopardy after the Dodgers’ sixth straight loss.

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Paul Goldschmidt

Paul Goldschmidt’s home run off Brandon League in the ninth inning Tuesday makes him 9 for 20 with two homers against the Dodgers this season. (John McCoy/Staff Photographer)

You get the feeling that the Dodgers will have a new closer soon.

Tomorrow, perhaps.

Brandon League didn’t blow a save Tuesday, but he added another shaky performance to a long list of them in 2013. League allowed a pair of runs in the ninth inning, both on a Paul Goldschmidt home run that lifted the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 5-3 win at Dodger Stadium.

The Goldschmidt home run came on a belt-high sinker over the middle of the plate, the last of 11 pitches that included five foul balls after the count went full.

“My plan was to get Goldschmidt to ground into a double play,” League said. “That’s an example of what happens when you throw a good hitter a (feces-infused) pitch.”

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Daily Distractions: Dodgers sign Mark Lowe; Hanley Ramirez hurt (briefly); NL West rumblings.

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Mark Lowe

Mark Lowe is, in many ways, a typical spring training reclamation project. The 29-year-old’s fastball was once clocked at 101 mph, but now sits in the low 90s. He is a veteran of parts of seven major-league seasons and two surgeries: Elbow microfracture (2006) and back microdisectomy (2010). He’s also a Type 1 diabetic.

Now, Lowe is the newest Dodger courtesy of a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training. ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick first reported the deal, which would pay $1.5 million in base salary if Lowe makes the team.

Unlike most reclamation projects, Lowe was pitching effectively at the major-league level last season. He allowed only eight runs in his first 31 appearances for the Rangers but faded in September, allowing earned runs in four of five appearances (18.90 ERA). He was sidelined for six weeks at midseason with a strained intercostal muscle in his ribcage after throwing a career-high three innings in one game.

The right-hander is not a complete longshot to make the team, but he’ll have to prove he belongs in a crowded Dodgers bullpen. More on that later.

Some links to send you into the weekend:

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Daily Distractions: Here’s to You, Mr. Robinson; minor-league signings; Scott Rolen update.

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Jackie Robinson was born 94 years ago today in Cairo, Georgia. To commemorate the occasion, Google baked a birthday cake with 94 candles on top made Robinson the “doodle” on its home page today.

We’ll be writing a lot about Robinson this year. The 66th anniversary of his major-league debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers is April 15. Three days earlier is the planned release date of “42,” the biopic starring Harrison Ford as Branch Rickey. You can view the trailer here.

In light of this week’s news about a Miami-based PED lab that claimed several major-leaguers as clients, I’ll take this space to point out that Robinson was neither a drinker nor a smoker – let alone a juicer.

An often-overlooked local landmark is the plaque commemorating Robinson’s boyhood home at 121 Pepper Street in Pasadena. (There’s no home there now, just a plaque, as the home was torn down in the early 1970s.) Feel free to leave a present there today. Or a doodle.

Lots of links today:

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Sizing up the new-look Arizona Diamondbacks.

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If you’re Arizona Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson — who among us hasn’t had that thought, if not since 1988 — your 2013 lineup just took an interesting turn.

Justin Upton is out. Martin Prado is in. There’s room for Adam Eaton, whose arm and foot speed and ability to hit for average brings the promise of being the team’s everyday center fielder for years to come.

But something’s undeniably missing. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports identifies it toward the end of today’s eye-opening column, which was heavy on quotes from anonymous players slamming the D-Backs’ seven-player trade with the Braves: “Who is the most feared hitter in the Arizona lineup now,” Rosenthal asks. “Prado? [Cody] Ross? Jason Kubel? Miguel Montero? Not good enough.”

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Daily Distractions: Uptonia!

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Kate Upton

A YouTube screenshot of Kate Upton’s new Super Bowl ad. Go Niners.

Today’s distractions are a bit late; I was distracted by news that Kate Upton got traded …

Atlanta became a baseball Uptonia on Thursday, when the Braves acquired Justin Upton from the Diamondbacks. The seven-player trade sends Randall Delgado, Martin Prado and minor-leaguers Zeke Spruill, Nick Ahmed and Brandon Drury to Arizona. Third baseman Chris Johnson, who hit a grand slam against the Dodgers in his first game as a Diamondback last year, also goes to Atlanta in the trade.

The Braves’ outfield of B.J. Upton, Justin Upton and Jason Heyward has already been hailed as baseball’s best, though I think Mike Trout, Peter Bourjos and Josh Hamilton will make a strong case this season.

I personally feel good for the younger Upton, who’s been the subject of trade rumors on and off for three years — particularly this off-season — without getting a lick of assurance from the Diamondbacks about his future. At least that’s how it seemed publicly.

For Arizona, the 2013 lineup begets more questions than hope. That’s a good thing for the Dodgers, and I’ll explore it in more depth in my next blog post.

The rest of today’s news, still waiting on that Dodgers cable deal …

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Daily Distractions: Possible beer shortage, new rules for MLB and WBC.

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One Dodger fan has begun a crusade to get his beer.

The fan, Thomas Nagano, claims that he was charged for 24 ounces of beer but received less than that at Dodger Stadium when he attended a game this season. The video, which had about 500 views on YouTube when I checked it out this morning, explains the mix-up fairly clearly:

Nagano has already taken up his case with the Los Angeles County Department of Consumer Affairs. An isolated incident, or a sudsy scam on a seismic scale? Feel free to add your comment below.

On to the links …

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Diamondbacks trade Joe Saunders for Matt Lindstrom.

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If you couldn’t see the Dodgers’ divisional rivals quaking in their boots after Saturday’s blockbuster trade, their fear became tangible Sunday, when the Arizona Diamondbacks traded starting pitcher Joe Saunders to the Baltimore Orioles for reliever Matt Lindstrom.

OK, that’s not at all how it happened. Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com reported that Joe Saunders was placed on waivers last Tuesday and the Orioles had the most interest. It’s unclear if Saunders was claimed by the Orioles, or if he passed through waivers unclaimed and the deal was consummated after that point. Either way, some incarnation of this trade was in the works before the Dodgers got Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford and Nick Punto.

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Dodgers 9, Diamondbacks 3.

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The Dodgers (14-12-4) overcame a rare bad outing by Clayton Kershaw, scoring six runs off the Arizona bullpen to break open a 3-3 game before an announced crowd of 12,799 at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. [box score]

Matt Angle went 1-for-2 with his first Cactus League home run, a two-run shot in the eighth inning off Keith Hessler. Justin Sellers went 1-for-2 with a two-RBI single in the sixth. Dee Gordon went 2-for-3 and 10 other Dodgers collected one hit each.

Gordon stole his 11th base of the spring in the first inning; he was caught for the fourth time an inning later. Relievers Josh Lindblom, Ronald Belisario, Scott Rice, Stephen Ames and Wil Ledezma did not allow a run over the final 5 1/3 innings.

Kershaw allowed six hits and three earned runs in 3 2/3 innings. More on him in tomorrow’s editions. A few more notes:

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