Tag Archives: Josh Lindblom

Interesting pitching matchup at Triple-A tonight.

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Two members of the Dodgers’ 2011-12 relief corps, Josh Lindblom and Javy Guerrra, started against each other in a Triple-A game Friday night.

Lindblom allowed three runs in 6 2/3 innings for the Round Rock Express and won. The right-hander, now a member of the Texas Rangers’ organization, has been converted to a starter.

Guerra allowed four runs (two earned) in five innings for the Albuquerque Isotopes and was the ‘Topes pitcher of record in the 4-3 loss. The box score is here.

The Dodgers don’t plan to convert Guerra exclusively to a starter’s role. General manager Ned Colletti said via text message Friday that they’re stretching him out and having him throw four pitches to give the team the option of using him as a starter, long man, or short reliever.

Daily Distractions: Texas two-step, Crawford hits, Elbert throws, plus links.

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Rick Renteria, manager of Team Mexico, stops for an interview after his team’s 10-2 loss to the Dodgers on Wednesday. If you watched this interview on TV in Mexico, now you know who that goofy-looking guy with the cell phone camera was.

The Dodgers are hosting the Texas Rangers today. Scott Van Slyke is starting at first base in his first call-up to the major league side since being demoted from the 40-man roster last year.

Keep an eye on the Rangers’ bullpen. Former Dodger Josh Lindblom, traded last year to the Philadelphia Phillies for Shane Victorino, is scheduled to pitch for Texas. Not many 25-year-old middle relievers can say they were traded for two former All-Stars, but Lindblom can (Victorino and Michael Young).

Three significant bits of injury news were widely reported out of Glendale this morning (I’m in Tempe) that I’ll pass along:

1. Zack Greinke, feeling better today after missing yesterday’s start with a flu, will throw a bullpen session Friday and pitch Monday against the Milwaukee Brewers.

2. Carl Crawford took 50 swings off a tee today and told reporters he felt fine.

3. Scott Elbert felt fine one day after throwing on flat ground for the first time since elbow surgery in January.

A bunch of noteworthy bullet points:

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Stan Kasten wants you to know the Dodgers aren’t trying to buy a championship.

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Here’s one quote that did not make any of the 10 blog posts or two stories I filed from Dodger Stadium yesterday. It’s from Stan Kasten.

“I want to stress … we continue to believe in the importance of building a foundation through scouting and player development,” Kasten said. “We won’t be what we want to be until we build the system of players.”

“The great advantage of this ownership is, we can do both at the same time.”

Sounds a little utopian, right? Let’s take a look at the hit the Dodgers’ farm system just absorbed.

In acquiring Adrian Gonzalez, Hanley Ramirez, Shane Victorino, Carl Crawford, Joe Blanton, Josh Beckett, Nick Punto, Randy Choate and Brandon League,here’s what the Dodgers sacrificed from their system:
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Shane Victorino is a Dodger.

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Former Dodgers draft pick and longtime nemesis Shane Victorino is the Dodgers’ new left fielder and leadoff hitter.

The Dodgers traded right-handed reliever Josh Lindblom, minor league right-hander Ethan Martin and a player to be named later or cash considerations to the Phillies for Victorino on Monday, hours in advance on baseball’s 1 p.m. non-waiver trade deadline.

“We’re excited to add an All-Star caliber player with postseason experience,” general manager Ned Colletti said in a statement. “He plays the game with passion, gives us a top of the order bat from both sides of the plate, can steal bases and is solid defensively in the outfield.”

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What to expect from Brandon League with the Dodgers.

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Brandon League has had an interesting 2012 season. He began as the Seattle Mariners’ incumbent closer, coming off an All-Star season in which he recorded a career-high 37 saves.

The right-hander converted his first five save opportunities out of the Seattle ‘pen this year, then blew four of his next eight chances and lost the job in May to a rotating committee that finally settled on Tom Wilhelmsen. From then on League pitched the seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th innings for the Mariners, including a couple save situations (he went 0-for-2).

That’s why League’s numbers weren’t eye-popping when the Dodgers announced they acquired him Monday night for Single-A outfielder Leon Landry and Double-A pitcher Logan Bawcom. League has an 0-5 record, a 3.63 earned-run average, nine saves in 46 games and 27 strikeouts in 44.2 innings –a 5.4 strikeouts/9 innings ratio.

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Coffey (knee) to DL, Lindblom gets to stay.

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Todd Coffey‘s earned-run average (36.00) is inflamed. Turns out, so is his knee.

Coffey was placed on the 15-day disabled list with anterior knee inflammation and left-hander Ted Lilly was activated from the DL so he can start tonight’s game against the San Diego Padres.

“It’s definitely a situation where if we were later in the season and it had to be pushed through, that’s no problem,” Coffey said. “It seems kind to silly right now to man up, push through something that we could get completely knocked out, ready to go 100 percent.”

It also seems silly to demote Josh Lindblom. The right-hander can be optioned to the minor leagues but is pitching as well as anyone in the Dodgers’ bullpen, having allowed one hit and no runs in four appearances. Coffey, who has surrendered two runs without recording an out in back-to-back outings against the Padres, does not have a minor-league option.

But someone needed to be removed from the active roster Saturday to make room for Lilly and Coffey’s knee gave the Dodgers their out.

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