Second round of cuts announced.

The Dodgers released left-handed pitcher Alberto Castillo and re-assigned Matt Chico, Ryan Tucker and Will Savage to their minor-league camp. Manager Don Mattingly said more cuts would be announced later in the day.

The Dodgers have a game scheduled for 1 p.m. against the Angels. Despite overnight rains, a tarp kept the field dry and the game is still on as of this moment.

“We didn’t feel like he was going to fit for us, and more than anything it’s kind of fair to him to give him a chance,” manager Don Mattingly said. “People are looking for lefties. We didn’t see him as that guy for us and we didn’t see him as that guy in Triple A waiting around either. We really felt like it was fair to him to get him out on the wire, let people take a look, and give him the best chance to be in the big leagues with somebody.”

As for the next round of cuts, “it’s getting it down to the guys that … have a chance to make our club so we can get down to finishing work, smaller numbers,” Mattingly said.

There are still six catchers listed on the camp roster: Josh Bard, Gorman Erickson, Matt Wallach, Tim Federowicz, Matt Treanor and A.J. Ellis. Only Ellis and Treanor are expected to start the season on the major-league roster, so expect some cuts from this area.

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Giants 8, Dodgers 4.

Ted Lilly allowed five runs in two innings in his spring debut, and the Dodgers could never catch up in an 8-4 loss to the Giants at Camelback Ranch, their first loss of the spring. [Box score]

Andre Ethier hit his first Cactus League home run, one of nine hits by nine different Dodgers.

Lilly allowed a home run to the first batter of the game, Melky Cabrera, who belted a 3-2 fastball out of the park to left field. The next batter, Emmanuel Burriss, doubled. Brett Pill followed that with another home run off a 2-2 fastball to left-center field.

The Giants increased their lead to 5-0 off a pair of runs in the second inning, thanks to a pair of doubles, a single and a wild pitch.

“It’s spring training but you’re still looking for results,” Lilly said. “I was going into the game with a plan of really just trying to execute fastballs, my fastball to both side of the plate. I didn’t intend to throw too many breaking balls, but when you’re not executing with location, for me, it puts me in a position where I have to throw more breaking balls. I threw more than I wanted to.”

Jamey Wright, Ramon Troncoso (on another Cabrera homer) and Matt Chico each allowed a run in their lone inning out of the bullpen. Josh Lindblom, Michael Antonini and Josh Wall did not.

A few more notes that won’t make tomorrow’s editions:
Continue reading “Giants 8, Dodgers 4.” »

Biggest spring competitions? Mattingly identifies two.

Don Mattingly was asked a fairly straightforward question today: What are the most important competitions in spring training? He identified two.

“The biggest thing we look at for us is, is there going to be a left-hander that pops up? Maybe there’s two. See what happens with some of the older guys out in the bullpen. See if anybody emerges out there. On the infield, position players, those are guys we want to see – (Alex) Castellanos, (Scott) Van Slyke … Matt Angle – basically seeing some guys who may end up fitting with us by the time the year’s over if we have an injury here or an injury there.”

Scott Elbert pitched in 47 games last season out of the bullpen but the two other incumbent lefty relievers, Hong-Chih Kuo and Dana Eveland, have moved on. The other left-handers in camp (other than starters Clayton Kershaw, Ted Lilly and Chris Capuano) are John Grabow, Scott Rice, Wilfredo Ledezma, Matt Chico, Alberto Castillo and Michael Antonini.

Rice, Chico, Grabow and Castillo are non-roster invitees. Ledezma, a nine-year veteran, pitched in five games out of the Toronto Blue Jays’ bullpen last year but spent most of the season in Triple-A. Rice, a Simi Valley native and Royal High grad, has 12 years of minor league experience but has never cracked the big leagues. Chico, Grabow and Castillo all have some major-league experience, while Antonini has five years of minor-league service, all as a starter, including last season with Double-A Chattanooga.
The starting infield positions are basically set: Juan Uribe at third base, Dee Gordon at shortstop, Mark Ellis at second base and James Loney at first. Adam Kennedy and Jerry Hairston Jr. are first in line as backups.

In other words, the opening-day roster is overwhelmingly set.