Tag Archives: spring training

Dodgers’ Zack Greinke: Pitching April 2 is ‘definitely possible’.

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Zack GreinkeDodgers right-hander Zack Greinke said there’s “zero chance” he would be at full strength April 2, when he is scheduled to make his first start of the season, but didn’t rule out pitching that day in an interview with Sirius XM Sports.

“I don’t know for sure,” Greinke said when asked if he’d be able to make the start. “We’re just kind of working with the training staff. I’m kind of going by what they tell me. It’s probably zero chance I’ll be throwing that day at a full 120 pitches but to actually pitch that day, I don’t know what percentage but it’s definitely possible.”

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Matt Palmer has surgery; expected to miss 6-8 weeks.

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Matt Palmer underwent a left knee arthroscopy today to debride a medial meniscal tear. Surgery was done by Dr. Brian Schafer in Phoenix. Rehab begins tomorrow, expected 6-8 weeks.

Palmer was re-assigned to the Dodgers’ minor-league camp and will begin his rehab there.

The veteran pitcher injured his knee walking on Saturday.

Dodgers send Brian Barden, Omar Luna, Jeremy Moore to minor-league camp.

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The Dodgers reassigned infielder Brian Barden, infielder Hector Luna and outfielder Jeremy Moore to minor league camp, reducing the number of players in major-league camp to 48.

Barden’s .478 batting average was the highest of any Dodger with more than three Cactus League at-bats. The 31-year-old from San Diego had nine singles and two doubles among his 11 hits, and was doing it against pitching that was somewhere above Triple-A, but below major-league quality, according to baseball-reference.com’s Opponent Quality Index:

Luna was hitting .313/.313/.389 and Moore .333/.407/.542. Neither player has extensive major-league experience. Barden does — 119 games’ worth — but he wasn’t going to make the team without injuries to several of the infielders on the 40-man roster (Gonzalez, Ellis, Ramirez, Cruz, Gordon, Punto, Uribe, Sellers).

Moore was scratched from the Dodgers’ lineup for tonight’s game against the Cincinnati Reds. Yasiel Puig started in his place.

The Dodgers’ Carl Crawford is a hitting machine.

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Carl Crawford

Carl Crawford took his first swings against live pitching on Feb. 25, but was shut down four days later.

Carl Crawford was scheduled to face three live major-league pitchers Tuesday, teammates J.P. Howell, Kenley Jansen and Brandon League. He saw about 20 pitches each from Howell and Jansen, pouncing off one Jansen pitch that bounced off the left-field fence. Then Crawford walked off the field along with coaches and a trainer; League had to face a pair of Dodgers minor-league hitters instead.

Was Crawford hurt?

Fatigued?

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Zack Greinke returns to Dodgers, but when will he pitch?

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Zack Greinke

Zack Greinke returned to the Dodgers one day after he received a PRP injection in his ailing right elbow.

The right-hander had very little to say and was hesitant to offer rudimentary details about his condition, which the team announced Monday as inflammation in the back of his right elbow.

“I didn’t really know exactly what the problem is,” Greinke said before meeting with trainers. “I still don’t. They might. I’m just kind of going on what they’re saying to me.”

Asked if he could make his first scheduled start of the season April 2, he said “I don’t know that either.”

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Daily Distractions: Picking a new WBC favorite; Cactus League attendance down; Mike Piazza ads.

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WBC logoI started toying with this mental exercise last night: What if the state of California had a team in the World Baseball Classic?

Forget about how many players would decline invitations. Forget about generational eligibility — if you were born in California, you’re eligible (which is fine, since I had a better chance of making Team Wisconsin anyways). What would that team look like? Could it contend?

The answer is yes.

C: John Jaso, Mariners/Rod Barajas, Diamondbacks
1B: Adrian Gonzalez, Dodgers
2B: Aaron Hill, Diamondbacks
SS: Jimmy Rollins, Phillies
3B: Ty Wigginton, Cardinals
LF: Ryan Braun, Brewers
CF: Coco Crisp, A’s
RF: Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins
DH: Prince Fielder, Tigers
UT: Skip Schumaker, Dodgers

SP: Jered Weaver, Angels
SP: CC Sabathia, Yankees
SP: James Shields, Royals
SP: Cole Hamels, Phillies
SP: Stephen Strasburg, Nationals
RP: Sergio Romo, Giants
RP: Brandon League, Dodgers
RP: Addison Reed, White Sox
RP: Dale Thayer, Padres
RP: J.P. Howell, Dodgers
RP: Bryan Shaw, Diamondbacks
RP: Kris Medlen, Braves

Manager: Dusty Baker, Reds
Hitting coach: Mark McGwire, Dodgers
Pitching coach: Chris Bosio, Cubs

Apologies to C.J. Wilson, Mark Trumbo, Michael Young, Will Venable, Brandon McCarthy, Kyle Lohse, Mike Moustakas and Carlos Quentin. Perhaps you can dig into your family tree and find another state to play for.

On to some bullet points:

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Dodgers demote Matt Palmer, Steven Ames, Matt Magill.

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Matt Palmer

Matt Palmer will have surgery tomorrow in Arizona to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. The team originally announced that he would miss six to eight weeks, but Palmer gave a more optimistic, more detailed timetable Monday.

“They say I can throw in two weeks, throw off a mound in three-and-a-half to four,” he said. “I could be back (in a game) by six weeks.”

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Zack Greinke (elbow) out; Hyun-Jin Ryu will start for Dodgers against Brewers.

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Zack Greinke

Zack Greinke will fly to Los Angeles today to have his right elbow examined by team Dr. Neal ElAttrache.

The team said that Greinke experienced “mild irritation” in the back of his elbow while throwing on Sunday and “does not feel 100 percent comfortable” in the elbow. He threw a full bullpen without pain Friday.

Hyun-Jin Ryu, who was scheduled to relieve Greinke against the Milwaukee Brewers, will start instead. The game is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.

Update: Don Mattingly said that an MRI on Greinke’s elbow came back clean and the pitcher said he could make his scheduled start if he wanted to. “If something serious was going on,” Mattingly said, “it’d be a shocker.”

Update 2 (2:38 p.m.): Dr. ElAttrache confirmed the diagnosis of inflammation in the back of the right elbow. Greinke received an injection of platelet-rich plasma and anti-inflammatory medication. He will rest for 2 to 3 days and then return to a progressive throwing program.

Daily Distractions: WBC upsets, Dodgers draw scouts, SABR.

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Adrian GonzalezDon Mattingly has openly joked about getting Nick Punto back in camp next week. He didn’t think Team Italy had a long future in the World Baseball Classic. He wasn’t alone.

On a day off for Hanley Ramirez and Ronald Belisario, the other three Dodgers in the WBC — Luis Cruz, Adrian Gonzalez and Punto — were busy pulling off upsets. Italy beat Canada, 14-4, and Mexico stunned the United States 5-2.

Punto went 2 for 4 with a double and scored twice. Gonzalez homered and drove in three runs and Cruz put Mexico up 5-1 with a sacrifice fly off Glen Perkins in the fifth inning. As Ice Cube once said, “it was a good day.”

Unless you’re the U.S., that is. The Americans play the Italians today and momentum is not in their direction. Italy beat Mexico on Thursday and can eliminate the U.S. from advancing to the semifinals with a win.

Some more links for a Saturday:

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