Tony and Doug Inside MLB

March 21, 2007

Dodgers: New blog address

Just got word from base camp that the web address for this blog has changed to www.insidesocal.com/dodgers. If you want to read Doug Padilla's Angels blog, go to www.insidesocal.com/angels. Don't get the wrong idea. This doesn't mean Doug and I couldn't play nice and had to be separated, or that we each developed such large egos that we DEMANDED our own individual addresses. It's just a simple technological advancement, and nothing more. .. We're about to do our daily pregame with Grady, but I'm guessing this is going to be a slow news day, especially after yesterday. I'll update after the meeting.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 12:20 PM | Comments (2)

Dodgers: Deja vu

Fernando Valenzuela has arrived in camp after yet another winter of pitching for Mexicali in the Mexican Winter League, where he went 6-3, according to the daily notes released by the Dodgers' PR staff. All this hoopla surrounding Daisuke Matsuzaka, who is pitching against Pittsburgh on the television here in the media room, has been eerily reminiscent of Fernandomania back in 1981, with one major difference: Fernandomania didn't take hold until after the lefty with the strange windup had actually won a few games, and it just took off from there. Matsuzaka might have a solid track record in Japan, but he hasn't won anything here yet. The Dodgers faced him here in Vero before rain washed out that game last Friday in the third inning. When asked what it was like to face Matsuzaka, one Dodgers player shrugged his shoulder exaggeratedly and said, "He looks like a pitcher to me." Translation: "I don't understand what the big deal is."

Posted by Tony Jackson at 11:40 AM | Comments (226)

March 20, 2007

Dodgers: Another reason to go

It's one thing to have a decidedly pro-Boston crowd at a Dodgers home spring training game against the Red Sox. But tonight, in what officially went down as the largest crowd of the spring at Holman Stadium (the Boston game was rained out in the third inning), the vast majority of the 6,835 on hand were rooting for St. Louis, and the most prevalent color in the stands was red. Times change, and so do demographics. Sadly, the Dodgers now appear out of place in the spring-training facility they have called home for almost 60 years. The Arizona desert never looked so inviting.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 07:32 PM | Comments (4)

Dodgers: Cardinals 13, Dodgers 0

The boys grounded into five double plays and committed three errors in the final two innings. Mark Hendrickson continued to pitch himself out of contention for the fifth spot in the rotation, giving up four runs on five hits over five innings, although he didn't walk a batter. Jonathan Broxton struggled for the second day in a row, this time retiring just two of six batters, but he also was hurt by a dropped ball by Wilson Valdez, and the only run Broxton allowed went in the books as unearned. Dodgers, who fell to 13-9, have been outscored 27-1 in their past three games.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 07:07 PM | Comments (2)

Dodgers: Everything is great

Grady's contract option has been picked up and extended, Jason Repko is ready to return to action, Jason Schmidt's alleged lack of velocity is overblown. Game starts in 20 minutes, and Albert Pujols actually made the trip. Other than the chilly weather, everything in Dodgertown is bliss -- at least for the moment. More after the game.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 03:39 PM | Comments (2)

Dodgers: Little's optioned exercised

The Dodgers have exercised the option for 2008 on manager Grady Little's contract. The formal announcement is expected at 4:15 p.m. Little originally signed a two-year deal in December 2005 that included a club option for 2008. But after Little guided the club to last year's playoffs, it became little more than a formality that his option would be picked up, and that formality was taken care of earlier today. More on this later.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 12:25 PM | Comments (2)

Dodgers: Night game tonight

Getting ready to go watch Jason Schmidt throw a simulated game on the back fields. Will update the blog immediately thereafter. Jason Repko already played in a minor-league intrasquad, batting but not playing defense after doing just the opposite yesterday. Says he tested his strained right groin by deliberately hitting every bag hard as he ran the bases, and there were no problems. I'm guessing he'll be back in a Grapefruit League game in a couple of days.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 11:52 AM | Comments (2)

March 19, 2007

Dodgers: Meanwhile, back at the ranch ...

... Jason Repko continued to prove me wrong (you will recall I predicted just two or three days ago that he would start the season on the DL) by playing defense only (center field) in a minor-league intrasquad game in Vero. According to Grady Little, who got a report on Repko during the Dodgers' 9-1 loss to the Nats, Repko had to run hard after two balls and it didn't irritate his strained right groin at all. Repko will hit only (no defense) in a similar game today, after which he'll be re-evaluated. The guess here is he probably will play either Wed. against the Mets or Thurs. against Baltimore. ... Time to pay the piper. Although the Dodgers' next three games are at home, as most of their games have been this spring, that schedule is about to catch up with them -- and with the road-weary beat writers who cover them. Starting Friday, five of the final six games before we all head home will be on the road, with all but one of those at least an hour away. There WILL be one final game at Dodgertown on the 29th, but that's a split squad with the rest of the team (and yours truly) already gone back to Los Angeles to begin the Freeway Series that night.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 03:04 PM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Nationals 9, Dodgers 1

Sorry no in-game blogging today, another press box that wasn't suitable for getting the computer out. Dodgers now have scored one run in their past 18 innings. Randy Wolf went 4 2/3 decent innings, allowing three runs in four hits. Rudy Seanez retired four of six batters, allowing a single and a walk, and remains unscored upon for the spring, even though he did allow an inherited runner to score. Larry Bigbie went 2 for 4, raising his spring average to .359 and making it increasingly difficult to envision an opening-day roster without him. Nomar Garciaparra and Luis Gonzalez had two hits apiece, and Gonzalez is now hitting .381. But Jonathan Broxton, who hadn't pitched in an actual Grapefruit League game in nine days, imploded in the eighth. He faced five batters, walking three and retiring none, and all five of them scored. Dodgers fell to 13-8.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 01:32 PM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Cuts this morning

Gone are pitchers D.J. Houlton and Eric Stults and outfielder Delwyn Young (optioned), and non-roster invitees pitchers Jonathan Meloan and Matt White, infielder Tony Abreu and otufielder Choo Freeman (reassigned). Heading down to meet with Grady now, so more later.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 07:43 AM | Comments (2)

March 18, 2007

Dodgers: Indians 5, Dodgers 0

Wilson Valdez went 2 for 4 with two singles and is hitting .381 for the spring. But that doesn't change the fact he is on the 40-man roster and is out of minor-league options, so this guy's life could get very interesting in the next couple of weeks. No one really noticed when this guy came into the organization the final week of last year's camp in a minor-league trade with Kansas City. A lot of people will notice if he leaves the organization in the final week of this year's camp on a waiver claim. Dodgers' winning streak, which was six or seven depending on whether you include the split-squad game they won on March 10, ended quietly, and the team fell to 13-7 for the spring.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 01:16 PM | Comments (5)

Dodgers: Sleepwalking

The boys look a little disinterested this afternoon. Derek Lowe pitched 4 1/3 basically strong innings, but he was burned by a couple of errors behind him and gave up three unearned runs while throwing 74 pitches. Other than that, the Dodgers have four hits, three of which came in one inning, and they haven't scored. They couldn't hit C.C. Sabathia for five innings, and they haven't hit Roberto Hernandez or Fernando Cabrera, either. And Andy La Roche has committed yet another error, his seventh of the spring. Tribe 5, Dodgers 0, top 8

Posted by Tony Jackson at 12:02 PM | Comments (2)

Dodgers: Pitching duel

Derek Lowe threw 21 pitches in the first inning, but only a total of 23 in retiring the Indians in order in the second and third, the last five by ground balls. C.C. Sabathia has held the Dodgers hitless through three, with Marlon Anderson reaching on an error in the second. Nothing much more to report, except that it's miserably cold here by Florida standards even though there isn't a cloud in the sky and it's a beautiful day. Tribe 1, Dodgers 0, top 4.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 10:48 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Repko almost ready

Apparently, I was WAY wrong on that prediction about Jason Repko starting the season on the DL. Grady Little said this morning that the outfielder's strained right groin just keeps getting better and that "he should be ready to get back into a game in three or four days." All of which re-raises the question of just what is going to happen to Wilson Valdez, who is batting .368, is on the 40-man roster and is out of options. ... I found a new appreciation for Dodgertown, that charming place in Vero Beach with which I have such a love/hate relationship and that I can't wait for the Dodgers to leave in 2009. And that new appreciation is ... it's not Chain of Lakes Park in Winter Haven, where I sit banging out this blog. As difficult as this is to believe, the Cleveland Indians need Arizona (they're moving to Goodyear) even worse than the Dodgers do.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 09:25 AM | Comments (0)

March 17, 2007

Dodgers: Still no word

It's 7:30 p.m. here, and there still is no word on the condition of Tony Abreu, who jammed his left shoulder sliding headfirst into second base in the seventh inning some four hours ago. He was taken for an MRI, from which he and trainer Stan Conte returned at least 90 minutes ago, but these things have to go through the proper channels. Not like the kid is going to make the team anyway, but he IS one of their brightest prospects ... Proof that there ARE some fans who will fly from the West Coast to Florida to see the Dodgers in spring training: I overheard a couple talking to a security guard as I walked past late this afternoon, after most of the crowd had thinned out. They told him they had flown all the way out from California to spend three days here -- "actually, two and a half," the wife corrected the husband -- and that they had a GREAT time. For those who don't mind the long flight, this place is definitely worth seeing, and you only have one more spring to get here. It might be far away, and it might lack functionality, but this is still the most fan-friendly spring training facility there has ever been. I won't be sorry to leave it, but I will be sorry to see it go, if that makes any sense.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 04:33 PM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Dodgers 7, Astros 5

Dodgers scored three in the bottom of the eighth to break a 4-4 tie, with Wilson Betemit capping a 2-for-3 day with a tiebreaking, RBI double to score Kelly Stinnett from second. Brett Tomko gave up one run over three innings. He was scheduled to go five, but he threw 53 pitches to the first nine batters he faced. Joe Mays gave up three runs over three innings to all but eliminate himself from the fifth-starter race. Rafael Furcal and Juan Pierre each went 2 for 3, with all four hits coming in the first two innings, when they combined to score three runs. Dodgers improved to 13-6.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 01:23 PM | Comments (0)

March 16, 2007

Dodgers: Rained out

The biggest crowd in Holman Stadium history got to see Daisuke Matsuzaka pitch two innings Hong-Chih Kuo struggled through 2 1/3 while giving up three homers, the Red Sox take a 5-1 lead and Mother Nature render the whole thing moot with a torrential downpour mixed with high winds. Fans were offered rain checks, but no refunds. Small consolation to all those folks who drove all the way over from Fort Myers (three hours of mostly two-lane roads) to see their beloved Red Sox. They comprised the majority of the crowd. Dodgers' record holds at 12-6.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 11:57 AM | Comments (1)

Dodgers: Back (field) story

Turns out it was a simulated game against minor-league hitters, not a full-on intrasquad. But Brad Penny and Takashi Saito started opposite each other. Penny is working on his release point, specifically to synchronize the release points on his fastball and splitter so that he isn't tipping his pitches, and Rick Honeycutt said he made considerable progress in a 72-pitch effort that was split into five innings. Saito only went two innings and threw 32 pitches. The main game starts in just over half an hour.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 09:26 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Kuo starts, Penny goes to minors ...

... but only for the day. Brad Penny will make his normal scheduled start in a minor-league game today so that Hong-Chih Kuo -- whom club officials still won't admit is going to be the fifth starter -- can get an extended outing in the Grapefruit League game with the BoSox. Meanwhile, Greg Miller is going to be a starter at Las Vegas this season. Grady stopped short of saying Miller will be in the big leagues sometime this year, but he did concede that "he isn't that far away."

Posted by Tony Jackson at 06:49 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Miller optioned

Dodgers just reduced their spring roster by one, optioning lefty Greg Miller to minor-league camp. I'm going to make a not-so-bold prediction right now: You WILL see this kid pitching at Dodger Stadium sometime this summer. He had a 5.62 ERA for the spring, but that was due mostly to one bad outing last Saturday against the Fish that began with him hitting and walking two of the first three batters he faced. But even that day, he finished with a flourish, ending his outing with consecutive strikeouts of Joe Dillon and Alejandro De Aza.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 06:17 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Looks like rain

It's in the forecast, and it's in the dark clouds that began rolling in a few minutes ago. Normally, I root for rainouts in spring training, because they don't have to be made up. Thus, it's another day off the calendar, no different than if the game had been played, and it makes for an earlier end to the work day. But in this case, my dad and brother flew in from Arkansas last night, and two of my dad's college buddies drove over from Tampa specifically for this game (one is a HUGE Red Sox fan). So, in an all-too-rare moment of unselfishness, I must say, Rain, Rain Go Away, Come Again Another Day (tomorrow would be nice). ... Call me a conspiracy theorist, but I have become convinced that Jason Repko will begin the season on the DL, even though his right groin gets better every day. Grady said last night that "it's going to be a while" before Jason returns. Well, camp breaks in less than two weeks. Jason still has to work his running program up to making "fast-twitch" movements, like sprinting from a dead stop to chase a fly ball. And -- this is the biggest thing -- Wilson Valdez continues to have an outstanding spring with the bat, and he is out of minor-league options. DL'ing Repko would buy the club time where Valdez is concerned and would allow Valdez to at least be on the club for the first couple of weeks of the season. Repko might need a minor-league rehab when he is ready to return, which would buy the club more time. But then, I could be wrong. Wouldn't be the first time.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 06:07 AM | Comments (1)

March 15, 2007

Dodgers: Dodgers 6, Nationals 3

Jason Schmidt struggled, giving up three runs on four hits and three walks over four innings, but still got the win. Luis Gonzalez, Nomar Garciaparra and Wilson Valdez all homered. Rafael Furcal went 2 for 3 with a double in his second game back from injury. Chad Billingsley, Elmer Dessens and Joe Beimel combined to shut out the Nats over the final five innings, striking out seven in the process. And Olmedo Saenz -- yes, Olmedo Saenz -- made two dazzling plays after replacing Nomar at first. Dodgers improve to 12-6 by winning both ends of the split squad.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 06:48 PM | Comments (5)

Dodgers: Speed kills

Juan Pierre's 3-for-3 performance in the first game included a perfect example in the fifth inning of just why this guy is so dangerous. Bunting for a base hit, Pierre dropped one that wasn't especially well-placed, and pitcher Adam Wainwright came off the mound to get it. But in his haste to get the speedy Pierre, Wainwright failed to pick up the ball from the ground. By the time he went back to get it, it was too late. The moral of this story: Pierre's speed is such a potent weapon that it can sometimes hurt an opposing team even when he doesn't get a good bunt down or get a good swing on a ball, because the players in the field are so aware of it that they tend to rush plays. Another reason why this should be an exciting season at Chavez Ravine.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 03:24 PM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Dodgers 3, Cardinals 2

Ryan Ludwick hit a long fly to deep center off Jonathan Meloan that might or might not have sent the game to extra innings (the Cardinals had no one warming up and the Dodgers had another game to get back to Vero for). But it got caught up in the wind, and Choo Freeman hauled it in well short of the track, preserving the win. Meloan, who probably will begin the season at Double-A Jacksonville, has three saves this spring. Dodgers improve to 11-6 for the moment, but they host Washington in about three hours.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 12:49 PM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Hendrickson done

He went five shutout innings, allowing three hits and a walk. Greg Miller relieved to start the sixth and hit David Eckstein to begin the inning, but Andre Ethier cut down pinch runner Jolbert Cabrera at the plate on Scott Spiezio's single to end the inning. Juan Pierre went 3 for 3 with three singles, one of which he bunted for. He's now out of the game. James Loney has two hits and counting. Dodgers 2, Cardinals 0, bottom 7.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 11:46 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Oops, I jinxed it again

No sooner had I hit the POST key on my previous blog than Scott Rolen blooped a double up the rightfield line, ruining the no-no. Hendrickson continues to cruise, though, and he has gotten some help by a couple of great defensive plays by Matt Kemp, who made a diving catch in left field to rob Adam Kennedy, and Ivan DeJesus Jr. (do NOT forget that name), who barehanded the carom of a ball that ticked off Andy LaRoche's glove, planted and fired a strike to first, easily getting Yadier Molina. Hendrickson got the next two batters, stranding Rolen at second. Dodgers 2, Cardinals 0, end of 4.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 11:03 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Hendrickson's no-no

Sorry no blogs until now, it's been a crazy day. At the risk of jinxing it, Mark Hendrickson has a no-hitter through 3 1/3, although it is highly unlikely he'll be allowed to complete it. Dodgers 2, Cardinals 0, bottom 4

Posted by Tony Jackson at 10:58 AM | Comments (0)

March 14, 2007

Dodgers: Lunch with an icon

There is one unbending rule of etiquette in the Dodgertown dining room (other than that you can't wear shorts at dinner): If Tommy Lasorda invites you to sit at his table, you do NOT say no. Today at lunch, the lucky ones were, starting at Tommy's immediate right and going around the table: Kevin Baxter from the Times, team photographer Jon SooHoo, Charley Steiner, bench coach Dave Jauss, team historian Mark Langill, me and Jaime Jarrin (speaking of icons). The stories, no matter how many times you have heard them, don't really get old, and the way Tommy tells them is almost as entertaining as the substance of them. At one point, he was telling a story of grabbing a teammate around the neck during his playing days, when Tommy was known for having something of a fiery demeanor. To illustrate the point, he grabbed Baxter around the neck, using him as a prop. Although I'm a HUGE proponent of the move to Arizona in 2009, one thing I will always miss about Dodgertown is those occasional lunches with Tommy and all those stories. I figure between what is left of this spring and next year, I will spend about another nine weeks at Dodgertown. So I hope there are lots of these lunches still to come.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 11:33 AM | Comments (1)

Dodgers: Off day

Light blogging today because it's the players' off-day. Randy Wolf pitched a simulated game (it was supposed to be a minor-league intrasquad, but there were two other minor-league games already scheduled, so it turned into a simulated game because of a lack of available bodies). He threw 73 pitches (13 more than scheduled), and everything felt fine, even though he dodged a line drive back through the box that could have been catastrophic. ... Chad Billingsley has been told he no longer is a candidate for the fifth spot in the rotation and that he will begin the season as a multiple-innings middle reliever. Grady said Chad was fine with that because it essentially means he is on the big-league club. More detail on this in tomorrow's paper. ... Oh, and the Dodgers released Fernando Tatis today. Tatis, a non-roster invitee, had been reassigned to minor-league camp on Sunday, but didn't show up until this morning. Non-roster players are required the following day after they are reassigned.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 08:42 AM | Comments (1)

March 13, 2007

Dodgers: Dodgers 4, Tigers 3

Tony Abreu stepped to the plate with one out in the bottom of the ninth and the game in grave danger of going to extra innings. Just before Bobby Seay released the first pitch, Dodgers assistant public relations director Joe Jareck made reference to the fact he felt Abreu was going to go yard. Seay rocked and fired, and Abreu went yard, sending the ball over the berm in left and giving the Dodgers a 4-3 win over the Tigers. Good pitching all around. Derek Lowe had his best outing of the spring, going five and giving up a run on five hits. Rudy Seanez pitched another perfect inning and now has retired 15 of 16 batters this spring. D.J. Houlton pitched a perfect ninth to shave his ERA to 1.93 and reduce his opponents' batting average to .111. Russell Martin had two doubles, and Luis Gonzalez and Wilson Betemit had two hits apiece. Dodgers improve to 10-6, including 5-0 against American League clubs.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 01:27 PM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Furcal plays

He went 1 for 3 with a groundrule double over the centerfield wall and played four innings in the field, handling one ground ball. Said afterward that everything felt great. He'll play again in the nightcap of Thursday's day-night split squad. Dodgers led Detroit 3-1 at last check, but I can't see the game from the press room. Headed back out there now.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: General stuff

Jason Repko continues to improve every day, although there still is no timetable for his return. But he said this morning he isn't concerned about whether he will have time to get enough at-bats to be fully prepared for opening day. The guess here is he'll be back in a week or so. ... Neither Rafael Furcal nor Marlon Anderson will play in tomorrow's minor-league intrasquad game. Randy Wolf will start and throw 60 pitches in that game, but Grady said Wolf, Repko and anyone else needing training-room treatment will be the only players allowed in an otherwise-closed clubhouse on the Dodgers' only team-wide off day of the spring. ... Dodgers assistant PR director Joe Jareck said he is expecting ``upwards of 85-100'' Japanese media representatives for Friday's game with Boston, in which the celebrated Daisuke Matsuzaka (Dice-K, the cool kids are calling him) will start for the Red Sox. The game is a sellout, but that happened long before it was known that Dice-K would be pitching. Red Sox tickets are so hard to come by down here (they ARE, after all, the most important team in all of sports, just ask them and their fans) that Sawks fans will travel all over the state to see their team play if they can't get tickets in Fort Myers. It will be a great atmosphere here, but the overwhelming shade of blue in the stands and on the outfield berm will be navy.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 07:01 AM | Comments (1)

Dodgers: Open to suggestions

Good morning. The best part of this whole blogging thing is that it's interactive. One of the most challenging parts of my job is deciding each day what to write, and trying to guess at what you, the avid Dodgers fan, wants to know. So now that we have this conversation going, let me say that if there is anything you would like to see in your Daily News Dodgers coverage, either in the paper or on this blog, that you're not getting already, whether it's an idea for a feature, more emphasis on a particular subject, etc., feel free to let me know, either on the blog or by email at tony.jackson@dailynews.com. This coverage, after all, is for you. I can't promise I will fulfill every request, or even the majority of them. But I can promise I will read them all and consider them carefully. ... Another beautiful day in Vero, with the A.L. champion Detroit Tigers coming to town. Derek Lowe will start, but the big story today is the return of Rafael Furcal to the lineup after an absence of almost two weeks with right shoulder soreness. More updates as the day goes along.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 05:29 AM | Comments (6)

March 12, 2007

Dodgers: Dodgers 4, Orioles 2

Andy La Roche capped the Dodgers' scoring with an RBI double off the wall against Danys Baez (sound familiar?) in the eighth inning. La Roche finished 2 for 4 to raise his average to .250. James Loney went 0 for 1 to fall below .500 (.483) for the spring. Tim Hamulack and Matt White, aka the Billionaire, shut out the Orioles in the seventh and eighth, allowing a hit apiece. Jonathan Meloan gave up a harmless, one-out homer to Mike Cervenak in the ninth and got second save. Meloan, who probably will begin the season at Double-A Jacksonville, has a 2.25 ERA in four appearances. Dodgers improve to 9-6 for the spring.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 12:52 PM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Pitching and defense

The fifth-starter battle just keeps getting hotter. Joe Mays did Tomko one better, pitching three shutout innings in which he allowed only one hit, although a spectacular, lunging-to-his-right play by Tony Abreu at second base to rob Paul Bako prevented another hit. Mays retired nine of 10 batters. Of the nine outs Mays recorded, seven were ground balls. The other two were strikeouts. Abreu made another nice play on a slow roller, showing quick hands to throw out Nick Markakis by the slimmest of margins to end the sixth. Meanwhile, highly touted shortstop prospect Ivan DeJesus Jr., borrowed for the day from minor-league camp, just made a beautiful scoop and quick throw on a hard-hit grounder by Aubrey Huff. Dodgers 3, Orioles 1, bottom 7.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 11:34 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Mistaken identity, part deux

The Dodgers' public relations staff gets it right 99.999999999 percent of the time. But if you get your hands on a 2007 Dodgers media guide and happen to be perusing the minor-league player bios, you might run across the name of pitcher Steven Johnson, who is expected to play at low Single-A Great Lakes this year. The final line in his bio states that he is the son of former major-league player and manager Davey Johnson, who guided the Dodgers for two seasons in 1999-2000. Well, at this very moment, I happen to be sitting in the Fort Lauderdale press box next to DAVE Johnson, the former Orioles pitcher from the early 1990s, who is the ACTUAL father of Dodgers pitching prospect Steven Johnson. Incredibly nice guy, and he got a huge kick out of seeing that bit of misinformation on his son. ... Tomko bounced back from the leadoff walk to pitch three STRONG innings, allowing just one hit on a routine fly ball that Larry Bigbie lost in the sun in left field. Dodgers tied the game on Wilson Valdez's RBI single off Erik Bedard in the third. Dodgers 1, Orioles 1.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 10:50 AM | Comments (4)

Dodgers: Tomko gets away with one run

Orioles got a manufactured run after the walk and stolen base, but Tomko managed to retire the next three batters on grounder to first, run-scoring grounder to first and shallow fly to center. Orioles 1, Dodgers 0 after one.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 10:20 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Furcal plays tomorrow

Rafael Furcal will play shortstop in tomorrow's game against Detroit in Vero Beach, with no precautions for his right shoulder other than that he'll probably come out after two plate appearances as if it were the first week of Grapefruit League play. Marlon Anderson (right elbow) will return in the night/home half of Thursday's split squad. ... We are under way, with the Dodgers having gone in order in the top of the first against Erik Bedard and Brett Tomko having walked the first batter in the bottom of the first. Freddie Bynum subsequently stole second, and took third on Chris Gomez's grounder to first. Dodgers 0, Orioles 0.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 10:14 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Greetings from Fort Lauderdale Stadium

Press box resembles a storage shed, press box men's room resembles an out house, stadium itself is in bad need of a remodel (which it's supposed to get in the next couple of years). Other than that, though, it's a beautiful day for Grapefruit League baseball, partly cloudy but mostly sunny, and this place does have a great view of some of the condo and hotel towers along the Gold Coast off in the distance, maybe 10 miles away. Could be worse. Then again, could be better -- say, in the Cactus League.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 07:39 AM | Comments (0)

March 11, 2007

Dodgers: Dodgers 10, Nationals 9

The boys scored three in the bottom of the ninth, the game ending on Larry Bigbie's (there he is again) double down the rightfield line that became a single when Bigbie touched first and some prospect named Francisco Lizarraga jogged home from third. Tony Abreu continued to shine, going 2 for 2 with a home run, a sac fly and three RBI, to raise his spring average to .409. Jeff Kent homered and went 1 for 2, leaving him at .417. And James Loney went 1 for 2 with a walk, maintaining his .500 average, and he has a .588 on-base percentage. He is looking more and more like a lock to make this club. Eliza Dushku's boyfriend, aka Brad Penny, gave up four runs on nine hits over three innings and has a 12.86 ERA, but no one worries much about veteran starters in spring training. He'll be fine. Dodgers improved to 8-6.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 01:56 PM | Comments (1)

Dodgers: The guru speaks

Sandy Koufax, looking like the quintessential Florida septuagenarian in a white golf shirt, blue shorts and tennies, is holding court on a side mound right now with a group of pitchers that includes lefties Tim Hamulack, Randy Wolf, Greg Miller, Eric Stults, Mark Hendrickson and Hong-Chih Kuo and righties Chin-hui Tsao and Chad Billingsley. Understandably, they appear to be hanging on his every word, oblivious to Yhency Brazoban throwing a side session off an adjacent mound.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 08:55 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: First cut is the deepest

Not a big Sheryl Crow fan, but that line just sounded good. Anyway, Eric Hull, Zach Hammes and Mike Megrew wers optioned to minor-league camp this morning, Scott Elbert, A.J. Ellis, Chin-lung Hu, Ken Huckaby, Travis Smith, Fernando Tatis and Dario Veras were reassigned to minor-league camp, and Damian Jackson was released.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 06:54 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Repko appears fine

Sorry I forgot to update on that late yesterday afternoon (although the information is laid out in full in today's paper and on the web site), but Repko's strained right groin doesn't appear serious. He came back to Dodgertown for treatment yesterday and said afterward the injury wasn't as bad as he initially thought, but that he would know more today. That SOUNDS promising, but he isn't out of the woods yet (remember Jayson Werth, two springs ago?).

Posted by Tony Jackson at 06:44 AM | Comments (0)

March 10, 2007

Dodgers: Springing forward

The Dodgers will start late tomorrow, with players not required to show up until 11:30 a.m. despite a 1:05 p.m. game against Washington. This is in apparent deference to the changeover to Daylight Savings Time, allowing players -- and by extension, the writers -- to make up for the lost hour by sleeping an hour later. Don't mind if I do. ... Had a long conversation with Rich Donnelly this morning about the fact that March Madness has become a HUGE part of spring-training tradition for all clubs. Donnelly, a big college hoops fans, says the tournament begins just as spring training is hitting its dog days, and allows players a respite from the monotony and takes them right through the end. Of course, opening day has this bad habit of interfering with the Final Four. ... Speaking of college hoops, I'm finding it hard to get excited about my alma mater, the University of Arkansas, making another Cinderella run through the SEC tournament. Even if the Razorbacks do manage to upset Florida in tomorrow's final and gain an automatic bid to the dance, what does it get them? An embarrassing first-round loss? Wake me up when they become relevant again.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 04:18 PM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Dodgers 5, Marlins 2

Going strictly by the box score, James Loney went 2 for 4 to keep his average at .500, and Jason Repko went 2 for 5 with two doubles before getting injured. Mark Hendrickson, a candidate for the fifth starter spot, gave up an unearned run on one hit over three innings. Dario Veras, Tim Hamulack and Travis Smith, none of whom is expected to be on the opening-day roster, shut out the Marlins over the final three innings. The split leaves the Dodgers 7-6 for the spring. Bus still hasn't arrived.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 01:52 PM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Marlins 8, Dodgers 5

Jason Schmidt and Greg Miller gave up four runs apiece, but Takashi Saito, Jonathan Broxton, Rudy Seanez and Chin-hui Tsao shut out the Marlins on two hits ove the final four innings. Juan Pierre went 2 for 3, including a rare, well-placed bunt double. Nomar Garciaparra went 2 for 3 with a two-run homer and three RBI. And Luis Gonzalez went 2 for 2 with a double and two RBI. Jason Repko suffered a groin injury in the other game, also against the Marlins down in Jupiter. Will know more when the bus arrives.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 01:31 PM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: No cuts today

Grady still won't say when they're coming, but they're coming. "We'll start thinning out here in a day or two," he said. "But there won't be any time frame from here on out." He also said that with the exception of closer Takashi Saito, setup man Jonathan Broxton and situational lefty Joe Beimel, he expects every reliever to be able to give him multiple innings when needed. "You need a couple of guys in your pen who are capable of doing that, and capable of doing it two out of three days if needed."

Posted by Tony Jackson at 07:05 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Talking points

Manager Grady Little walked into the clubhouse this morning and saw lefty Scott Elbert, the club's top pitching prospect, sitting in a chair in front of his locker. Little pulled up a chair, sat down and gave Elbert one of his classic Little talks, in which Grady puts that familiar smile on his face and magically comes up with the perfect words to make a kid feel 10 feet tall. Elbert made his second Grapefruit League appearance yesterday, and it was a disaster. He faced five Minnesota batters, and three of them went yard. He also gave up a single, threw a wild pitch and retired just one batter, albeit striking him out. Little chalked the effort up to nerves. Elbert was never going to make this team because he is still developing, and he probably will be among the first round of cuts, either tonight or early tomorrow. But this kid is the real deal, a potential front-of-the-rotation starter who should be in the big leagues by 2009 if not sooner. And no matter how far he goes in this game, the best guess here is that he will never forget that visit from Little this morning. Just another example of why for all the shrewd moves Ned Colletti has made since taking over as GM on Nov. 16, 2005, the best was hiring Little.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 06:16 AM | Comments (0)

March 09, 2007

Dodgers: Parking changes

The Dodgers are expected to announce sometime next week a new parking plan for Dodger Stadium this season. It's complicated to explain, but to make a long story short, those who purchase season parking passes will be allowed to choose their parking spots on the upper levels, while those who purchase daily parking will be directed into specific lots by lot attendants utiliizing what is supposed to be an efficient system that alleviates some of the traffic snafus the stadium lot is so famous for. More details to come when the announcement is made.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 04:04 PM | Comments (1)

Dodgers: Dodgers 8, Twins 7

Andre Ethier and James Loney continued to sizzle with three hits apiece, raising their respective averages to .526 and .500. Chad Billingsley pitched 2 1/3 shutout innings, allowing just a hit and a walk. Matt White survived a shaky eighth inning with only an unearned run scoring despite issuing a walk and hitting a batter, and the non-roster left-hander with the billion-dollar rock quarry still hasn't given up a hit or an earned run in three spring appearances spanning 4 1/3 innings. Dodgers improved to 6-5 for the spring.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 01:31 PM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Today's lineup

Strange lineup today against Minnesota, probably because there is a split squad tomorrow. Choo Freeman is leading off, followed by Russell Martin and James Loney. Jeff Kent is batting fourth, the only regular player hitting in what we know will be his normal spot, followed by Olmedo Saenz (DH), Andre Ethier (RF). Wilson Betemit (3B and batting seventh, which COULD be his normal spot), Larry Bigbie (LF) and Tony Abreu (SS). Grady said the Dodgers will stop using the DH against National League opponents toward the end of next week.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 08:50 AM | Comments (3)

Dodgers: Anderson, Furcal out until at least next week

While purposely avoiding being specific, Dodgers manager Grady Little said this morning that neither Marlon Anderson (right elbow) nor Rafael Furcal (right shoulder) is likely to play in a Grapefruit League game before the team's scheduled off-day on Wednesday, but that he is hopeful both players can return immediately thereafter. Little also admitted for the first time that Anderson's injury is the result of the Anderson having pushed himself too quickly when he first arrived in camp. Anderson underwent surgery last October for the removal of bone chips.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 07:13 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Competition is good -- and bad

The battle for the fifth spot in the starting rotation is the most intriguing storyline of the spring, for sure. But a delicate subplot is what is going to happen once the issue is resolved -- not so much with the guy who gets the job, but with the dozen or so guys who don't. Brett Tomko said last night that club officials told him to prepare this winter as if he were going to start, and Tomko has said the only reason he agreed to go to the pen last summer was because he believed it would eventually work into his being the closer, something that clearly isn't going to happen now. Meanwhile, Mark Hendrickson made it clear over the winter that he has no interest in being a reliever. And Elmer Dessens, who isn't really a candidate anyway, is unhappy working out of the pen, too. All three players potentially could become trade bait, but none of them is a candidate to be sent to the minors. Therefore, barring a trade, there is a strong chance the Dodgers could begin the season with THREE ticked-off guys in their bullpen.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 05:04 AM | Comments (4)

March 08, 2007

Dodgers: More Dodgertown surrealism

The Dodgertown dining room was well populated with prominent players from the team's history a half hour before the game tonight. Many of them were in town for Clem Labine's funeral this afternoon. Kevin Modesti and I were sitting with Mark Langill, Pepe Yniguez and Billy DeLury, listening to Billy tell some great Dodgertown stories from his five-decades-plus with the organization, most of them as traveling secretary. So Billy starts telling us about some of the great characters who have worked at Dodgertown over the years, and he starts telling us about this guy whose entire job was, well, I'll let Billy tell it. "This guy would sit there all day long, every day, and peel oranges and squeeze them," Billy said. "All day long, every day, that's what he did. His name was Beans or Beansey, or something like that." And then, suddenly, from behind Langill, an eavesdropper chimed in. "Beansey," Sandy Koufax said, while perusing the nearby dessert table. And it suddenly struck me, as it occasionally does, just what a great job this is, how wonderfully strange and surreal this profession I have chosen can be at times, and how incredibly fortunate I am to go to work every day in the midst of so much amazing history and to be around so many fascinating, often larger-than-life people. While the primary purpose of this blog is to convey Dodgers news to you, the reader, I hope you won't mind my occasionally sharing stories like this with you, as well. Thanks for indulging.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 06:53 PM | Comments (5)

Dodgers: Marlins 2, Dodgers 1

Derek Lowe pitched three shutout innings, allowing only a single by Miguel Cabrera, in a matchup of the starting pitchers who pitched the most recent no-hitter in each league (Lowe pitched one for Boston in 2002, Florida's Anibal Sanchez pitched one last year). Veteran Rudy Seanez, who is trying to make the club as a non-roster invitee, struck out all three batters he faced in the eighth inning. But the Dodgers were limited to four hits. Andy La Roche was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the seventh inning and left the game an inning later after his right wrist swelled up. But La Roche said after the game he was fine.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 06:32 PM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Night game tonight

Woohoo!!!! Finally caught up on some sleep, got up, ran some errands, had a nice, relaxing lunch and rolled into work around 2. Wouldn't want to do this every night, but it's nice once in a while. They're having a postgame fireworks display after tonight's game with the Marlins, and they are claiming it's the first postgame fireworks ever for a major-league spring training game at Holman Stadium. What I'm discovering is that Vero Beach isn't that bad when you're not sleep-deprived and cranky. They held Clem Labine's funeral here today. I didn't attend, but our columnist Kevin Modesti, who is in town for the week, did, so he might be posting about it. No Dodger news so far, but the day (night) is young, so keep checking. Peace.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 11:15 AM | Comments (4)

March 07, 2007

Dodgers: Dodgers 10, Marlins 0

Wilson Betemit finally ended his spring-long hitless streak at 12 at-bats with an RBI single in the seventh inning. Eric Stults, Elmer Dessens and Mike Megrew pitched two scoreless innings each. And Tony Abreu went 3 for 4 with a single, double, home run and three RBI. Dodgers improved to 4-3 for the spring and will play these same Marlins in a night game in Vero tomorrow night. That's it for today.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 07:15 PM | Comments (2)

Dodgers: Cardinals 11, Dodgers 1

Cardinals hit five home runs off Dodgers pitching, including two by the immortal Skip Schumaker. James Loney was on base four times, including three hits and a walk, and played an adventurous right field for a few innings on a sunny, windy day with a high sky. He moved to his more natural position of first base after Nomar Garciaparra left the game. Off to Jupiter (the city, not the planet) for the nightcap with the Marlins.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 01:47 PM | Comments (3)

Dodgers: Stuff

Takashi Saito will pitch the fifth inning today, his Grapefruit League debut. It will be interesting if he has to test his strained right calf by covering first base on a play. ... Grady switched gears on the first round of cuts, which he said last week probably wouldn't come until after the last split-squad date a week from tomorrow. He said this morning it might come later this week because it's becoming difficult to get enough playing time for the 58 players in camp. ... Oh, and the Dodgers watched Munich on their 2 1/2-hour bus ride back from Fort Myers last night.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 06:54 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Skeleton crew

Well, not really. All the main guys are here for today's game with St. Louis. But the clubhouse was unusually quiet and still this morning because half the team doesn't have to be here until this afternoon to travel to Jupiter for tonight's split-squad game with the Marlins. Holman Stadium will host a night game of its own tomorrow night against the Marlins, which means I can catch up on my sleep for the first time all spring and maybe have a nice, relaxing lunch somewhere -- for all its foibles, Vero Beach does have some nice lunch spots. Beyond that, nothing noteworthy going on so far today. We'll meet with Grady in the next few minutes, so stay tuned.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 06:26 AM | Comments (0)

March 06, 2007

Dodgers: Big sweat

Ran into Dennys Reyes today, the former Dodgers lefty whom I covered in Cincinnati. Actually, I didn't run into him. I went to the Twins clubhouse specifically to say hello, hoping he was back from a brief absence to be with his wife as she gave birth to the couple's third child last week. This is truly one of the great guys in the game, a guy who looks nothing like a professional athlete. He walks with a slight limp because he was born with one leg slightly longer than the other, and he always has a smile on his face. He won't even turn 30 until April 19, which is hard to believe because he has been in pro ball since 1994, and a year longer than that if you count 1993 with Mexico City. But he has made a nice career for himself as a situational lefty, proving there will always be jobs available for guys who can come out of the pen, get one or two left-handed batters out and then take a seat. I say good for him.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 02:51 PM | Comments (1)

Dodgers: Dodgers 7, Twins 4

Wilson Valdez homered and doubled, keeping his spring average at .500 (8 for 16) after going 2 for 4. Andre Ethier also had two hits, and Valdez, Ethier and Ramon Martinez drove in two runs each. Greg Miller got the win despite allowing three hits over two innings. He gave up one run. Jason Schmidt and Mark Hendrickson also each gave up one run over two innings. And in the Tony-needs-to-get-a-life-instead-of-coming-up-with-all-these-meaningless-oddities department, the Dodgers, who have won exactly one interleague road game over the past two regular seasons, are 2-0 in interleague road games thus far in the Grapefruit League.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 01:16 PM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Hu was that man?

His name is Chin-lung Hu, and while the ballyhooed shortstop prospect isn't going to make the team now or anytime in the next year or so, he is an electrifying player who should be ready to take over by the time Rafael Furcal's contract runs out after next season. Hu already created one run for the Dodgers by stealing third on unsuspecting Twins pitcher Julio DePaula in the top of this seventh inning, allowing him to score on Choo Freeman's groundout. Hu then lunged far to his right and onto the outfield grass to stop a smash by Chris Heintz, although it was too late to get Heintz at first. Dodgers lead 6-4 after 7.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 12:09 PM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Dodgers explode in sixth, take lead

Andre Ethier momentarily raised his spring average to .400 with a two-run single to right, turning a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead. Kelly Stinnett followed with a double, and Ramon Martinez drove in Ethier and Stinnett with another single, makint it 5-2. All of this came off veteran Randy Choate, who is in camp with the Twins on a minor-league deal and trying to make the club. Choate walked Matt Kemp and hit James Loney to start the rally.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 11:33 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Jackson scratched

Veteran utility man Damian Jackson, who is trying to make the club as a non-roster invitee, was scratched from the lineup due to a stomach ailment. This is the second time this spring that Jackson has been out of action with a stomach illness. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Rafael Furcal appears close to returning from right shoulder soreness, even though he isn't expected to play in either of tomorrow's split-squad games.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 08:38 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Spring chill

It was 47 degrees when I left Vero Beach yesterday for the trip over here, and it never got out of the 60s all day on this side of the state. It LOOKS like it will be a little warmer today, with sunny, clear skies right now at a little before 10 a.m., but it has a long way to go. Meanwhile, Jason Schmidt will make his second start of the spring today. All the Dodgers starters are going just two innings their first TWO times out this spring, which is a little unusual. Normally, they go three their second time, but this year, their outings are being spaced four days apart the first two times instead of the customary five days apart. Grady Little says this plan was devised by pitching coach Rick Honeycutt. I'm not sure what the reasoning is, but I'm sure it's sound.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 06:45 AM | Comments (0)

March 05, 2007

Dodgers: Superfluous travel

There is a simple reason why Dodgers management insists on making these ridiculous trips to the Gulf Coast every spring: In order to get the Boston Red Sox to come to Vero Beach, giving the Dodgers their only home sellout of the spring, the Dodgers have to reciprocate by playing the Red Sox in Fort Myers. Because it is such a long trip, the Dodgers usually overnight here and play another Gulf Coast team the following day. This time, thankfully, it is the crosstown Minnesota Twins, so there isn't more travel involved in between. Couple of years ago, the Dodgers played a Friday game against the Devil Rays in St. Petersburg, but it ended up getting rained out, and several of the players who had bussed all the way across the state for that one got back on the bus and went back to Vero because they weren't scheduled to play the next day against the Red Sox. Still others got on the bus for the SECOND three-hour bus ride THAT DAY, the trip down I-75 from St. Pete to Fort Myers. All of which barrels down to one thing: another reason why the spring of 2009, when the Dodgers are expected to move into their new digs in Glendale, Ariz., can't get here fast enough.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 02:52 PM | Comments (3)

Dodgers: Dodgers 2, Red Sox 1

An eighth-inning play at the plate saved the game. Delwyn Young fielded Luis Jimenez's double off the rightfield wall and hit the cutoff man, second baseman Tony Abreu, who turned and threw to catcher Sandy Martinez to the first base side of the plate. Martinez recovered in time to tag a sliding Alex Prieto to end the inning. Travis Smith retired the Sox in order in the ninth for the save.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 01:50 PM | Comments (0)

March 04, 2007

Dodgers: Braves 4, Dodgers 1

Dodgers got two shutout innings by Joe Mays in relief of Derek Lowe. Mays, a non-roster invitee, is one of the candidates for the fifth spot in the starting rotation. He faced the minimum, giving up one hit that was erased that on a 1-6-3 double play that Mays himself made a nice play to start. Another hitter reached on an error but was caught stealing. The Dodgers committe three errors in this game and at last report had committed two in the other game up in Viera, giving them 12 (and counting) in their first five Grapefruit League games.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 12:57 PM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Saito ready

Dodgers closer Takashi Saito threw a simulated game and will make his Grapefruit League debut on Wednesday now that he has been cleared to run. Saito's strained right calf still might slow him on certain defensive plays, but club officials are confident he is past the point of a major risk of aggravating the injury. Saito has been on the same throwing program with every other reliever all spring, although he wasn't cleared to run.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 08:51 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Florida weather

It went from miserably hot and sticky just two days ago to windy and chilly yesterday to more of the same today. People are suddenly walking around here in fleece pullovers and heavy jackets. Dodgers have their first spit squad today, with half the team, including scheduled starter Brett Tomko, heading north to Viera (a planned community just north of Melbourne) to play the Nationals. The rest of the club, including Derek Lowe who will make his official Grapefruit debut, will face the Braves in Vero. Tomorrow marks the only overnight trip of the spring, a trek to Fort Myers to play Boston tomorrow and Minnesota Tuesday. Three hours each way, over a series of two-lane highways until you get to I-75, which is only for about the last 20 miles. You pass through a lot of one-stoplight towns, but unfortunately, even the one-stoplight towns now have multiple stoplights. I'll be at the home game today, so no in-game blogging.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 07:15 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Geographically challenged

A well-known Los Angeles radio personality was interviewing Brad Penny after Penny left yesterday's game with the New York Mets. The final question was this: "I know you spent some time this winter traveling around Europe. What was your favorite place?" Penny's answer: "Cabo."

Posted by Tony Jackson at 05:43 AM | Comments (0)

March 03, 2007

Dodgers: Dodgers 5, Mets 2

Dodgers rallied for four in the ninth off Jon Adkins, the same guy who had mowed them down in the eighth. Proving that no Dodgers Grapefruit League rally is complete without a key at-bat by Larry Bigbie, the non-roster outfielder drove in the tying run with a fielder's-choice grounder, although 232-year-old first baseman John Franco's throw to the plate appeared to beat a sliding Fernando Tatis, who nevertheless was called safe by plate ump C.B. Bucknor. It was Bigbie's first hitless at-bat of the spring, leaving him 5 for 6. Wilson Valdez, who is hitting .571, drove in the final run. Andy La Roche had two hits and a key walk in the ninth, but also committed two errors -- giving the Dodgers four errors in three games by La Roche and Wilson Betemit, one of whom will be the opening-day third baseman. Dodgers improve to 2-1.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 01:31 PM | Comments (5)

Dodgers. The Mets are real-ly sockin' the ball

... or at least one of them is. Jose Reyes homered off Eric Stults with two outs in the sixth, finally breaking the scoreless tie. But Larry Bigbie (that man again), who entered in left field in the sixth, tied the game with a bases-loaded single off Aaron Heilman in the seventh, making Bigbie 5 for 5 with six RBI for the spring. Mets untied it off Dario Veras on David Newhan's sac fly. Mets 2, Dodgers 1, bottom 7.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 12:15 PM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: What windup?

Grady Little said before the game that lefty Hong-Chih Kuo is using a windup this spring after pitching only out of the stretch last season. I must confess I hadn't noticed. But Kuo, who entered this game in relief of Brad Penny to begin the third inning, isn't using a windup now. Not that he has had much chance to. Andy La Roche booted Paul Lo Duca's ground ball to start the inning, and there were runners on the rest of the frame. But Russell Martin saved Kuo from himself by picking Carlos Delgado off first with a snap throw, and Delwyn Young had to make a diving catch in left of a routine fly ball that got caught up in the swirling winds here to end the inning. Dodgers 0, Mets 0 after three.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 10:53 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Penny ante

Brad Penny threw one high and tight to Carlos Delgado in the first inning, grazing him slightly and eliciting oohs and aahs from Mets fans here in PSL. Penny walked two and hit one in the first inning, but got out of the jam with no runs scoring. Meanwhile, ballyhooed Mets pitching prospect Mike Pelfrey faced the minimum through the first two innings, allowing only a one-out single by Andy La Roche in the second. Penny will leave after the second inning, with Hong-Chih Kuo to follow.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 10:27 AM | Comments (0)

March 02, 2007

Dodgers: Celebrating Jackie

The 2007 Dodgers media guide features a tastefully subtle tribute to the late Jackie Robinson in the year marking the 60th anniversary of his breaking of baseball's color barrier. On page 42, appropriately, is a standard player bio for Robinson that resembles the bios in the same book for each of the other Dodgers players, and it is done as if this were Robinson's rookie season of 1947. Kudos to the Dodgers' public relations staff for a creative idea that works.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 04:54 PM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Dodgers 12, Nationals 7

After falling behind 7-3, the Dodgers came roaring back, largely on the strength of non-roster outfielder Larry Bigbie. Bigbie came in for Luis Gonzalez in the fifth inning and went 3 for 3 with two homers, a double and five RBI. Greg Miller, the fourth Dodgers pitcher, got the win with two scoreless innings. Jason Schmidt pitched two shaky-but-scoreless innings in his Dodgers debut, walking two batters and giving up two hits. Mark Hendrickson, one of the candidates for the fifth spot in the rotation, gave up seven runs (four earned) on five hits over 1 2/3 innings, although he was hurt by poor defense behind him.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 01:49 PM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Dodgers vs. Redskins ... er, Nationals

The Washington Nationals have 72 players in camp. Seventy-two. Thirty-eight of them are pitchers. And while they didn't bring nearly that many players to Vero Beach for today's Grapefruit League affair, you have to wonder why they have so many in camp. It creates an almost impossible situation for rookie manager Manny Acta, who is the guy who has to find enough innings and at-bats for all these guys. Sadly, it doesn't figure to make much difference for the Nats, who are playing their final season in rotting old RFK Stadium and probably aren't going to be very good on the field. They have some young talent and a chance to build something when they move into their new ballpark, but for now, it most likely is going to be a long, miserable summer in the capitol.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 09:41 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Rich in tradition, but not stuck in it

Some of the biggest names in Dodgers history are beginning to acknowledge that the pending demise of Dodgertown, while it isn't a good thing, isn't necessarily a bad thing, either. Hall of Fame pitcher Don Sutton, now a broadcaster for the Washington Nationals and a man who spent an estimated total of two years of his life in Vero Beach while in spring training with the Dodgers, is one of those who understands the move to Arizona, which is expected to take place in 2009. "I still get goose bumps every time I walk back into this place," Sutton said a couple of hours before today's game. "This is a big part of every Dodgers history book. But I have mixed emotions. The other side of it is that the Dodgers' fan base is on the West Coast. Now, the people out there will get a chance to see spring training and see the A-ball guys and the rookies."

Posted by Tony Jackson at 08:29 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: AL rules, NL opponent

By mutual agreement, the Dodgers and Nationals will use the DH today, even though they're both NL clubs. This is probably a trend you will see more and more during spring-training games in the years to come, especially in the first couple of weeks of March when there are so many position players in camp needing at-bats and pitchers aren't staying in games long enough to get at-bats anyway. Mike Lieberthal gets the nod for the Dodgers today.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Tired of talking about it

Matt White, the non-roster journeyman left-hander who is here trying to make the club, clearly is getting tired of talking about the fact the property he bought from an aunt a few years ago turned out to have a billion dollars' worth of rock on it. The story was reported early in camp by mlb.com and took on a life of its own earlier this week when the Associated Press followed up on it. Apparently, there were so many interview requests, including some with national cable news shows, that White could barely keep up with it all. When two reporters approached him this morning wanting to talk more about it, White obliged them, but he did his best to make it clear, albeit subtly, that the subject is beginning to wear on him. He became much more insightful when the reporters started asking baseball-related questions.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 07:40 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: A case of (badly) mistaken identity

The press boxes in these smallish spring training parks are often situated in such a way that fans can walk right up in front of them and actually talk to the writers working inside (but fans are asked to kindly refrain from feeding them). Anyway, at one point during yesterday's Dodgers-Braves tilt up at WDW, a veteran writer from a Canadian paper was seated in the front row of the press box, happily slaving away on a story about one of his countrymen, Dodgers catcher Russell Martin, when a fan approached and asked the writer for his autograph. This writer, a middle-aged, obviously-Caucasian man with gray hair, a thick mustache and an unmistakable Canadian accent was understandably taken aback. "What do you want MY autograph for?" he asked, to which the fan responded, "Aren't you Fernando Valenzuela?"

Posted by Tony Jackson at 05:39 AM | Comments (0)

March 01, 2007

Dodgers: Lukewarm corner

The most noticeable shortfall of Wilson Betemit's performance after the Dodgers acquired him from the Braves last July was that the switch-hitter was so awful from his natural right side, almost 100 points lower than when he batted left-handed. But another problem was that he was shaky defensively at third base, and club officlals privately fretted over his tendency to let his concentration lapse. Not sure if that's what happened today, but Betemit did commit errors in the third and fourth innings against the Braves, each of which led to unearned runs in the Dodgers' 7-2 loss. Couple that with the fact that top third-base prospect Andy La Roche (who went 0 for 2 after replacing Betemit in the fifth) is going to get plenty of playing time this spring and is believed to be close to being major-league ready if he isn't already there, and Betemit better focus on fixing his flaws. This could turn into an intriguing storyline as the spring progresses.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 02:38 PM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: First loss

It's not official yet, but it's the bottom of the eighth and the Dodgers' trail the Braves 7-2. It has gone almost unnoticed, but Wilson Valdez has had a solid game since coming in to replace Rafael Furcal. Valdez likely is headed to Las Vegas as infield insurance, but he is a 40-man roster guy. He doubled in the fifth inning and has been extremely active in the field, including just now when he went into shallow center to chase a pop that he couldn't quite get but then alertly picked it up and fired to second for the force. ... By the way, individual game tickets for the regular season, including for the home opener on April 9, will go on sale at Dodger Stadium at 10 a.m. on Saturday. For more info, go to dodgers.com.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 12:06 PM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Second Happiest Place on Earth

Dodgers and Braves are tied 2-2 after 3 1/2 innings, thanks largely to a ringing double off the rightfield wall by Matt Kemp that barely missed leaving the yard in the top of the fourth but still keyed a two-run rally here at Walt Disney World. Randy Wolf was shaky for two innings, and Chad Billingsley is still shaky now in his second inning. How it will work during the Grapefruit season is I will try to blog in-game for road games, but I won't be able to for home games because of the weird press box situation at Holman Stadium.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 10:47 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: ... and they don't take American Express

Former Dodgers infielder Willy Aybar, now with Atlanta, has yet to arrive in camp because of visa problems in his native Dominican Republic. This is a common problem EARLY in spring training, but I can't recall ever hearing about it on March 1. Ken Howell, the pitching coach for the Dodgers' Triple-A Las Vegas affiliate, was looking for Aybar before today's Grapefruit League opener with the Braves and was incredulous to learn that Aybar still hadn't arrived. When a couple of players confirmed to Howell that Aybar was, indeed, having visa problems, Dodgers outfielder Delwyn Young said, "He should have gotten a MasterCard." We think (hope) Young's double entendre was intentional.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 09:56 AM | Comments (0)

February 28, 2007

Dodgers: Broadcast info

Today's Grapefruit League opener against Atlanta at Walt Disney World can be heard on KFWB 980-AM beginning at 10 a.m. Charley Steiner and Rick Monday will call the action. Left-hander Randy Wolf, an offseason free-agent signee, will start for the Dodgers. Right-hander Kyle Davies will start for the Braves.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 01:39 PM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Elbert impresses

Scott Elbert, the Dodgers' top left-handed pitching prospect and the club's first-round pick (17th overall) in the 2004 amateur draft, pitched the final half-inning of today's intrasquad. While he retired only two of the four batters he faced and walked the other two (the game ended after Delwyn Young drew the second walk because Elbert had reached his pitch limit), Elbert used every pitch in his repertoire, getting Andy La Roche to ground into a force at second and striking out non-roster catcher A.J. Ellis. Elbert, who will begin the season either at Double-A Jacksonville or at Triple-A Las Vegas, probably will be among the first cuts from big-league camp. But with four split squads in the next two weeks. he'll get several more chances to impress general manager Ned Colletti, manager Grady Little and pitching coach Rick Honeycutt before that happens. "I'm just trying to stay within myself, even though that's hard to do in my situation,'' Elbert said. "Your intensity starts to pick up as the game goes on."

Posted by Tony Jackson at 12:42 PM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Veteran move

After getting hit on the right wrist by rookie Mike Megrew during today's intrasquad game, veteran left fielder Luis Gonzalez made it a point at the end of the inning to pat Megrew on the back and let him know that it was all right. "Obviously, the kid wasn't trying to do that,'' Gonzalez said. "He felt bad, but that's just part of the game. He was trying to come in. He threw the first pitch away and wanted to come in with a fastball on the next. It was no big deal to me."

Posted by Tony Jackson at 11:04 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Dodgers 8, Dodgers 3

Luis Gonzalez was hit by a pitch from Mike Megrew, and a collective gasp went up in the handful of spectators that constituted the crowd for today's intrasquad game, but everything turned out fine. Derek Lowe was ineffective, but it was his first outing of the spring, so nobody really cared. And Fernando Tatis and Larry Bigbie, two veteran, non-roster outfielders who are likely to begin the season at Triple-A Las Vegas, each homered, Tatis off Megrew and Bigbie off D.J. Houlton. Oh, and Marlon Anderson had a setback in his surgically repaired right elbow during batting practice. He'll be held back for the next few days, but it isn't expected to be an issue for long.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 10:16 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Uniform hijinks

Dodgers third-base prospect Andy La Roche would be Andy Garcia if his father, former major-league pitcher Dave La Roche, hadn't decided as a child to take his stepfather's last name. Well, as the team went through its stretching routine an hour before this morning's intrasquad game, La Roche actually wore a jersey with the name Garcia stitched above his familiar No. 28. No doubt a playful prank played by the clubhouse staff, one that couldn't have taken place the last two springs because the Dodgers didn't have names on the backs of their jerseys.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 07:33 AM | Comments (1)

Dodgers: Intrasquad Part II

Oh, one more thing. You'll have to forgive me if, unlike my blogging counterpart Doug Padilla on the Angels yesterday, I don't provide in-game updates on this colossal intrasquad showdown. Doug has the advantage of being at Tempe Diablo Stadium, which actually has a press box. If you have ever been to Holman Stadium, you know it isn't exactly conducive to laptop usage. The so-called press box is actually more of a canopy, a roof held up by four posts with no walls, bringing to mind those blissful, long-ago days of covering prep football in my home state of Arkansas or my adopted home state of Colorado. As for the laptop, it will remain in the relative comfort of the media work room. So while I'm sure you're all on pins and needles wanting to know what's happening in this epic struggle of teammate vs. teammate, I'm afraid you'll have to wait until it's over.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 05:27 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Time for some baseball (sort of)

The Dodgers will play the Dodgers today in the first "game" of the spring for either club. The intrasquad game will last four to five innings, and while actual rules will be followed (not like minor league spring-training games, where guys can get extra at-bats), it's still going to be about as formal as dinner at the nearby Waffle House. Derek Lowe will pitch an inning, and nobody is expected to bat more than once. Asked yesterday who will manage the respective teams, Grady Little said, "I will." Both of them, apparently. That could make things interesting if there is a bench-clearing brawl.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 05:18 AM | Comments (0)

February 27, 2007

Dodgers: A Man and His Dog

Bruce Froemming, who is entering his 37th season as a major-league umpire and will break Bill Klem's all-time record for games umpired when he works his ninth game of 2007, was standing in center field on abandoned Field 2 late this afternoon, the Florida sun setting on him and Blue, his 5-year-old Irish setter. The two were playing go fetch with a baseball -- at least until the sprinklers came on, at which point Blue was too busy drenching himself to chase any balls. Froemming lives in suburban Milwaukee, but moves to his place here in Vero Beach just after Christmas each year to be near his two grown children, who live in Tampa and Fort Lauderdale. Almost half a century after beginning his career in the Midwest League in 1958, Froemming still loves this crazy life. "The easiest part for me is going to the ballpark," he said. "The toughest part, obviously, is the travel, and always being in hotels. But I still have the desire to be the best I can be at what I do, and I enjoy the crew I work with."

Posted by Tony Jackson at 02:58 PM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: More leadoff stuff

In the all-things-are-relative department, among the stories emanating from Scottsdale, Ariz., this spring is that the San Francisco Giants think they have found their first true leadoff man in several years in free-agent signee Dave Roberts. Well, among the stories emanating from Vero Beach, Fla., last spring was that the Dodgers thought they had found their first true leadoff man in several years in free-agent signee Rafael Furcal. The long list of leadoff posers that had led up to the arrival of Furcal included ... yes, Dave Roberts, who was the Dodgers' leadoff man for 2 1/2 seasons (2002-04). The knock on Roberts during his Dodgers days was that his on-base percentage wasn't nearly high enough for a leadoff hitter. In fairness, though, Roberts posted several full-season career highs with San Diego last season, including a .360 OBP, a .293 average and 49 steals.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 11:38 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Generosity multiplied

Gary Kessler, a close friend of Dodgers third-base coach Rich Donnelly from their hometown of Steubenville, Ohio, visited Donnelly at Dodgertown last week. Kessler is a big Boston Red Sox fan and, consequently, a big Nomar Garciaparra fan. After Donnelly introduced the two, Garciaparra gave Kessler an autographed bat. Kessler was so touched by the gesture that he donated $750 in Garciaparra's name to the Salvation Army and another $750, also in Garciaparra's name, to Dodgers first-base coach Mariano Duncan to provide baseball equipment to children in Duncan's native Dominican Republic.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 09:32 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Alleged power outage

For all the handwringing Dodgers GM Ned Colletti did over the winter over his inability to find an additional power hitter, Colletti may find over the long haul that he didn't need one. With the speed the Dodgers will have at the top and the gap-hitting ability they'll have in the middle, they could end up scoring far more runs in the form of five- and six-run rallies than they ever would have with more pop. Those extended innings are tough to manufacture by hitting home runs, which are deadly to the other team but nevertheless clear the bases and allow the opposing pitcher -- assuming he isn't yanked from the game by his manager -- to start fresh. It's tough to do that when one batter after another is shooting balls up the gap and running sprints around the diamond. Just a thought.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 08:05 AM | Comments (1)

Dodgers: No worries

Hours before he was to learn whether he gained entry into the Hall of Fame on this year's veteran's committee ballot, Maury Wills seemed utterly unconcerned this morning, saying he planned to spend the afternoon on a local golf course after the conclusion of today's workout. In fact, he didn't even know what time the announcement was supposed to come down. In the four years I have been covering the Dodgers, I can honestly say that Maury is one of the people I have most enjoyed getting to know. This is a guy who gets it, who is truly grateful for what life has given him, who always wears a smile and a sunny outlook and who always seems to have time for fans and reporters alike. He has been through a lot in life, and he openly talks of the years he spent fighting drug addiction. But regardless of the results of today's Hall vote, this guy has emerged from it all as a winner. And that, more than anything, is why isn't sweating out today's news.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 05:19 AM | Comments (0)

February 26, 2007

Dodgers: More conventional approach

The Dodgers' newfangled approach to their morning stretching and conditioning drills will be scrapped after today, something that was part of the plan from the beginning. "Now that we're starting games, we're starting another phase,'' said trainer Stan Conte, who introduced the new program. "The idea was to ... prepare guys to run from first to third without pulling a hamstring. But now things become a little more individualized by position, whether it be starting pitchers, catchers or position players." Conte said the stretching and conditioning routine the team begins using today is basically the one it will use throughout the regular season.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 01:32 PM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Lineup taking shape

Grady Little revealed one more spot in his batting order today, saying catcher Russell Martin is tentatively slated to hit sixth, "but don't hold me to that." That would leave a top six of Rafael Furcal, Juan Pierre, Nomar Garciaparra, Jeff Kent, Luis Gonzalez and Martin. Little says he hasn't yet decided how to slot third baseman Wilson Betemit and right fielder Andre Ethier into the seventh and eighth spots, but he did say he doesn't want speed in the eight hole because there won't be many chances to steal with the pitcher hitting next. That does little to clear up the matter, as neither Betemit nor Ethier is much of a stolen-base threat.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 10:16 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Saito held back

Dodgers closer Takashi Saito, who has been on a decelerated program all spring because of a minor right-calf injury, won't pitch in any Grapefruit League games until late next week at the earliest. Manager Grady Little called the decision precautionary. "We don't have a time frame yet for getting him into a game," Little said. "His arm is fine. but we just don't want to put him in a spot where he might have to cover first base and get hurt."

Posted by Tony Jackson at 06:50 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Inclement weather

There is a serious threat of rain today, and a lot of rain in the forecast for the rest of this week. The Dodgers haven't lost a workout to the elements yet this spring, but today stands a good chance of being the first. More importantly, the weather could play havoc with the Grapefruit League schedule, which begins on Thursday for the Dodgers and as soon as today for some teams who like to play pre-Grapefruit games against area college teams. But even a rainout isn't a day off for the players. They still have to work out, including hitting and pitching in the indoor batting cages.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 05:53 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Momentary discord

A mini-controversy finally pierced what had been an uneventful spring for the Dodgers on Sunday, when center fielder Juan Pierre seemed completely taken aback by manager Grady Little's suggestion that he be more selective at the plate than he has been in the past now that he is going to be hitting second behind Rafael Furcal. Little's reasoning was that Pierre could improve his walk total and his less-than-stellar on-base percentage by seeing more pitches. But when told of Little's comments hours later, Pierre seemed confused, although he initially did SEEM to concede -- but only because he didn't want to cause controversy -- that such a conversation had taken place with Little. Anyway, while Little continues to talk up the value of having not one, but two leadoff-type hitters at the top of his lineup, the logic behind the signing of Pierre to a five-year, $44 million contract continues to seem fuzzy. Pierre was brought in to replace Kenny Lofton, a similar-if-much-older player. But Pierre is a career leadoff man, and the Dodgers already had Furcal, who was successful enough in the role last year to post a .369 on-base percentage -- not great, certainly, but far better than Pierre's career mark of .350, which is a big reason why Furcal is still the leadoff guy. Little says he won't ask Pierre to sacrifice (not much, anyway), but his ability to bunt for hits is something Little hopes Pierre will utilize frequently in the two hole.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 05:05 AM | Comments (0)

February 25, 2007

Dodgers: Thoughtful fan

An elderly fan approached Andre Ethier as Ethier walked back toward the clubhouse after today's workout. The fan introduced himself as a former high school teammate of Ethier's grandfather, Pierre Ethier, at David Prouty High School in Spencer, Mass., and presented Ethier with a well-preserved, black-and-white 1947 team photo, with Ethier's grandfather leaning on a bat in the lower-right corner. Ethier, whose grandfather died two years ago, was overjoyed the receive the gift. Pierre Ethier played professionally, climbing as high as Triple-A, and won a Texas League batting title in the early 1950s. Andre Ethier won the Texas League batting title with Double-A Midland in 2005.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 10:42 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Kent's first assist of 2007

Manager Grady Little held his morning media briefing the same way he always does, sitting in a golf cart in the rightfield corner of Holman Stadium while several reporters gathered around him. But today, the meeting ran longer than usual, and the players' running routine began while it was still going on. Consequently, those players had to dodge Little's cart and the assembled media mass as they came back into the rightfield line after sprinting into center field and circling back. At one point, Jeff Kent reached through the scrum with a towel and began to dab at Little's face. "You must be sweating from talking so much," Kent said. "Let me towel you off a little."

Posted by Tony Jackson at 07:03 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Autograph bait

It's amazing what some of these autograph seekers will do to improve their chances. I have to give one guy credit. He has his wife, who is very attractive and somewhat voluptuous, stand near the spot where the players come out. Meanwhile, her husband stands in the background and waits for the autographs to come to him. If this guy knows nothing else, he knows ballplayers.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 05:53 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Attracting attention

Not sure exactly what it means, but there has been at least one national writer here almost every day since camp opened, and as of 8:15 this morning there already are two of them here today. While it's not uncommon for those guys to swoop in periodically while working on their season preview stuff. But it's striking just how many of them have been here just in the first 10 days. Seems to suggest that the bar of expectation around this team has been raised considerably. Remember what the Dodgers' image was just a year ago? Remember when Bud Black wouldn't even interview for the manager's job because of the perception that this was a franchise in ruin? Those days are over. The guess here is anything short of a playoff berth will be deemed a colossal failure. Another three-and-out exit from the first round might be deemed that way, too.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 05:08 AM | Comments (0)

February 24, 2007

Dodgers: Evening things out

The vast discrepancy in the batting averages of switch-hitting third baseman Wilson Betemit when he hit left-handed (.281) vs. when he hit right-handed (.189) last season is something manager Grady Little believes will work itself out this year. "I think when he got to us (last July 28) and started playing every day, he got into some bad habits when he hit right-handed," Little said. ``After that, it became a big deal. He started trying too hard, trying to dig himself out. But I look at his history hitting right-handed (.230 for his career), and there is no doubt in my mind that he can hit right-handed now."

Posted by Tony Jackson at 12:24 PM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Making their own rules

The flexible rules of spring-training games will result in the Dodgers possibly using the designated hitter even against some National League clubs. The Florida Marlins, who will play the Dodgers a handful of times this spring, have requested to use the DH in some games, and Dodgers manager Grady Little seems willing, especially since it isn't that important to get at-bats for pitchers in the first few games. "That's important later on in spring training,'' Little said. "But early on, they don't even pitch enough innings to come to bat anyway. They might only pitch one or two innings."

Posted by Tony Jackson at 10:23 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Convoluted rule change

HOPEFULLY, this won't come into play for the Dodgers this year, but Major League Baseball has a new rule SPECIFICALLY for games that are called because of rain with the game TIED after it has become an official game (five innings, 4 1/2 if the home team is ahead). Beginning this season, those games will not be replayed from the beginning, as they were in the past, but will be picked up at whatever point the last inning was completed, and that will happen immediately BEFORE the two teams meet again in the same ballpark. If the teams have no more games scheduled in that park, it will be made up before the next game scheduled in the other park (i.e., a game between the Dodgers and Giants at AT&T Park might be completed at Dodger Stadium, with the Giants still batting in the bottom half of each inning as if they were the home team). If they have no more games scheduled in either park, it will be made up on an off-day, but in that case the old rule kicks in and the game will be replayed from the beginning. And, as always, any game called because of rain BEFORE it has become an official game will be made up from the beginning. Confused yet?

Posted by Tony Jackson at 07:04 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Baseball's social network

One thing that has always fascinated me about professional baseball is the relationships that are formed. Although there are thousands of players between the majors and minors, the people who stay in it for any length of time seem to cross paths over and over again. This morning, first-year Las Vegas manager Lorenzo Bundy and Dodgers reliever Elmer Dessens had a lengthy conversation in the clubhouse, with Bundy sitting in a chair in front of Dessens' locker for about half an hour. To some, the sight of a Triple-A manager having such a long talk with a veteran major-league middle reliever would seem curious. After all, what would they have to talk about? But Bundy actually spent this past winter managing Hermosillo of the Mexican Winter League, where one of his starting pitchers was ... Elmer Dessens, a Hermosillo native and part-time resident.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 05:49 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Fans arrive early

Routinely, there are a half-dozen autograph seekers already hanging around the Dodgertown batting cages when your faithful correspondent arrives in the morning, usually a little before 8. The crowd will pick up a little in the next hour, and there will be 50 or so waiting on the back fields when the players come out at 9:15. Dodgertown allows fans to get closer to the players than any other spring training facility I know of. As the players get into the workout, the crowd will gradually increase, to the point there might be close to 500 onlookers by the time the workout concludes at noon. When the players leave the field, most of the crowd leaves, too, although a few stragglers (maybe 25-30) walk back over to the main building in hopes of snagging a few more autographs before they leave. As you have read here before, I'm looking forward to the anticipated move to Glendale, Ariz., in 2009, as is just about everyone I have talked to this spring. But the impending demise of Dodgertown (Orioletown just doesn't have the same ring to it, does it?) brings mixed emotions to anyone who has ever been here and experienced just what a special place it is.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 05:12 AM | Comments (1)

February 23, 2007

Dodgers: Splitting headache

A quick check of the Dodgers' Grapefruit League schedule, which kicks off on Thursday against Atlanta, shows a staggering five split-squad dates, including three in a seven-day stretch beginning a week from Sunday. Two of those dates are day-night splits in two different places, and although that doesn't mean much to the players (most will be assigned to one game or the other), it means a mad dash along some Florida freeway (or turnpike) for manager Grady Little and pitching coach Rick Honeycutt (and, of course, the always hardworking beat writers). There also is an overnight trip to Fort Myers, way over on the Gulf Coast, March 5-6. But with a handful of roster spots still up for grabs, Little found a positive in all those extra games. "We're going to play 10 games in one week," he said. "That's a lot of at-bats (and innings pitched) to go around."

Posted by Tony Jackson at 01:13 PM | Comments (1)

Dodgers: First impressions

Dave Collins, who has been in professional baseball for more than 30 years as a player, coach and minor-league manager, will manage the Dodgers' new Inland Empire affiliate in the high Single-A California League this season. Collins, who spent the past four seasons as the first-base coach for the Colorado Rockies, stood just outside Field 1 this morning watching a drill in which several players who arrived early to minor-league camp were used as baserunners while the big-league infielders practiced rundown plays. Collins has been here a week working with those early arrivals, and already has formed a strong opinion about the state of the Dodgers farm system. "The most talent I have ever seen anywhere," he said.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 11:15 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Random observations

Although I am a big proponent of the move to Arizona (it will be easier on ME, thus it's a good move), the Dodgers will be hardpressed to match the ambience of Dodgertown, especially since they'll be sharing with the Chicago White Sox. Here in golf cart heaven, fans can watch the likes of Tommy Lasorda, Maury Wills, Grady Little and even Dr. Frank Jobe scoot by them on these electrified vehicles that some say should be pictured on the Florida state flag. ... This means absolutely nothing, but Jeff Kent is ALWAYS the last guy out of the clubhouse when the team heads out for its morning workout, usually a good minute or two behind the last guy in front of him. ... Geckos, the tiny lizards popularized in those insurance commercials, are everywhere down here. One Dodgers employee was trying to get a gecko out of his Dodgertown apartment a couple of nights ago, but the thing was so elusive that the guy ended up locking himself out of the apartment (it's a long story) while shirtless, and it still gets cold down here at night. I'm sure the gecko, still inside, was laughing his tail off. This morning, I saw the bloody remains of one (a gecko, not a Dodgers employee) that apparently had been crushed by the wheels of one of the aforementioned golf carts. I wondered what his life story had been, and whether he had an Australian accent like the one in the commercial. ... I'm going to head out now to watch some exciting BP and some even more exciting PFP (pitchers' fielding practice, for the uninitiated). More blog artistry later in the day, I promise.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 07:15 AM | Comments (1)

Dodgers: There are injuries, and then there are injuries

Veteran outfielder Larry Bigbie, who is in camp on a minor-league contract and a long shot to make the club, missed the final four months of last season, and it wasn't because of a torn ligament or a muscle strain. "I had hernia surgery," he said. "When they discovered it, they said I had probably had it for more than a year already without knowing it." This was not a "sports hernia," an injury that only began to be diagnosed in recent years. This was an actual, honest-to-goodness hernia. What followed was a grueling rehabilitation process that has put Bigbie's career, in his own words, "back at square one." Bigbie said he won't have a true gauge on where he is in his recovery until after he plays several Grapefruit League games. He has an out clause in his contract, but he also says that if he feels at the end of camp that he needs more work to get back to where he was before the hernia, he has no problem with going to Triple-A Las Vegas to begin the season.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 05:53 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: It's true, Vero Beach now has a Starbucks

Stopped there on the way in this morning, picked up a venti regular coffee with an espresso shot, a muffin and a local paper. Welcome to the 21st century -- or at least the 20th. Now if they could just get a Jamba Juice and, I don't know, maybe some CELL PHONE RECEPTION. Looking forward to a happenin' Friday night in Vero after another day of Dodgers coverage. With apologies to the artist formerly known as Prince, tonight we're going to party like it's 1959.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 05:00 AM | Comments (0)

February 22, 2007

Dodgers: Houlton update

This morning's scene in which five pitching coaches surrounded right-hander D.J. Houlton as he practiced his pitching motion in the bullpen was little more than the institution of a mechanical adjustment designed to keep Houlton straighter in his delivery instead of throwing across his body as much as he has been. The reason there were five pitching coaches? Minor league pitching coordinator Marty Reed and Triple-A pitching coach Ken Howell worked with Houlton extensively last season. Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt and bullpen coach Dan Warthen knew him from last spring, and Houlton said it was Honeycutt who actually identified the mechanical flaw. And Double-A Jacksonville pitching coach Danny Darwin apparently was there just because.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 12:02 PM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Furcal leads off

Rafael Furcal will begin the season as the Dodgers' leadoff hitter, with Juan Pierre batting second. Manager Grady Little announced the decision minutes ago, saying several factors went into it. Little also said he reserves the right to change if the alignment isn't working, and he wouldn't say how far into the season he would have to get before making such a judgement. The primary rationale seems to be that Little believes this will give the Dodgers two legitimate leadoff hitters in the first inning batting ahead of Nomar Garciaparra, Jeff Kent and Luis Gonzalez. Little said neither Furcal nor Pierre will be asked to approach hitting any differently than he has in the past.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 06:34 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Special attention

Just saw D.J. Houlton (remember him?) working on mechanics on a bullpen mound. Standing around him were five, count 'em five, pitching coaches, including Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt and bullpen coach Dan Warthen, roving minor-league pitching coach Marty Reed, Triple-A Las Vegas pitching coach Ken Howell and Double-A Jacksonville coach Danny Darwin. Will look into this further as the day goes on.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 05:56 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: the future

Ivan DeJesus Jr., the Dodgers' second-round pick in the 2005 draft, was given an opportunity this winter to play second base for the first time in his pro career because that was the only position the Arecibo Lobos of the Puerto Rican Winter League had open for him. DeJesus parlayed that chance into the league's Rookie of the Year award. "He's a quiet kid, but he is willing to learn,'' said Dodgers infielder Ramon Martinez, a close friend and mentor to DeJesus. "A lot of kids his age think they already know everything, but he isn't that way." DeJesus' father, former Chicago Cubs shortstop Ivan DeJesus, was a coach for Caguas this winter. DeJesus said getting to play against his dad's team in the league playoffs was one of the greatest thrills of his life. DeJesus spent last summer with the Dodgers' low Single-A affiliate in Columbus, Ga. Local fans should get the chance to see him in person this season at high-A Inland Empire in the California League.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 05:20 AM | Comments (0)

February 21, 2007

Dodgers: Grady's about-face

After saying earlier this week that he already had decided who would bat first and who would bat second between Juan Pierre and Rafael Furcal but that he wouldn't reveal it under he had met with each player, Little said Wednesday he has backed off his original plan and is back to not being sure which way he will go. One possible scenario is that the players will flipflop in Grapefruit League games until Little can judge by watching them play which alignment works best.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 12:32 PM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Brazoban takes a small step forward

Reliever Yhency Brazoban, the only Dodgers player who reported to camp nursing an injury after undergoing Tommy John surgery last April, threw off a mound for the first time in his rehabilitation assignment Wednesday. The session was short, but apparently it went well. I didn't personally witness it, and neither did Grady Little. But Ned Colletti told me this morning that club officials are viewing Brazoban's return, whenever it comes, as "a significant midseason acquisition," to fill a seventh- or eighth-inning role.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 10:23 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Kent arrives

As predicted here yesterday, Jeff Kent didn't bite on the retirement question. Said he hasn't decided yet, but he did say that after the injury-plagued season he endured last year that he actually starting looking forward to the season as far back as December. For Kent, who admittedly is not a fan of the game and who treasures his offseasons in Austin, Texas, with his family and his motorcycle dealerships, that qualifies as a major development. Doesn't look like the issue will be settled for months.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 05:45 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Full swing

It APPEARS that Jeff Kent did arrive yesterday, as some boxes that had been stacked up in front of his locker no longer are there. But there are no signs he has arrived yet today, so it might be after the workout before we get to talk to him and ask him the big retirement question. Anyhoo, the first full-squad workout will begin after a closed-door clubhouse meeting that apparently will involve just about everybody in the organization. I just saw several minor-league coaches and some front-office people walking into the clubhouse. More as the day goes on.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 04:55 AM | Comments (0)

February 20, 2007

Dodgers: Historical perspective

Two players with indelible places in the game's history reported to camp today, both of them new to the Dodgers. Luis Gonzalez, whose walkoff bloop single off Mariano Rivera won the 2001 World Series for Arizona, signed a one-year, $7.3 million free-agent deal in December, will be the club's everyday left fielder and No. 5 hitter. Fernando Tatis, who while with St. Louis on April 23, 1999, became the only player to hit two grand slams in an inning when he did against Chan Ho Park at Dodger Stadium, is in a different situation. He came on a minor-league contract with very little chance to make the club out of camp, and for the front office he represents little more than an insurance policy. Tatis, who missed all of 2004 and 2005 before returning to the game last season with Baltimore but mostly with the Orioles' Triple-A Ottawa affiliate, said there is no out clause in his contract. That means if he is at Triple-A Las Vegas and the Dodgers don't have a spot for him, he has to stay there even if another club is willing to give him a spot in the majors.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 02:16 PM | Comments (1)

Dodgers: Lasorda still teaching

A decade after his retirement and a few months shy of his 80th birthday, Dodgers Hall of Famer Tommy Lasorda hasn't outgrown his managerial instincts. During a routine PFP drill this morning, a handful of pitchers took turns coming off the mound to cover the bag on grounders to first. Scout Mark Weidemaier was hitting grounders to first base, where bench coach Dave Jauss and minor league pitching coordinator Marty Reed would take turns scooping them up and flipping them to each pitcher as he came over. At one point, Lasorda pulled his golf cart close to the foul side of the line and watched. He soon began to chide some of the pitchers for running on a straight line from the mound to the bag. The correct route, Lasorda said, was to take a boomerang-shaped route, running from the mound to a spot near the first-base line, then abruptly turning left and running toward the bag almost parallel to the line. This, Lasorda explained, allows a pitcher to get both the bag and the first baseman into a single field of vision directly in front of himself.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 12:56 PM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: All but one

Everyone who is due in camp has now reported except for ... Jeff Kent. One witty member of the press corps surmised Kent must be having visa problems back in Texas. But he isn't officially late for several more hours, so we'll keep our eyes peeled for his pending arrival.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 10:09 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: It's official

Derek Lowe WILL be the Dodgers' opening-day starter for the third consecutive season on April 2 at Milwaukee. But Grady Little still hasn't determined how Jason Schmidt, Randy Wolf and Brad Penny will fit into the second, third and fourth spots. Grady said a lot of that will be determined by matchups with the opposing clubs. The Dodgers will play two more games with the Brewers, be off on April 5, then play a three-game series in San Francisco beginning on April 6.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 06:28 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: reporting day

Still no sign of the frontline position guys, other than Juan Pierre, Andre Ethier and Wilson Betemit, all of whom reported days ago. Nomar Garciaparra, Jeff Kent, Rafael Furcal and Luis Gonzalez are expected sometime today. One of the first question to Kent, obviously, will be whether this is his final season. I'm guessing no better than 50/50 odds on whether we get a definitive answer either way.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 05:18 AM | Comments (0)

February 19, 2007

Dodgers: Less hostility

In general, no one cares how media-friendly a team is except the media. But it also speaks to the overall character and professionalism of a club, and there is little doubt that this year's Dodgers clubhouse isn't nearly as hostile toward the fourth estate as last year's. Gone is surly Kenny Lofton, replaced by congenial Juan Pierre. The often-grumpy and elusive Brad Penny, who incidentally lost considerable weight over the winter, appears to be enjoying himself more. And Jeff Kent isn't here yet. As for the new guys, Randy Wolf seems to smile perpetually, Jason Schmidt has been not only accommodating but refreshingly candid, and Luis Gonzalez (who has yet to arrive) is known as one of the most solid, standup guys in the league. Even now, six weeks before the first pitch of the 2007 season is thrown, Ned Colletti deserves kudos for stocking this club with good guys -- even if that was little more than a fortunate by-product of his effort to build a better baseball team.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 01:24 PM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: The next step

Dodgers manager Grady Little said today that the humiliation of last year's three-game Division Series sweep at the hands of the New York Mets is a strong motivating factor this spring to the players who went through it. "(It's evident in ) the way all of them talked throughout the winter and the way they prepared themselves throughout the winter and the way we see them coming to camp and doing their work," Little said. "They know they're on a ballclub that made a lot of strides last year, but they know they're on a ballclub that can be better."

Posted by Tony Jackson at 12:15 PM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Seven to go

Infielder Ramon Martinez and non-roster outfielders Larry Bigbie and Choo Freeman arrived in camp one day early on Monday, leaving just seven players who have yet to report. They include first baseman Nomar Garciaparra, second baseman Jeff Kent, shortstop Rafael Furcal, left fielder Luis Gonzalez, infielders Marlon Anderson and Olmedo Saenz and non-roster invitees Damian Jackson and Fernando Tatis. Position players are scheduled to report and undergo physicals today and work out for the first time on Wednesday.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 10:17 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers -- Tomko fine

Brett Tomko threw on the side as scheduled today and showed no ill effects from the right ankle sprain he suffered walking in the front yard of the home he is staying in here late on Saturday afternoon. Tomko is one of seven candidates to fill the vacant fifth spot in the starting rotation, and considering he is entering the final season of a two-year, $8.7 million contract is probably the favorite.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 09:34 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Juan Pierre's biggest fan ...

... at least so far, is Maury Wills. Wills, whose primary task during spring training is teaching players the finer points of bunting, said he hasn't had to teach the savvy Pierre much. But Wills would like to see Pierre, who likely will hit leadoff for the Dodgers, bunt for more base hits. Pierre had 16 bunt singles for the Cubs last year. Wills says with Pierre's speed, he could have 20-25, something that in theory would have a domino effect and lead to several more runs a year for the Dodgers.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 06:46 AM | Comments (0)

February 18, 2007

Dodgers -- Saito is fine

Closer Takashi Saito put his mildly strained right calf to the test by throwing his first bullpen of the spring on Sunday, and he felt fine afterward. He is scheduled to throw another one on Tuesday, and Saito said there was little reason to think he won't be able to. Saito still isn't allowed to participate in running drills, and it isn't clear how long it will be before he can.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 01:45 PM | Comments (0)

Dodgers -- Tomko makes a change

Brett Tomko has overhauled his mechanics in an attempt to hide the ball better. The result is a shorter delivery and a new attitude that the vacant fifth spot in the starting rotation is his for the taking if he has a strong spring. Tomko didn't address the issue of what he will do if he doesn't get that spot.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 10:12 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers -- opening day starter

All indications are Derek Lowe will be the Dodgers' opening-day starter for the third consecutive season on April 2 at Milwaukee, although Grady Little hasn't announced it yet. There is a slight possibility that Little could go with Jason Schmidt instead, which would mean Lowe would pitch Game 2 on April 3 and thus be lined up to pitch the home opener on April 9. If Lowe pitches the actual opener, Schmidt likely would pitch the home opener. More on this in tomorrow's paper.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 09:53 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers: Another (cold) day, another catcher

Not sure what the Dodgers are going to do with veteran Kelly Stinnett, but they have signed him to a minor-league contract and invited him to camp. There is one rumor that they wanted a guy with extensive big-league experience to help Triple-A pitching coach Ken Howell develop the club's pitching prospects at Las Vegas this season and that neither Sandy Martinez nor Ken Huckaby had enough big-league experience to fill that need. I expect to have access to Grady and/or Ned later today to get a more definitive answer. And, it's cold here again, only supposed to get up to 62 today. Also cloudy and rainy.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 05:46 AM | Comments (0)

February 17, 2007

Dodgers -- more on the new daily routine

New trainer Stan Conte said the reason conditioning work was moved to the mornings -- as opposed to the longstanding tradition of doing it after the daily workout -- was to give it more intensity, which he in turn hopes will help players avoid injuries as the season progresses. "At the end of the day, after the players have done all their baseball work and done a lot of standing around ... everybody kind of wants to end the day. But our belief is that how you practice is how you play. Maybe some of the injuries could be reduced if some intensity is added during the offseason and spring training."

Posted by Tony Jackson at 01:17 PM | Comments (0)

Dodgers -- first workout done

Half the pitchers threw side sessions. Grady Little said he was impressed with some of the prospects -- mentioning specifically Mike Megrew, Zach Hammes and Jonathan Meloan -- that he hadn't seen before. "These guys, I'm not real familiar with,'' Little said. ``But they were a pleasure to see. It was fun to watch them for the first time because they were exciting. You can tell they have a chance to get somebody out."

Posted by Tony Jackson at 10:14 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers -- strange sight

Just saw Bill Mueller, now a special assistant in the front office, standing alone in the rightfield corner watching the pitchers and catchers in their first workout of the spring. Mueller had been to spring training as a player every year since he was drafted by San Francisco in 1993, right up until a knee injury forced him into early retirement last winter. Although he is loving his new career, Mueller admitted to feeling slightly forlorn over being on the sidelines for the first time. Understandable, to say the least.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 07:55 AM | Comments (0)

Dodgers -- first workout

The Dodgers' pitchers and catchers will take the field for the first time this spring in about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, it's the coldest day I have ever experienced in Florida (although there are a lot of people a few hundred miles north of here who I'm sure would laugh at that statement). The clubhouse is buzzing with activity this morning, the first sign that spring training is in full swing even though most of the position guys won't arrive for a few more days. More blogs, as always, throughout the day, so stay tuned.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 05:33 AM | Comments (0)

February 16, 2007

Day 2 recap

Greg Miller did show up in the afternoon, making for perfect attendance on mandatory reporting day for pitchers and catchers. General manager Ned Colletti, manager Grady Little and the front-office and coaching staffs met for several hours in the afternoon. All in all, it was an uneventful day, the calm before the six-week storm of daily workouts begin today. There was one rather sad scene. Perched against a table in the middle of the clubhouse were two boxes full of freshly delivered bats for infielder Oscar Robles, who was released last week, apparently after his bats already had been ordered. Robles, one of the most personable, likeable guys on the club the past two seasons, was never really in the Colletti-Little regime's plans because he can only play three positions, while fellow utilityman Ramon Martinez can play several. Robles, a light-hitting middle infielder who nevertheless was known for consistently seeing lots of pitches and having prolonged, professional at-bats, will be missed, especially by the media.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 01:23 PM | Comments (0)

staying consistent

While manager Grady Little plans to try Rafael Furcal and Juan Pierre in the leadoff spot in spring training, he will settle on one or the other during the season. Little said today that he WON'T switch them during the season based on who is pitching for the other team. "I don't think that will be a regular occurrence, because there is a lot to be said for consistency," Little said. "The only reason we will switch somebody is if it isn't working. We showed last year that is something isn't working after a while, we're not afraid to switch it."

Posted by Tony Jackson at 11:53 AM | Comments (1)

the gang's all here

On the mandatory reporting day for pitchers and catchers, all but one had reported well before noon. The exception was left-hander Greg Miller, who still hasn't officially set foot on the complex at 2 p.m., but he is accounted for. His travel here was delayed by winter weather in the Midwest, but he has landed in Florida and is en route. So, everyone either made it or will make it well in advance of tonight's reporting deadline. The Dodgers can only hope they get similar smooth sailing when the rest of the club reports on Tuesday.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 10:58 AM | Comments (0)

saito hurt

But not badly. The incumbent Dodgers closer was jogging in Japan on Jan. 15 when he tweaked his right calf. He rested it, then tried jogging again on Feb. 10, only to tweak it again. The second time, he chose to inform Dodgers medical personnel. Saito will be free to throw side sessions, but he won't do any activities involving running for at least a couple of weeks. Still, he is expected to be ready for the season.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 08:39 AM | Comments (0)

brrrr

Good morning. On reporting day, Dodgers pitchers and catchers were greeted with un-Florida-like weather. High expected to be about 62 today, with overnight lows in the upper 30s, which doesn't bode well for tomorrow's first workout of the spring, especially since there also have been intermittent showers for the past 24 hours. More blog stuff -- including, hopefully, some actually baseball-related news -- throughout the day.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 05:12 AM | Comments (0)

February 15, 2007

Day 1 recap

This was the easy day, when I rolled in around 11:30 a.m. Tomorrow, the official reporting day for pitchers and catchers, things kick into high gear. I'll get here at 8 and work all day, just like the rest of the world, with the goal of getting done by 5. Ned Colletti and his staff are due to arrive in the next couple of hours. Grady Little already is here, having made the eight-hour drive from his North Carolina home yesterday, but he had left the complex before I arrived today. The players I have seen so far are Jason Schmidt, Randy Wolf, Takashi Saito, Jonathan Broxton, Joe Beimel, D.J. Houlton, Matt Kemp, Wilson Valdez and Chin-lung Hu.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 01:54 PM | Comments (0)

first meal

Just had my first lunch of the spring at Sonny's, a bbq chain found mostly here in the Deep South. For any Dodgers fans headed this way sometime this spring, I highly recommend it. It's the kind of place where the servers call you "Honey," and the food is outstanding (in a less-than-healthy way). They have four different sauces (the mild is for total lightweights), but the meal is just a prelude to the banana pudding, which is on another level (crumbled vanilla wafers, whipped cream, etc.) Not being a rib man myself, I recommend the pulled pork or the beef brisket. I'm going to take a brief break from blogging now to actually write something for the paper. Laters.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 11:53 AM | Comments (0)

special request

Although lockers in the clubhouse are assigned based on location -- rookies and non-roster invitees at one end of the room, veteran position players in one corner, pitchers in the other -- shortstop Rafael Furcal requested in a recent telephone call to a clubhouse attendant to be assigned a locker "with the kids." A fringe benefit is that he gets the one right next to the entryway to the showers and lavatories, but the clubhouse staff insists that Furcal's motives are pure. Veteran Kenny Lofton, now with Texas, had that locker last spring.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 10:37 AM | Comments (0)

first impressions

One of the first things to catch my eye in the clubhouse were the new, metallic-trimmed batting practice jerseys. I'm told, by clubhouse manager Mitch Poole, that these are league-wide. The Dodgers' version has a Dodger-blue body with a metallic silver stripe down each side, the Dodgers logo on the chest in metallic silver and the names and numbers on the back trimmed in metallic silver. Poole says they'll be worn for all Grapefruit League road games and about half the home games, with the regular-season white home jersey worn in the other half. "We didn't even bring the grays down here," Poole said. Poole also promised that "We're going to pull a fast one for St. Patrick's Day," although he didn't elaborate beyond that.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 10:07 AM | Comments (0)

tee it up

Just walked into Dodgertown for the first time this spring. It's chilly and going to get even moreso by the weekend, but it's good to be here anyway. I'll be blogging much more often during camp (several times daily), so stay tuned.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 09:00 AM | Comments (0)

February 10, 2007

Dodgers 1, Beimel 0

The Dodgers have won their arbitration case against reliever Joe Beimel, leaving the left-hander with a $912,500 salary for this season instead of the $1.25 million he was seeking. The hearing took place Friday in Phoenix, and the decision was announced about noon today. Beimel still gets a raise of $487,500. More details in Sunday's paper.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 12:45 PM | Comments (0)

January 26, 2007

Another Hall?

They're caling this one the California Sports Hall of Fame, and the first class of 20 inductees -- all of which will be feted on Sunday at the Anaheim Hilton -- includes Dodgers legends Jackie Robinson and Tommy Lasorda.

Robinson and Lasorda were long ago inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown For Lasorda, who wll turn 80 later this year, this makes eight inductions into various Halls of Fame, a list that also includes, in chronological order, the Louisiana Italian-American Hall of Fame, the National Italian American Hall of Fame, the Montgomery County Coaches Hall of Fame, the South Atlantic League Hall of Fame, the Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame and the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, to which Lasorda was inducted just last summer.
The California Sports Hall of Fame, according to a Dodger press release issued Friday, serves to capture the passion children and young adults have for sports and direct that energy to enhance their educational and personal goals. The CSHOF will try to draw at-risk and underpriveleged youth by hosting free athletic clinics.
The CSHOF's motto is, "Achieve your goals through sports and education."

Posted by Tony Jackson at 07:34 PM | Comments (0)

January 25, 2007

Fire up the hot stove

Yes, there will be a Dodgers Winter Caravan this year. Plans were finally announced earlier this week, and the event will take place on Feb. 6-7. While it will include the usual array of visits to local schools, three of the stops will be open to the public.

On Feb. 6, fans are invited to attend to Pasadena City College at noon (autographs limited to the first 100 wristbanded fans) and the SpeedZon at 17871 Castleton Street in the City of Industry at 5 p.m., (autographs limited to the first 150 wristbanded fans).
The two-day event concludes with a public appearance at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach on Feb. 7 at 4:30, again with autographs limited to the first 150 wristbands. Fans attending that event can receive free admission to the aquarium, but only by printing out the caravan schedule from Dodgers.com. The code for the free admission appears on that schedule, and each person in your party must have a separate printout. Those printouts will be good for admission beginning at 2:30 p.m., with guests then free to take in the aquarium exhibits until the Dodgers arrive.
On Feb. 6, newcomers Luis Gonzalez and Randy Wolf are expected to join manager Grady Little, catcher Russell Martin, outfielder Andre Ethier and Dodgers greats Steve Garvey and Willie Davis for the caravan. On Feb. 7, newcomers Mike Lieberthal and Juan Pierre are scheduled to join Nomar Garciaparra, James Loney, general manager Ned Colletti, Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda and former Dodgers pitcher Bobby Castillo.
For more information, see dodgers.com.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 07:58 PM | Comments (0)

December 07, 2006

another year, another winter meetings ...

... and this one was anything but routine for the Dodgers.

While these were the quietest meetings in years, the Dodgers were among the busiest teams, adding free agents Mike Lieberthal, Jason Schmidt and Luis Gonzalez. But it wasn't hard to identify Ned Colletti's greatest coup.
Colletti was able to vastly improve the club without trading any -- not ANY -- of the team's vaunted prospects. Not Matt Kemp. Not Chad Billingsley. Not James Loney. Not Andy LaRoche. Not Jonathan Broxton. And while it is clear Colletti plans to try to trade Brad Penny for another power hitter, it is equally clear that the Dodgers already are equipped to win the National League West and perhaps go deep into the postseason even without such a move.
Already this offseason, Colletti has vastly improved the atmosphere in the clubhouse by replacing the surly Kenny Lofton with gregarious Juan Pierre and adding the calming, veteran influence that Gonzalez, Lieberthal and Randy Wolf figure to bring. And he has built what should be one of the best starting rotations in the league with Schmidt, Derek Lowe, Wolf and (perhaps) Penny.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 10:10 AM | Comments (0)

September 30, 2006

looking ahead ... WAY ahead

It would be great for fans of both teams, newspaper travel budgets and those two lesser-known counties at either end of the endlessly trendy O.C.
And, apparently, for Dodgers manager Grady Little. ...

``The team I would like to see us play is San Diego in the National League Championship Series,'' said Little, fully aware that both clubs have to get through the Division Series round first. ``I think that would be very exciting. It's a new season when you get into the playoffs, and if we get to that point, there won't be any looking back.''
That's because to look back would be to remember that the Padres won 13 of 18 from the Dodgers this season, which is why San Diego will be awarded the division title if the teams end today the way they are starting it, which is tied for first place in the N.L. West.
Despite that dominance, the two clubs have engaged in a riveting dance for the division lead most of the season and split four games of an epic series at Dodger Stadium two weekends ago. That both have now clinched playoff berths seems only appropriate.
Little and Padres manager Bruce Bochy are close, with Little having served as Bochy's bullpen coach in 1996. Dodgers bullpen coach Dan Warthen was the Padres' pitching coach that year, a season when, coincidentally, the Padres won the West and the Dodgers took the wild card. Both teams were swept out of the first round of the playoffs.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 06:39 PM | Comments (0)

September 24, 2006

tough road

It might be true that the Dodgers are far from mathematically eliminated from the playoff hunt. But by going no better than 5-5 (and possibly 4-6, depending on today's game with Arizona), they have created a path for themselves that is close to impossible. ...

A six-game road trip is one thing. A six-game road trip through Colorado and San Francisco, two of the most dangerous spots in the National League, is another. It's true the Rockies aren't very good, but Coors Field is still a tough place for visiting clubs. And with the way the Dodgers' pitching is going right now, it could devour their already worn-down bullpen.
As for San Francisco, if the Dodgers are still alive when they get there, you think the rival Giants -- and their fans -- won't be hot to finish them off?
My best guess right now is the Padres and Phillies are headed to the playoffs, and the Dodgers are headed home. But then, there is a reason why they play the games.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 12:53 PM | Comments (0)

September 20, 2006

Struggling Tomko

Dodgers manager Grady Little said Wednesday he would like to find an innocuous situation -- such as a big lead in the late innings -- to bring in struggling reliever Brett Tomko to allow him to try to straighten himself out in a pressure-free situation. But that might not be possible. ...

``Ideally, that's the situation you would like to put a guy in when he is going through what he is going through right now. But I can't sit here and tell you exactly what I'm going to do.''
Tomko now has allowed 10 runs (seven earned) in three innings over his past four appearances. That includes a four-run outburst by Pittsburgh on Tuesday night that put the game out of reach of another late-inning comeback bid by the Dodgers, and the four-run inning he gave up at Chicago on Thursday turned a 5-2 lead into a 6-5 deficit and, eventually, a critical loss for the Dodgers.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 06:08 PM | Comments (1)

September 18, 2006

fingers crossed, breath held

Nomar Garciaparra returned to the starting lineup on Monday night when it was determined that his strained left quadriceps had adequately healed. But Dodgers manager Grady Little admitted that club officials were taking a risk by bringing him back so quickly.

``It's a little bit of a gamble,'' Little said. ``There is a risk of him overextending and it blows up, and we lose him for an extended period of time. He'll take all the precautions he can, but a player, when he gets out on the field and gets a chance to beat out an infield hit or score from second on a base hit, it's hard for him to to back off. Hopefully, he'll get through it with no more damage.''
Little said he likely would pinch run for Garciaparra in late-inning situations.
Garciaparra had tried to talk Little into playing him on Sunday, but Little wanted to be extra cautious with the injury, which Garciaparra had suffered early in Friday night's win over San Diego.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 06:51 PM | Comments (1)

September 05, 2006

note to mlb: get a life

The nightly sausage race at Miller Park tonight featured, as usual, a polish, a bratwurst, an Italian and a hot dog. There was no sign of El Picante, the sombrero-wearing, goatee-sporting chorizo that made a one-night debut earlier this season and will be a fixture next year. Why, you ask? ...

Because Major League Baseball prohibits uniform or mascot changes during the season. Imagine. A sport with a major steroids issue going on, a sport with a marquee player about to break one of its most hallowed records who might be indicted, and the powers that be in the commissioner's office have nothing better to do than regulate sausage racing? The introduction of a fifth sausage midway through the season is something MLB would find objectionable? Give me a break.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 06:59 PM | Comments (1)

September 02, 2006

it's good to be second best

The Hawaii Winter Baseball League is back, after an eight-year hiatus. And while most organizations will send six of their top prospects to the more established Arizona Fall League this October, the second-tier guys will go, yes, to the islands to play their trade beginning on Oct. 2.

So while the Dodgers will send Double-A Jacksonville right-handers Brian Akin, Scott Elbert and Danny Muegge, catcher A.J. Ellis, shortstop Chin-lung Hu and outfielder Anthony Raglani to the Mes Solar Sox, where they will ply their trade in front of a few old men in lawn chairs in the middle of the desert, a handful of less highly regarded farmhands will don leis (and hopefully not hula skirts) and head for paradise.
The lucky six are Jacksonville left-hander Wesley Wright and infielder Blake DeWitt, Single-A Vero Beach right-hander Zach Hammes, first baseman Cory Dunlap and right fielder Xavier Paul and Single-A Columbus catcher Tony Harper. They will play for the North Short Honu.
Don't misunderstand. All 12 of these players are legitimate prospects who have serious shots at reaching the majors. But seriously. Where would you rather go if you're a budding ballplayer in your early 20s? Metropolitan Phoenix, where you're probably going to be spending six weeks of spring training every year beginning in 2008 or 2009, or Hawaii?

Posted by Tony Jackson at 08:01 PM | Comments (3)

September 01, 2006

james loney -- pcl batting champ

For what it's worth -- and it probably means next to nothing to James Loney -- the first baseman the Dodgers recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday is going to win the Pacific Coast League batting title by an astounding margin.

When he returned to the majors, he was hitting .380 at Triple-A, 40 points better than second-place Alberto Callaspo of Tucson (Arizona affiliate). What this suggests is one of two things: either it's a paper tiger, just another inflated statistic in a league whose small ballparks and high-altitude cities make it synonymous with inflated stats; or it's an indication that Loney, once thought of as a defensive wizard at first base who probably would never hit .300 in the majors, wields a pretty good bat after all.
It says here that it's the latter. In his first callup to the big leagues, a two-week stint in April, Loney batted just .225, an indication that those advance projections might have had some merit. But when he came back on July 29, he hit .313 (10 for 32) with three doubles before being sent back on Aug. 18 to make room for Elmer Dessens to come off the disabled list.
If Loney can continue to prove in the next month that he can produce offensively in the big leagues, it will make the likely decision not to re-sign Nomar Garciaparra -- which seems inevitable, given that Garciaparra has had such a solid season and is already guaranteed at least $7 million this year -- a little easier to stomach. Don't be surprised if Loney is the opening-day first baseman next spring and stays there all season.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 08:19 PM | Comments (0)

August 23, 2006

shut up and pitch

For the second time in three innings tonight -- during which he has given up four runs on five hits -- Brad Penny stopped on his way off the field to have a conversation with plate umpire Rick Reed, apparently about what Penny perceived as inconsistencies in Reed's strike zone. ...

The first of those conversations brought manager Grady Little out of the dugout to intervene. Add to this the tantrum Penny threw when Little removed him from a game in the fifth inning on May 29 at Atlanta -- which was caught on national television -- and the dugout shouting match Penny had with teammate Kenny Lofton on July 26 vs. San Diego -- which also was caught on local television -- and a clear pattern is developing.
Penny, the starting pitcher for the National League in this year's All-Star Game, is the Dodgers' staff ace. They can't afford for him to get himself kicked out of a game, even on a night like tonight when he isn't pitching especially well. Penny appears to be in the prime of a very promising career, and he is one victory short of his career high of 14 set in 2003, when he helped the Florida Marlins to a World Series title. But before he can truly be the cornerstone of a staff, he needs to stop pointing fingers when things don't go well.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 07:32 PM | Comments (0)

August 16, 2006

looking ahead -- way ahead

OK, so the Dodgers have a long, long way to go to make the playoffs, even after winning 17 of 18. The upcoming stretch of 19 out of 25 on the road -- on the heels of 19 of 25 at home, during which they went 17-8 -- is a critical test, and the club needs to win at least 14 or 15 of them. ...

But consider this: if the Dodgers make it to the NLDS, they will probably go with a three-man postseason rotation of Derek Lowe, Brad Penny and Greg Maddux. All three have at least some history of postseason success. Maddux went to the playoffs in all but one of his 12 seasons with Atlanta, the only exception being the strike-shortened 1994 season. Lowe played a critical role for Boston in its run to the World Series title in 2004. And Penny won two games for Florida in the 2003 World Series, when the Marlins beat the favored Yankees in six.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 05:41 PM | Comments (2)

August 11, 2006

ethier -- r.o.y.? probably. batting title? no way

Andre Ethier continues to state his case for the National League's Rookie of the Year award. He entered Friday with a 14-game hitting streak, and his .346 average, if he kept it up for the entire season, would be the fourth highest by any major-league rookie since 1946.

It also would have led the National League, by four points over Pittsburgh's Freddy Sanchez, if Ethier had enough plate appearances to qualify. But he didn't, and he probably won't. Ethier entered the day averaging 2.6 PAs per game played by the Dodgers, well short of the 3.1 needed to qualify for the batting title. With only 47 games left on the Dodgers schedule, Ethier has little chance to get there, no matter how well he plays. That results from the fact Ethier wasn't called to the big leagues until May 2 and didn't become the everyday left fielder until much later than that.
A case could be made for moving him to the leadoff spot, especially with his .393 on-base percentage and his uncanny ability to work counts, to get him more PAs. But that won't happen. Rafael Furcal has been outstanding in the leadoff spot, especially lately, and Ethier's power potential makes him better suited to the six spot.
All of which means that while Ethier has a solid shot at Rookie of the Year, he isn't going to win any batting titles. At least not as a rookie. But if he continues to play a key role in getting the Dodgers to the playoffs, no one will care that he didn't qualify for the batting crown.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 07:16 PM | Comments (0)

August 04, 2006

tony jackson -- nl manager of the year

As I sit here watching the Dodgers play the surprisingly scrappy Marlins, it dawns on me that this award should go hands-down to Florida's Joe Girardi, the rookie skipper whose personality has rubbed off on what was supposed to be a hopelessly young team that had no chance to compete for anything.

Instead, the Marlins, after an 11-31 start, find themselves at .500 and in the thick of contention for the N.L. wild card. Marlins GM Larry Beinfest must have known something when he brought in Girardi, who has turned out to be the perfect guy for a team not only laden with rookies, but laden with legitimate Rookie of the Year candidates.
A case also can be made for Cincinnati's Jerry Narron, who has the surprising Reds atop the wildcard standings, but their turnaround has been mostly front office- and ownership-driven. Narron is merely the guy with the key to the car.
As a player, Girardi was a hardnosed throwback who had a zealous respect for the game. As a manager, he demands nothing less from his players, and they have responded better than anyone had hoped. I stopped by their clubhouse today to speak with former Dodgers outfielder Cody Ross, and Ross gushed about the chemistry of this club, the togetherness, the cohesiveness. Today was the Marlins' own version of casual Friday, which they hold for every Friday home game, when each player wears a vintage sports jersey to the ballpark (Ross wore Deion Sanders' Atlanta Falcons jersey). It's things like that that -- and managers like Girardi, that can unite a young team and make it better than the sum of its parts.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 06:07 PM | Comments (1)

July 30, 2006

Tony Jackson -- media hijinks

The annual media game, a baseball bloodbath for bragging rights between the print and electronic media, will take place after today's Dodgers-Nats finale.

I, for one, have chosen to sit this one out, lest I make a fool of myself in front of my colleagues. I have chosen instead to sit on the sidelines with similarly inactive Dodgers communications director Camille Johnston and public relations staffers Josh Rawitch, Joe Jareck and Crystal Fukumoto, watching all my media colleagues make fools of THEMselves.
Some seem to be taking it more seriously than others. At least two participants visited local batting cages this week to hone their swings, and one reportedly (I wasn't there, so didn't see it) regaled Dodgers outfielder Jason Repko in the clubhouse this morning with a detailed explanation of why this individual chose the particular brand of cleats he will wear in the media game.
Most of the so-called players, though, will treat this affair exactly like what it is: a glorified office softball game, the only difference being that it wil be played with actual baseballs on an actual, regulation-sized baseball field.
The Dodgers will not be responsible for any, sprained ankles pulled belly fat muscles or dislodged toupees.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 02:38 PM | Comments (1)

July 25, 2006

tony jackson -- more than meets the eye

Forget about the Dodgers finally getting rid of Odalis Perez. The fact they were able to reacquire Elmer Dessens isn't going to send anyone into a frenzy, but this is a solid move.

A staff ace, he's not. A clubhouse enforcer, he's not. But a solid, reliable and professional presence in the bullpen, well, that describes Dessens to a tee. This is my third go-round with him as a beat writer, including three seasons in Cincinnati, a season and a half in Los Angeles and now. Dessens is quiet and goes about his business without bothering anyone. But he also takes the ball whenever he is asked, without complaint, whether it's for the occasional start, short relief or the decidedly unglamorous long relief. And for the most part, he signs autographs when asked and gives interviews when asked. He gets a lot of groundball outs and usually has a low ERA.
This is a good move for the Dodgers, both in terms of what they gave up and what they got.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 07:59 PM | Comments (2)

July 19, 2006

Tony Jackson -- Derek Lowe is totally discombobulated

Derek Lowe threw not one, not two, but three side sessions between starts. Guess it must have been overkill, because he wasn't much better tonight than he had been in his previous four.

He gave up five earned runs on 11 hits over 4 1/3 innings, including a gargantuan three-run homer by Shawn Green (tough to know who was more upset about that, Lowe himself or longtime Green-hater Odalis Perez). Lowe failed to get through the fifthinning, when four of the five batters he faced reached base, one on an error by third baseman Willy Aybar.
Both Lowe nad pitching coach Rick Honeycutt agree that the right-hander no longer has a consistent release point on his bread-and-butter pitch, his sinkerball.
Whatever the problem is, Lowe needs to fix it quickly, because the Dodgers need to rely on him every five days, and right now, they don't know what they're going to get when he takes the mound. And yes, you do need more than one good starter, even in the National League West.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 08:02 PM | Comments (0)

July 13, 2006

Tony Jackson -- gorgeous

Of course, by gorgeous, I'm describing the new Busch Stadium, not myself.

I had heard nothing but complaints about the new yard before actually seeing it myself, first from my window of my seventh-floor room at the Westin when I arrived last night and then this afternoon when I actually walked into the press box for the first time.
My first reaction was, it's not nearly as bad as everyone had led me to believe. My second reaction was, it's certainly better than that old trash dump the Cardinals used to play in next door. And as the evening has worn on, my third reaction is that I absolutely love the place.
It's not the greatest yard I have ever been to, especially after covering an All-Star Game at beautiful PNC Park a couple of nights ago. But it is a perfect setting. They have taken great steps to preserve several elements of the old park ,including bullpens, outfield bleachers and a batter's eye that are almost identical and the smattering of premium seats painted green behind home plate in contrast to every other seat in the house being bright red.
The best part, though, is the backdrop. The famed Gateway Arch dominates the landscape beyond center field, and the turquoise dome of the Old Courthouse is just as majestic beyond left-center. Here's hoping the condo/shopping mecca due to be built in the vacant lot where the old stadium stood won't block the view of that dome.
This is indeed a gorgeous place to see a baseball game. Cardinals fans, some of the most loyal and knowledgeable in the game, deserve nothing less.
tj

Posted by Tony Jackson at 06:45 PM | Comments (0)

July 09, 2006

Tony Jackson -- First half review

The sorry state of the National League couldn't be more evident than in the fact the Dodgers enter the final day before the All-Star break as the leaders in the wild card standings -- at 45-42.

This despite the fact their starting rotation is in shambles, their bullpen is shaky and their lineup, potent though it may be, seems disturbingly helpless against good pitching. But the good news has been the performance of the rookies, at least some of them.
Andre Ethier and Russell Martin are legitimate Rookie of the Year candidates, and Jonathan Broxton, while still technically a rookie, has used the experience of last year's big-league debut to his advantage this year. But Chad Billingsley, who still has a chance to anchor this rotation one day, could use more seasoning. And it's possible that Matt Kemp, who was so good when he first came up, also could use more seasoning. He might get it when either Ricky Ledee or Jason Repko comes off the DL.
Those rookies have helped the Dodgers overcome a slew of injuries, but the club can't withstand many more in the second half. The health of two players with histories of injuries, Nomar Garciaparra and J.D. Drew, is critical. A quick return by Jeff Kent also is critical.
But the Dodgers' biggest concern right now could be Derek Lowe. The Dodgers have exactly three wins by a starting pitcher other than Lowe or Brad Penny since May 1. But Lowe went 0-2 with a 10.80 ERA in his final three starts of the first half, and something clearly isn't right. He'll get the ball for the second-half opener at St. Louis on Thursday, kicking off a pivotal four-game series that will set the tone for the Dodgers the rest of the way.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 11:01 AM | Comments (1)

July 03, 2006

tony jackson -- odd man out?

Left-handed-hitting outfielder Ricky Ledee (left groin) will begin his rehabilitation assignment at Double-A Jacksonville on Wednesday, and manager Grady Little said Monday that, "For Ricky to do what we need him to do, we don't feel like he will need all that much time on a rehab assignment."

The question then becomes, what will happen when Ledee returns? Or more specifically, what will happen to Jose Cruz Jr. when Ledee returns? Rookie outfielders Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier have played too well, so far at least, to go back to the minors. Kenny Lofton is a veteran whose average is hovering near .300. J.D. Drew has a five-year, $55 million contract. And with the club carrying three catchers and only six infielders, there simply isn't room for another outfielder.

All of which probably means Cruz, who is hitting just .229, will be designated for assignment. And it won't be the first time his career has been in jeopardy. Two clubs, Arizona and Boston, gave up on him last season before he wound up with the Dodgers on Aug. 9 and rebounded to hit .301 the rest of the year.

Cruz does bring something to the table. A switch-hitter, he is hitting .328 from the right side. But he is batting just .182 left-handed, where, as with most switch-hitters, the overwhelming majority of his plate appearances have come. If Cruz clears waivers, and he likely will, the Dodgers will have to eat most of his $2.91 million salary even if he signs with another club. But if he does sign with another club, the Dodgers would be out from under the $300,000 buyout on his option for next season.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 07:50 PM | Comments (3139)

June 24, 2006

tony jackson -- another tough interleague trip

The Dodgers begin a six-game trip to Minnesota and the Angels after Sunday's series finale with Pittsburgh. Considering the Dodgers haven't won a road interleague game since July 2004, when they won the final two games of a three-game series at Angel Stadium, one would figure the law of averages is in their favor now. But ...

Just as Oakland did a week ago, the Twins are heating up just in time for the Dodgers' arrival. They have won 12 of 14. And while rookie sensation Chad Billingsley gets to square off against a less-than-vintage Carlos Silva in Monday's opener, the Dodgers absolutely, positively have to win that game. The next two nights, they will face Francisco Liriano (7-1, 2.17) and Johan Santana (8-4, 2.75, 115 strikeouts in 111 1/3 innings).

The victory drought includes three-game sweeps last season at Kansas City, the Chicago White Sox and the Angels and this year at Oakland.

After the Twins will come the Angels, who are still having their problems but entered Saturday 16-13 since being swept by the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium last month.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 08:01 PM | Comments (1)

June 17, 2006

AL/NL differences

Watching Rafael Furcal fly to right and ground to short on the first pitch of each of his first two at-bats tonight -- running his slump to 3 for 33 to that point -- the point was driven home again about another major difference in the two leagues.

In the American League, working the count is simply part of the culture. It accomplishes two things.
First, it increases the odds that a hitter is eventually going to get a pitch he can drive, because the odds naturally turn more in his favor the more pitches he makes the pitcher throw.
Second, it makes the opposing pitcher work, and if an entire team can routinely work the count, there is a good chance that opposing starter will be out of a game by the middle innings, especially with the reluctance of most major-league managers these days to allow their starters to go much over 100 pitches.
That means more at-bats against the other team's middle relievers. And middle relievers usually are the least dominating, most hittable members of any team's staff.
For whatever reason, most National League teams don't stress working the count. Tim Wallach, the former Dodgers hitting coach under Jim Tracy, tried for two seasons to make it a key part of the club's approach, but it never seemed to catch on except for that aberrational stretch early last season when the club started 12-2 before collapsing.
I also believe it is a key reason why the N.L. can't seem to win a World Series anymore. That, and the tendency of N.L. managers to give up too many outs by sacrificing. But N.L. pitchers get to the World Series and are totally unaccustomed to having to work so hard for each out, to routinely throw six to eight pitchers to each batter, and it can have a devastating effect over the course of a short series.
Remember the Angels in 2002? Remember that key, Series-turning at-bat by Scott Spiezio in Game 6? Case in point.
BTW, Furcal did work the count in his next two at-bats and drew what might prove to be a critical, two-out walk in the seventh. He stole second and scored on Kenny Lofton's hit, giving the Dodgers a 2-1 lead. But he still is 3 for his past 34.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 07:37 PM | Comments (2)

June 14, 2006

don't hold your breath on Gagne

Eric Gagne probably will return to the Dodgers at some point this season. But the question is, how good will he be?

The best guess here is that he NEVER will approach the level of invincibility he had for all of 2003 and all but two games in 2004, that he will never dominate with such regularity. And realistically, who can really expect him to? That's a once-in-a-lifetime, one-shot deal that probably can't withstand two elbow operations.
The Dodgers are trying to do right by Gagne, insisting that when he returns, the closer role will be there for him. But if Takashi Saito continues to do that job he has done so far, how can they justify taking the role away from him? Granted, he is 36, and as Grady Little pointed out earlier this week, that presents a whole host of negative possibilities. But I think a lot of assumptions are being made about Gagne, not just among the fans but indeed among certain club officials, that he eventually will be the Gagne of old.
For my part, I'm not so sure.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 08:03 PM | Comments (0)

June 06, 2006

a new philosophy

The Dodgers clearly learned a harsh lesson last summer in drafting -- and failing to sign -- Luke Hochevar. That lesson manifested itself on the first day of this year's draft, when the Dodgers had three of the first 31 picks.

Scouting director Logan White, with the blessing of general manager Ned Colletti, made signability a priority in deciding whom to take. As a result, the club should be able to get deals done quickly with all three of those picks, pitcher Clayton Kershaw, pitcher Bryan Morris and infielder Preston Mattingly. The three figure to cost the Dodgers a grand total of about $4.5 million, which is only about half a million more than Hochevar was seeking last summer.
Meanwhile, Hochevar was the first overall pick in this year's draft, and it appears he'll get his $4 million bonus from Kansas City, an organization dying to change its image. New general manager Dayton Moore stayed in Atlanta to help run the Braves' draft, but one of his conditions in accepting the Royals job was that owner David Glass had to give him autonomy. Moore won't want to begin his regime by losing a No. 1 draft pick.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 08:35 PM | Comments (3081)

May 30, 2006

Best for all parties

So the deadline for signing Luke Hochevar passed at midnight last night, while barely anyone noticed. The Dodgers are holding several pre-draft meetings this week with their scouting staff, and from what I have been told, Hochevar isn't even a topic of discussion anymore.

My opinion, this parting of the ways is best for both parties. Dodgers officials were questioning the kid's makeup and his character after he did a 180 on his agents last Labor Day weekend, agreed to a $2.98 million signing bonus, then made that 180 a 360, went back to Scott Boras and reneged on the deal without signing it. And from all indications, Hochevar will get the $4 million he is seeking in this year's draft from some team.
This is the end of a sad saga, but the biggest fear anyone had was that this kid was going to be the next Matt Harrington, a player whose greed ultimately would prevent his professional baseball career from ever happening. But now, it doesn't look like that's going to happen.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers get to roll a large chunk of that $2.98 million Hochevar didn't take into this year's draft, when they'll definitely need it. They have three of the first 31 picks.
The draft begins next Tuesday.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 06:01 PM | Comments (416)

May 29, 2006

HOT-lanta

Not terribly surprising that the Dodgers busted out for seven runs in the first two innings today.

Even though they got pounded 10-4 two different times in Washington, what I found encouraging was that for the most part, they continued to take good at-bats even late in those games when it was clear the outcome was no longer in doubt.
Granted, today's explosion wasn't as much about offense as it was about luck -- the Dodgers got a lot of fortunate bounces and took advantage of three Braves erors in the first inning -- but lucky things tend to happen to good teams.
Penny has the advantage now of just throwing strikes with a seven-run lead. But he's a big guy, and it's a suffocatingly hot, humid day here, and this game is moving along at an agonizing pace, so don't be surprised of Grady gets him out of there after six innings or so.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 11:08 AM | Comments (0)

May 26, 2006

This is one bad yard

One of my favorite things about covering baseball is seeing all the different ballparks. Or at least that was one of my favorite things until I came here to RFK Stadium for the first time last year ...

And I use the word "ballpark" very loosely. This place needs to be replaced, and it will be, as ground was recently broken for a new park next to the nearby Anacostia River. They say it will open by 2008, but a Nationals source told me today that in reality, their best hope is probably that year's All-Star break.
This place, besides being really old, is also really ugly, really ugly and really outdated. And the press box is so bad that you can't really see the game from the second row (where the visiting writers sit), so I find myself watching most of it on the numerous television monitors that hang from the ceiling.
There also is a veritable cornucopia of smells, depending on what part of the park you're in.
Sportswriters are notorious complainers, and I realize that's probably what I sound like with this particular blog. But in all honesty, the place just reeks. Until I came here, the worst major-league park I had ever been in was old County Stadium in Milwaukee, which no longer exists. But this one is far, far worse.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 05:07 PM | Comments (3)

May 23, 2006

team is for real

So, the Dodgers just won their season-high sixth in a row, 8-1 over the vastly improved Rockies, and have taken four of five thus far in the season series from what I believe are the two best teams in the NL West (even though they both still trail Arizona in the standings).

I must admit, this team looks pretty strong right now. The scariest part is they are doing it with SIX rookies playing a prominent role, including three relievers and three everyday players. Andre Ethier is hitting .450 (9 for 20) on the homestand, Willy Aybar entered the night with a .514 on-base percentage (it dropped to .487), and Russell Martin went 2 for 4 to push his average to .309.

While in a selfish way, I'm not terribly thrilled that all this is coinciding with the Clippers being eliminated and the fact the press box is going to get a lot more crowded in the weeks to come, I will say that even though we beat writers are supposed to stay impartial, it's sure a lot more fun covering a good team than a bad one. And last year was no fun at all.

The starting rotation has been awesome of late, even fifth man Jae Seo, who has given up two runs (one earned) over 13 innings in his past two starts. And don't forget Nomar Garciaparra, who went 2 for 5 with a double and an RBI, raising his average to .370.

How about this statistic: Over the past 11 games, Garciaparra is batting .833 (10 for 12) from the seventh inning on.

Enjoy it for as long as it lasts. It might last all season.

Tony

Posted by Tony Jackson at 10:48 PM | Comments (2)

May 15, 2006

coors light

This place isn't nearly as crazy as it was when I was working here from 1995-2000. I think it's because the Rockies pitchers have learned to stay focused and not let the craziness affect them as much. Thus, they have pitched better, which in turn has cut down on the beer-league softball scores. But there is one thing that hasn't changed.

Games played in early twilight here (and for some reason, they are starting at 6:35 local time this year) create havoc for the first baseman taking throws from third and short. The middle and upper decks extend only to deep left field, leaving nothing behind the lower concourse in the leftfield corner except the setting sun. That's what appeared to happen on Olmedo Saenz's throwing error in the first inning. Although the throw was wide, I believe Nomar could have reached and snared it had the sun not gotten in his eyes. At any rate, it cost the Dodgers an unearned run.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 06:43 PM | Comments (2)

May 10, 2006

five-game winning streak ...

... on the heels of a five-game losing streak, getting the Dodgers back to the .500 mark for the first time in 11 days. For now, everything seems to be looking up. Well, everything except this very shaky bullpen.

Tomko has now thrown 14 consecutive scoreless innings, including shutting out the Astros on one hit over six tonight. The one hit intially was ruled an error before Don Hartack, one of the best official scorers in the business, changed his mind on a call that could have gone either way.

Nomar continues to sizzle, going 2 for 2 with a double and a home run, and is now 10 for his past 21, with five of those hits for extra bases, and Kent finally is getting on track. In five games since Grady gave him the day off, he is 8 for 15 with two doubles, two homers and nine RBI.

But something has to be done about this bullpen. Tomko was lifted after six innings and 104 pitches, after which Tim Hamulack and Franquelis Osoria combined to turn a 9-0 lead into 9-6 before Danys Baez came on to convert a save opportunity that never should have arisen.

Chance to complete a second series sweep in a row tomorrow, in what figures to be a great pitching matchup between Derek Lowe and Wandy Rodriguez.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 10:12 PM | Comments (3)

April 26, 2006

houston, we have a problem

The Dodgers are playing tonight like a team that can't wait to get out of Houston, and who can really blame them?

They played 14 innings last night, going 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position before losing 4-3, and Grady consequently went with a scaled-back lineup today that included no Rafael Furcal, no Kenny Lofton and no Jeff Kent. The resulting skeleton crew appears to be little match for the always dominating Wandy Rodriguez.

Funny how you get jaded when you're around this game every day. I was enjoying lunch today at Ninfa's, one of my favorite Mexican diners in the food court of Houston's famed Galleria mall, when Jeff Kent and his four children walked past on their way to the adjacent ice rink for some skating. The three guys at the table next to me, all 20-something white-collar types obviously on their lunch breaks from work, recognized him immediately and were all a-twitter. One of them grabbed a cell phone, walked out to the ice rink and stood about 10 feet away from Kent, who was signing in with the attendant, and began covertly snapping photos of him with his camera phone. Fortunately, Kent never noticed. Would have been interesting to see what would have happened if he had, though.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 06:13 PM | Comments (0)

April 25, 2006

Tony Jackson: offensive struggles

Despite last night's ninth-inning heroics against Brad Lidge, I can't get away from the idea this just isn't a good offensive club right now, and maybe not ever.

Tonight, they're struggling against some rookie named Fernando Nieve. A big problem is at the top, where after going 0 for 2 in the first three innings tonight, Rafael Furcal is now hitless in his past 11 at-bats and hasn't drawn a walk since the final game of the Cubs series last Wednesday night. This club was supposed to be solid at 1 and 2 with Furcal and Lofton. But the two have reached base back-to-back only THREE TIMES since Lofton came off the disabled list on April 14, a span of 10 games plus the first three innings tonight.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 05:45 PM | Comments (1)

April 14, 2006

Tony Jackson: Rain, rain go away

It's 8:22, the tarp is still on and, frankly, I see no way that this game will be played. But the Dodgers apparently are going to die trying. I have been up since 3:15 a.m. Eastern time, which means I'm fast closing in on 24 hours. But I must admit, there are worse ways to make a living. Besides, my colleague Vinny Bonsignore is covering the game tonight. I'm just here doing Sunday National League notes, which are done and filed, so I could leave if I really wanted to.

So ...

The news that Yhency Brazoban will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery is no surprise, considering he clearly wasn't pitching the way he had in the past. But even though Brazoban going on the DL opens a spot for keeping Cody Ross, I'm not sure how long the Dodgers can afford to go with six OFs at the expense of another infielder. Grady has almost no flexibility with substituting on the infield, and I wonder if they might bring up Oscar Robles at some point. Ramon Martinez can play all four positions, but he's still only one guy. Saenz can't play anywhere but third and first.

Right now, though, there isn't a logical choice for odd man out in the outfield. Ricky Ledee is off to a horrible start, but he's a veteran making $1.5 million this year and a GREAT presence in the clubhouse. It'll be interesting to see what happens.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 08:22 PM | Comments (0)

April 13, 2006

Tony Jackson: Bullpen woes

Bottom 1, Wednesday afternoon game, gorgeous sunny day in what is easily one of the game's most beautiful settings. Some in my ilk like to complain about the press box being too high (it's at the back of the upper deck), but I find it kind of a novel way to watch a game that you don't really get anywhere else, and it offers a great view of the Steel City skyline.

Anyway, about this bullpen ...

I asked Grady this morning how certain he is that the six relievers (other than Baez) are the best the organization has to offer. Another reporter then get more specific, asking if Aaron Sele and D.J. Houlton are bullpen options even though they're starting at Las Vegas. Grady basically said that they were. While it's true Sele has never been a reliever, I think either one of those guys could give the Dodgers at least what they're getting from this bunch. Kuo had the great, two-inning outing in Philly the other night, but has been otherwise inconsistent. Everybody else has been more or less awful.

But the key is that the starters have to go longer into games, something that might take pressure off the middle relievers and allow themselves to get comfortable. The Dodgers have just two games this season in which the starter has pitched into the seventh inning, with Lowe and Penny doing it once each in Sunday's doubleheader.

Stay tuned.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 09:47 AM | Comments (0)

April 11, 2006

Tony Jackson

Hi all. Sorry it has taken me so long to get this thing started, but I'm not terribly computer literate, and I actually had to wait for someone to fax me the instructions. Anyway, the Dodgers have a 5-3 lead over the hapless Buccos here in the top of the fourth at PNC Park, and as I watch Jason Repko poke another single through the right side and then steal second base easily on the velocity-challenged Ryan Doumit, I am struck by just how far Repko has come as a player in the past 12 months. We tend to criticize teams for rushing players, especially in the year when they are being rushed. But the Dodgers clearly are reaping the benefits now of having been essentially forced to rush Repko last year, when he was in the majors for all but about 10 days and hit .221.

This year, the Dodgers have a polished major-league player. Not a finished product, by any means, but a guy who has learned to handle his role and who might be playing himself into a bigger one. Kenny Lofton is due off the disabled list on Friday, at which point he will supplant Repko in center field. But Repko will still see considerable time there, because Grady Little is going to be cautious with the aging Lofton. Don't be surprised if Repko also sees a lot of time in left on days when Lofton plays center. Jose Cruz Jr., who was 7 for 13 in the Atlanta series, is 2 for 19 since and was scratched from the lineup tonight with a cold.

Cruz has never been a favorite of this regime. Ned Colletti hadn't even been hired when Cruz signed the one-year, $3.21 million deal that had been largely negotiated by Paul DePodesta before he was fired and finalized by Kim Ng afterward. The next couple of weeks should be very interesting.

I'll try to post every couple of days. Again, sorry for the delay.

Posted by Tony Jackson at 05:04 PM | Comments (13)