Tony and Doug Inside MLB

Breaking news: Don Mattingly will NOT be the Dodgers' hitting coach

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 13:11:10 -0800

Not in 2008, anyway. Due to an undisclosed family matter he says requires his undivided attention, the heir apparent to possibly take over for Joe Torre as Dodgers manager in 2011 won't even be on the staff this year. He'll move into a role as special assignment scout, which will allow him to stay home in Evansville, Ind., most of the time, although he IS expected to be in spring training. Mike Easler, who had been slated to be the hitting coach for Triple-A Las Vegas for the second year in a row, will now be the major-league hitting coach. This sounds like a temporary thing, with Mattingly possibly moving into the big-league hitting coach's job in 2009, but I haven't talked to anyone in the organization so far except for Josh Rawitch, who is letting everyone know about the development. More info as the day goes along, hopefully.

Proctor signs

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 11:29:37 -0800

Scott Proctor agreed on a one-year, $1.115 million contract this morning, avoiding arbitration. The figure they settled on was exactly the halfway point between the numbers the two sides exchanged on Friday, when Proctor filed at $1.3 million and the club filed at $930,000. Proctor more than doubled his 2007 salary of $445,923. That leaves Joe Beimel, for the second year in a row, as the Dodgers' only pending arbitration case. He filed at $2.15 million, the club at $1.7 million. Beimel's agent, Joe Sroba, said Friday that he has to be prepared to go to a hearing just as he did on Beimel's behalf last winter. But if Beimel settles at the midpoint, he'll get $1.925 million. That's still a raise of more than $1 million from last year's $912,500, so it's hard to imagine this will get to a hearing.

Arbitration numbers

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 13:07:43 -0800

Joe Beimel filed at $2.15 million, with the club coming in at $1.7 million. Scott Proctor filed at $1.3 million, the club $930,000. At first glance, these look like fairly manageable gaps to me, so I'm guessing both players will eventually agree to terms and avoid going to hearings. Beimel went to a hearing last year and lost, getting the club's figure of $912,500. He's a five-plus, meaning he'll be eligible for free agency next winter unless he agrees to a multi-year deal. Proctor is a three-plus, meaning he is eligible for arbitration for the first time and the club controls him through 2010. Hearings will take place Feb. 1-21 in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Angels: Follow me

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 13:47:34 -0800

There is a new address for the Angels blog and it's about time. It finally does not have to share a spot with Dodgers news. It can be found at www.insidesocal.com/angels. The first entry is up as the starting rotation was made official today.

Keep checking back all season for all the updated Angels news. Or should we say, updated as fast as we can get to it.

Dodgers: New blog address

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 12:20:03 -0800

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.

Dodgers: Deja vu

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 11:40:18 -0800

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."

Dodgers: Another reason to go

Tue, 20 Mar 2007 19:32:34 -0800

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.

Dodgers: Cardinals 13, Dodgers 0

Tue, 20 Mar 2007 19:07:59 -0800

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.

Dodgers: Everything is great

Tue, 20 Mar 2007 15:39:36 -0800

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.

Dodgers: Little's optioned exercised

Tue, 20 Mar 2007 12:25:59 -0800

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.

Dodgers: Night game tonight

Tue, 20 Mar 2007 11:52:25 -0800

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.

Dodgers: Meanwhile, back at the ranch ...

Mon, 19 Mar 2007 15:04:10 -0800

... 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.

Dodgers: Nationals 9, Dodgers 1

Mon, 19 Mar 2007 13:32:01 -0800

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.

Angels: Weaver pitches in simulated game

Mon, 19 Mar 2007 12:05:10 -0800

It's the off day, which never really means it's a day off, especially during the spring. At least I got to sleep in before I made my way to the Angels' complex to watch Jered Weaver pitch in a simulated game. He did some long toss in the outfield, had an extend warmup session where he threw some breaking balls and then threw 45 pitches (fastballs and changeups only) against live batters. He looked sharp uptil the end when minor-leaguer Mike Collins hit a home run on the second to last pitch. Afterward, Weaver said he is pain free from the biceps tendinitis that bothered him when camp started. He is on track for another simulated game later in the week. It still looks doubtful he will start during the first week of the season, though. He certainly should be ready by April 10 or 11.

Dodgers: Cuts this morning

Mon, 19 Mar 2007 07:43:11 -0800

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.