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Dodgers minor league report July 29: Corey Seager blasts off with good vibrations
By Phil Gurnee
Minor League Player of the Day: Seager blasted two more home runs today, giving him a total of eleven. This was the third time this year that Seager has had a multi home run game. Overall Seager now has thirty extra base hits, and now has a cool .900 OPS. He's 19. He's a shortstop. He's left handed. He's 6''4. I hope to hell he's untouchable.
Seager changed up his walk up music prior to the game
During batting practice, Corey Seager was digging "Good Vibrations" on the Great Lakes' public address system so much, he decided tapping Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch in the game wouldn't be such a bad thing.The Dodgers' No. 2 prospect adopted the '90s pop hit as his walkup music prior to Monday's game, and the song accompanied him at the plate for all his at-bats.
Triple A: The Isotopes whitewashed the Zephyrs 8-0 behind reclamation project Jonathan Sanchez, who won his fourth game in five decisions. Sanchez only got 15 outs, giving up three hits, and five walks. It is possible that Sanchez has an opt out date of Aug. 1, and given that he's finally had some success it will be interesting to see if he pushes the Dodgers hand by asking to get put on the major league roster, or being released so he can catch on with another team. Scott Van Slyke hit a home run 453 feet to highlight the offense. Scott is eligible to return to the major leagues on Wednesday. Barring a trade I expect he will rejoin the Dodgers for their upcoming road trip. Dee Gordon hit his eighth triple.
Double-A: The Lookouts lost once again 12-4. They were shutout for seven innings before exploding for four runs in the 8th inning. The Duke was clobbered for eight runs as the peasants successfully rebelled against his stringent ways. Joc Pederson was held hitless once again but did manage two walks. Jon Garcia and Angelo Songco were a combined 0-for-7 as they struggle with Double-A pitching. Of course everyone on the team is struggling with Double-A pitching. Yimi Garcia struck out the side in a scoreless ninth. Yimi has not allowed a run in his last ten innings.
High Class-A: Day Off
Low Class-A: Everything went right for the Loons as they won 9-0 behind the hitting of Corey Seager, and pitching of Tom Windle and company. The trio of Windle, Rob Rogers and Arismendy Ozoria couldn't have been more dominant. They combined for twelve strikeouts with only one walk. Windle had seven, Rodgers three, and Ozoria two. It was like they were pitching against the Lookouts. Besides Seager's exploits Tyler Ogle hit his eleventh home run giving him thirty two extra base hits. Ogle also has 75 walks which leads the Midwest League by five.
Rookie (Ogden): The Raptors slugged three home runs and clobbered the Rockies 11-5. They needed the offense because for the second start in a row Scott Barlow was successful in his quest to see his ERA get to the magic 6.00 mark (5.97). Pat Stover lead the offense with three hits. Stover is getting a shot to get his career going after failing in the MWL and being demoted to a rookie league. So far it is working as Stover has a 1.013 OPS. I've heard that Jesmuel Valentin is struggling but I don't see it. Valentin is only a 19-year-old shortstop and while he's not lighting the league on fire, he is holding his own. The walk rate always bodes well. Fellow 19-year-old Jacob Scavuzza blasted his ninth home run. Oxnard star Jesus Valdez, 21, is on a home run tear. Valdez has hit six home runs in his last eight games. Hopefully he'll get another shot at the Midwest League and do something with it.
Rookie (Arizona): Dodgers lost 4-1. No one hit or pitched well.
Coming up: Matt Magill starts for the Isotopes in Sacramento. Chris Reed gets the call for the Lookouts at Jacksonville. Carlos Frias starts for the Quakes on the road in San Bernardino against Inland Empire.
Miguel Sulbaran gets the call for the Loons at Western Michigan.
MLB trade deadline: A player's perspective, from Josh Lindblom
By Eric Stephen
The Dodgers trailed the Diamondbacks 7-0 on July 30, 2012, and Josh Lindblom pitched a scoreless sixth inning. He only threw 14 pitches in the sixth, so he was a lock to pitch the seventh inning, too. But manager Don Mattingly pulled Lindblom and went with Shawn Tolleson to pitch the seventh inning.
"That was the first time I thought something might be going on," Lindblom said Friday, looking back to last season.
It was the day before the non-waiver trade deadline, and the Dodgers were active. Just five days earlier the club added Hanley Ramirez and left-handed specialist reliever Randy Choate.
During the game on July 30, the Dodgers traded for reliever Brandon League from the Mariners, a move that was announced after the game. Asked after the game if pulling Lindblom had anything to do with a potential trade, Mattingly was vague:
With Aaron Harang out after five innings and trailing 7-0, it was a perfect spot to use a long reliever. But Mattingly said the potential for trades and mid-game transactions made him weary of putting all of his eggs in one basket. So instead, five relievers combined to pitch four innings.
"It's one of those nights where you don't know what's going on tonight," Mattingly said. "What I tried to do tonight is have everybody available tomorrow."
But what really happened was that Lindblom was mentioned in trade talks with the Phillies, as the Dodgers were looking to acquire outfielder Shane Victorino.
More on Lindblom trade: Dodgers acquire Victorino Reaction to trade
"Donnie came up to me after the game and said 'I don't know what's going on. I don't know why we did it, but as soon as I know something I'll let you know'," Lindblom recalled.
Incidentally, if anyone ever wanted to know the definition of a players' manager and why Mattingly is one, letting players know where they stand comes first and foremost.
"A lot of managers say their door is always open. But sometimes that's a tough road because you don't really know if it really is open or if their just saying that," Lindblom said. "But with Donnie it really is. He'll talk about anything, whatever you're going through. Baseball, it doesn't really matter what it was."
Lindblom went home that Monday night not knowing if he would still be with the Dodgers, the organization that drafted him in the second round in 2008.
But at 1 a.m. Lindblom got a call from his agent at ACES, the same agency at the time as Victorino. He said the Dodgers and Phillies were exchanging medical records and that a deal was nearly done. Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti called Lindblom at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning, July 31. The trade was complete.
The Dodgers got Victorino from the Phillies in exchange for Lindblom, former first round pitcher Ethan Martin, and a player to be named later who later became Stefan Jarrin.
Lindblom went to Dodger Stadium to get the stuff from his locker. A few people were there, like bench coach Trey Hillman, bullpen catcher Rob Flippo and strength coach Stephen Downey. Also there was third base coach Tim Wallach, who managed Lindblom in Triple-A Albuquerque in 2009 and 2010.
"It was hard. With Wally, he had been through a lot with me in Triple-A," Lindblom said. "He was with me the year I had that was really bad, and he was one guy who never gave up on me."
The Phillies had a game on Tuesday night, a 4:05 p.m. PT start in Washington D.C. against the Nationals. But first Lindblom had to take care of things in Los Angeles.
It flips your world upside down. You have to go to a new place and meet new people and new teammates, and leave your comfort zone. -Josh Lindblom
"We had an apartment in L.A. My wife and I had to pack everything up that morning," Lindblom said.
"They tried getting me on a flight to get there for that game that night, but there was no way that was going to happen. I took a red eye and got there the next day."
There was also the suddenness of leaving the only major league organization he ever knew, one Lindblom had been with for five years.
"You develop relationships with people. I grew up in front of those guys' eyes. The guys on that team, I spent my whole career playing with them. That was really the hardest thing. You come up with these players and you play with guys for so long, they become like family to you," Lindblom said. "It flips your world upside down. You have to go to a new place and meet new people and new teammates, and leave your comfort zone.
"In a trade situation that's one of the hard things that mentally you don't realize. You might think, 'I'll just put on another uniform and go make pitches.' There are a lot of other things that go on with acclimating to a new team, getting to know a new pitching coach and new manager and how they react. I really struggled with it."
Lindblom won the final bullpen spot out of spring training with the Dodgers in 2012 and was 2-2 with a 3.02 ERA in 48 games at the time he was dealt. With the Phillies, Lindblom was 1-3 with a 4.63 ERA in 26 games. Lindblom walked 18 in 47⅔ innings with the Dodgers, but walked 17 in 23⅓ innings in Philadelphia. The transition was tough.
"It was really intimidating at first. The guys in that clubhouse, there are some potential Hall of Famers," Lindblom said. "You go to that new clubhouse, with guys who have had success in the game. You just have to feel out the clubhouse.
"It is kind of like the first day of school all over again. New friends, new coaches, new teammates, new teachers. It's very similar, to be pulled out of an environment you're accustomed to into a totally new environment."
Lindblom has even more perspective now on last year's trade, as he was also involved in another transaction during the offseason. The Phillies dealt Lindblom to the Rangers in December as part of the Michael Young trade. He had all spring training to learn his new team, a luxury not afforded in midseason deals.
"With the trade from L.A. to Philly, you're kind of just thrust into action. You have to go in and compete in a regular season situation," Lindblom said. "This year I had all spring training to get to know my teammates, for a month and a half, so that transition was a lot easier."
In 2013, Texas converted Lindblom back to a starting pitcher. He is 1-3 with a 5.46 ERA in eight games, including five starts with the Rangers this season. Lindblom is also 8-1 with Triple-A Round Rock and leads the Pacific Coast League with a 2.21 ERA (minimum 40 innings).
"I went to these new organizations and tried to impress people and stopped being myself and who I was with the Dodgers, where Donnie, Honey and Kenny Howell knew who I was," Lindblom said. "You really have to mentally lock in and realize what you think about yourself is really first and foremost, and you can't really worry about what everyone else is saying."
Dodgers trade rumors: Brian Wilson 'close' to signing somewhere, per report
By Eric Stephen
Monday has been a busy day in baseball for relief pitcher deals, and with the Dodgers' recent history of acquiring bullpen pieces midseason it's only logical that the Dodgers could be looking for relief. One name that continues to surface, and will likely continue to be tied with the Dodgers until he signs here or elsewhere, is Brian Wilson.
It has been nearly 16 months since the former Giants closer has pitched in a major league game, but the free agent is said to be fully recovered from Tommy John surgery, and worked out for teams last week.
Wilson is said to be "close" to signing with a team, per Scott Miller of CBS Sports, who mentions the Giants, Pirates, Dodgers and Diamondbacks as interested parties. Though both John Gambadora of KTAR 620 in Arizona and Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reported Arizona is out on Wilson.
Both Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports on Sunday and Bob Nightengale of USA Today on Monday reported that Wilson has offers from four National League teams and one American League team. Though with Arizona reportedly out, perhaps that is down to three NL teams.
Wilson pitched in front of several teams at UCLA last week, and was said to throw 90-93 mph, per Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. The Dodgers were present to watch Wilson and are said to have "kept tabs" on the right-hander, per Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.
Three relief pitchers were traded on Monday. The Tigers traded for Jose Veras, the Braves acquired Scott Downs, and the Rays traded for Jesse Crain.
"Wilson wants to land with a contender and is described as having an affinity for Los Angeles," Miller wrote. "Being that the Angels now are in sell mode, having dealt Scott Downs to the Braves on Monday, that leaves the Dodgers."
Wilson, 31, has become something of a novelty and a sideshow with his ridiculous dyed beard and annoying Taco Bell commercials, but he was an effective reliever when healthy for the Giants. He saved 163 games from 2008-2011 with San Francisco with a 3.00 ERA and 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings during that span.
Though in 2011, despite his 3.11 ERA Wilson walked 31 in 55 innings, a rate of 5.1 walks per nine innings 65% higher than in 2010. The Dodgers already have a walk-prone reclamation project in their bullpen in Carlos Marmol, so it's unclear whether they would add another.
But while Wilson may be less certain than, say, a Glen Perkins to name one, he also wouldn't cost a single prospect, only money. Wilson also wanted to sign with the Dodgers in December after he was non-tendered by the Giants, per Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times, though the team showed no interest.
Will the Dodgers sign Wilson? They might, or they might not, but until he lands somewhere expect the Dodgers to be mentioned as a potential destination.
USA TODAY
The Los Angeles Dodgers' Sue Falsone is the only woman as chief trainer with a pro team.
By David Leon Moore
LOS ANGELES -- There are nights when Sue Falsone walks onto the field at Dodger Stadium and girls in the stands shout at her and wave. They later tell Falsone they want to grow up and be just like her, and that gives her a warm feeling that never gets old.
"It's really, really cool," she says.
And there are nights when Falsone walks out of Dodger Stadium at midnight, after another Los Angeles Dodger player has pulled a hamstring -- part of a mysterious, frustrating string of leg injuries the team has suffered this season. That's when she feels like she is persevering more than pioneering.
Falsone, 39, is doing both. In her second season as the Dodgers' trainer, she is still the first and only female head trainer of a major professional sports team.
She is a role model and takes that seriously.
"I've heard from numerous young women who say, 'I want to have a job like yours. I never thought I could do that, and now I can,' " says Falsone, who is single and lives two blocks from the ocean in Hermosa Beach, Calif., southwest of Los Angeles.
She also knows there are Dodger fans out there tweeting and blogging that she should be fired for all the injuries. It's hurtful, but she takes it in stride and hasn't lost her sense of humor.
"I made one comment in a story that we're constantly talking to experts in the field to try to improve, and someone on Twitter said, 'Well then, we don't want you. We want the expert,' " Falsone says, laughing.
There are also comments from others, mostly anonymously on the Internet, along the lines that a woman doesn't belong in the dugout or the clubhouse. She doesn't laugh these off. She mostly avoids them.
"People are pretty courageous when they can hide behind an anonymous name," Falsone says. "I know I get a lot of flak, but I learned very, very quickly not to read the reader comments below a story that mentions me. That's where a lot of that stuff goes. It's unfortunate."
Falsone, who grew up outside of Buffalo, previously worked at Athletes' Performance, a training center in Phoenix. Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier, who lives in Chandler, Ariz., had frequently rehabbed injuries with Falsone at that facility.
But it was different, he says, when she was hired by the Dodgers.
"At first, some of us didn't know how to handle it," Ethier says. "I mean, having her in the clubhouse, behind closed doors, I didn't know if we should be tiptoeing around certain things."
Falsone laughs at that. "They've definitely not tiptoed," she says.
But Ethier says they have become very comfortable having her around, and that her outgoing personality and sensitivity toward injured players are big reasons for that.
"Sometimes it's a tough balance between being pushy and when to ease back a little," Ethier says. "When guys are on the disabled list, they're not in a good mood. She knows when to back off."
Clubhouse a 'non-issue'
Falsone always was drawn to orthopedic medicine, physical therapy and athletics and has a Bachelor's degree in physical therapy from Daemen College in Amherst, N.Y., and a Master's in human movement science, with a concentration in sports medicine, from North Carolina.
But she never thought she would end up with a professional team.
"I didn't consciously aspire to it at all," Falsone said. "I never thought I'd be fulltime with a team. It just wasn't really on my radar. But here I am and loving what I'm doing."
Falsone says people are naturally curious about a woman working in such a male-dominated environment, especially in the inner sanctum of the team's clubhouse, where players are sometimes nude and the language is often salty.
"I take the approach that I'm in their environment," she says. "I don't expect 25 players and 10 coaches to change the way they act because I'm around. If they're having a conversation that I don't particularly want to hear, I just remove myself from the conversation or remove myself from the room. I'm in their environment. They're not in mine.
"The guys just aren't walking around naked all the time. I don't hang out in the clubhouse where their bathrooms are and where they shower. I'm not saying I don't go in the clubhouse. I may be in there, then out of there quickly. But I don't hang out there. And they don't come out of the shower into the training room nude, because they know that's where I am. It's really been a non-issue."
Stan Conte, the Dodgers' vice president of medical services, hired Falsone before last season when he was promoted from trainer. When Falsone's hiring produced a flurry of stories about its historic nature, he was somewhat miffed.
"These stories bother me," he says. "People should be judged on what they do and how good they are at doing it, not whether they're short or tall, or male or female. We judge ourselves on how many injuries we have."
Rebounding from injuries
For that reason, the 2013 season has been a rollercoaster.
The first half was a disaster, in large part due to the series of hamstring injuries that sidelined stars Hanley Ramirez, Matt Kemp and Carl Crawford and produced a revolving door from the lineup to the disabled list. The injuries cratered the Dodgers' lineup and were a big factor in the team resting in last place with a 30-42 record on June 21.
The training staff was taking a beating in the blogosphere.
"I think we all had questions at that point," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly says. "I'm sure Sue was the first one saying, 'What are we missing? Are we doing something wrong? Are we doing too much of something and not enough of another? Why are we having all these leg injuries?' "
He's right. Falsone was questioning everything.
"We take it all very personally," she says. "It's our job, our career, our passion. We're constantly reading, consulting. I mean, we put our hearts and souls into it. When things don't go right, yeah, it stinks. Just like it stinks when you lose a game. But you move on to the next day and do your thing."
And continue to search for answers.
"There are a lot of theories (for the high rate of injury), but that's exactly what they are -- theories," Falsone says. "You just really have to look at each individual. We try to focus our program a lot on prevention. When that doesn't work, we have to look at each individual and try to figure out what could have led to this. Because you never have the answer.
"The million-dollar question is why injury happens. If you could answer that, you'd be a billionaire. My phrase is, you know, sometimes physics happen. These guys are going at forces and doing moves that the average body doesn't have to do. Everything is not preventable, no matter how hard you try."
Lately, though, there have been fewer injuries and more smiles on the Dodgers, particularly regarding Ramirez, the power-hitting shortstop who hardly played in the first half because of repetitive leg injuries. He and Cuban rookie Yasiel Puig have ignited the previously sagging offense and led a turnaround, with the team winning 26 of 32 games to move into first place with a 56-48 record.
With an accompanying improvement in the starting pitching and the bullpen, the Dodgers are looking like a team that can win in the playoffs.
If you ask Mattingly what happened, he'll tell you in three words:
"We got healthy."
And that makes it a good day for Sue Falsone.
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