Los angeles dodgers clips
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- Dodgers notes: Yasiel Puig, Nick Punto, NLDS roster, players coaching final game
- Adrian Gonzalez, 100 RBI consistency
- Clayton Kershaw, best pitcher in baseball
- 2013 Dodgers blogger night includes visits by Stan Kasten and Ned Colletti
- Today in Dodgers history: Orel Hershiser breaks Don Drysdales scoreless innings record
- FOX SPORTS Injuries mount for Dodgers as postseason nears
- Puig held out for precautionary reasons
- YAHOO! SPORTS
Starting Lineups
Kemp was originally in the lineup, batting fifth and playing center field. Nick Buss was inserted into the lineup in right field batting eighth, with Skip Schumaker moving from right field to center field. Kemp had started six straight games and nine of the last 10. He played all 11 games since getting activated on Sept. 16 in Arizona, including a pair of pinch hitting appearances. Kemp is hitting .314/.385/.486 with three doubles and a home run in 39 plate appearances since returning from the disabled list.
Puig is out of the lineup after hitting two foul balls off of his left shin on Friday night, but he was able to fully participate in a rare full squad workout before the Dodgers took batting practice on Saturday. Puig is expected to start Sunday's regular season finale. Hanley Ramirez, who is starting Saturday night, will not start on Sunday. He has yet to start consecutive days since Sept. 11-12. Nick Punto, a late scratch from Friday's starting lineup with an ingrown toenail on his right foot, won't start this weekend though he might pinch hit. Chris Capuano, who pitched Friday night for the first time in 21 days, is expected to pitch another inning in relief on Sunday. Most of the pregame talk on Saturday centered on the Dodgers' potential roster for the National League Division Series, which begins on Thursday in either St. Louis or Atlanta. The Cardinals beat the Cubs 6-2 on Saturday, ensuring that the Dodgers won't know their NLDS opponent until Sunday at the earliest. Manager Don Mattingly said he has a good idea what his roster will be for the NLDS, though he didn't reveal much except that the Dodgers will likely take a player or two on their flight Tuesday who might not make the final roster, which is due Thursday morning. Mattingly and the coaching staff have talked with and will meet with general manager Ned Colletti and his staff over the next few days to finalize the roster. "When you get 12-15 guys in a room who have been around the game a while, you'll have all kinds of different scenarios that pop up. It's good to throw it around," Mattingly said. "We have a pretty good feel. There are definitely discussions still going on about which way to go in certain scenarios." Asked if he had veto power in setting the roster Mattingly just laughed and said, "I doubt it." If Mattingly is planning to use Sunday's finale to let some veteran players coach, as Joe Torre used to do, he is fairly secretive about it. I asked him about it after Friday's game, and did so again before Saturday's game. "Since you said that last night, I already forgot it. I probably should think about it, I guess," Mattingly quipped. That response drew laughter, but not as loud as when Puig was suggested to manage by Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times. Perfect. Comedian Jim Norton was on the field before the game shooting several bits with Dodgers players for The Tonight Show for NBC. There was a particularly funny one involving Dee Gordon and Juan Uribe. I'm not sure when it will air. Adrian Gonzalez, 100 RBI & consistency By Eric Stephen LOS ANGELES -- Lost in the Clayton Kershaw euphoria and in the rare bounty of run support was a milestone achieved by Adrian Gonzalez on Friday night. Gonzalez crushed a home run to right field in the third inning to give him 100 RBI for a fourth consecutive season. Gonzalez has 100 or more runs batted in six times in the last seven seasons, and in the only season during that span that he didn't reach 100 (2009), he drove in 99 runs. Miguel Cabrera (10 straight seasons) and Prince Fielder are the only other hitters in baseball with at least six years of 100 RBI in the last seven seasons. I know what you are thinking. What year is this, 1986? Why am I stuck on team-dependent counting stats? I can't help it. I grew up knowing triple crown stats. I still enjoy them. Simply mentioning RBI shouldn't be the subject of scorn, especially when there is no value judgment attached. But there is value in what Gonzalez has accomplished, especially with Gonzalez hitting .323/.374/.532 with runners in scoring position this season. He has always hit well with runners in scoring position, .328/.430/.556 in his career, and has talked numerous times about changing his approach in those situations. The point is that Gonzalez has had a solid season. He is hitting .296/.344/.466, good enough for a 127 OPS+ in a run-scoring environment closely resembling 1992. He has 22 home runs and 32 doubles, but more importantly he has been the rock for the Dodgers in an injury-plagued year for the team. The Dodgers have never in their franchise history had one player get 100 RBI with nobody else driving in 60 runs. Second on the team to Gonzalez in RBI this season is Hanley Ramirez, who has driven in 57 in 85 games. Perhaps the most impressive number for Gonzalez is his 155 games played. For Gonzalez this is ordinary, even restful, as he will finish with his fewest games played in a season since 2006. He has averaged 159 games a season for eight years. In 2013, he is the only Dodger with more than 142 games played. Since the 162-game schedule began in the National League in 1962, this is the eighth season the Dodgers have had just one player reach 150 games. The have had five more seasons with no players with 150 games played, including 2012 but not including the strike-shortened seasons of 1972, 1981, 1994 or 1995. The average record of those previous 12 teams is 80-82, with only the 1985 and 2006 teams making the playoffs. And now 2013, too. Thanks to a large contribution from the steady Gonzalez. Clayton Kershaw, best pitcher in baseball By Eric Stephen Clayton Kershaw ended his best regular season to date on Friday night with another gem. He pitched six scoreless innings to lower his ERA to 1.83, best in the majors for a third straight season. Kershaw's average season from 2011-2013: 33 starts, 17-8, 232⅓ innings, 236 strikeouts, 2.21 ERA, 167 ERA+. Here is reaction to his performance: Tony Jackson at Dodger Scribe wrote, "In an organization that has a long, rich history of great starting pitchers, Kershaw isn’t any of those guys. He is one of those guys. And one day, he may just go down as the best of them." Ken Gurnick at MLB.com invoked the name of Sandy Koufax: "Koufax had three seasons with an ERA below 2.00, but was 27 years old and in his ninth year in the Majors when he first accomplished the feat in 1963. Kershaw is 25 and in his sixth season in the big leagues." Jayson Stark at ESPN named Kershaw his choice for the National League Cy Young Award and asked, "Can somebody, anybody, please explain why Clayton Kershaw isn't universally celebrated as the official Best Pitcher in Baseball, in a Verlander-esque kind of way?" "I'm a little biased," A.J. Ellis told Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times, "but I think I have the best seat, catching the best pitcher in baseball." Mike Petriello wrote at Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness that Kershaw "is without question the best pitcher in baseball. He’s on pace to be one of the greatest pitchers in the history of the sport." Mike Axisa at CBS Sports wrote that Kershaw, with three ERA titles and soon-to-be two Cy Youngs at age 25, "is on an historic career path." Kenton Wong at ESPN noted that Kershaw posted just the sixth sub-2.00 ERA by a left-handed pitcher since divisional play began in 1969, and the first since John Tudor had a 1.93 ERA in 1985. Jeff Sullivan on Friday, before Kershaw's final start, wrote at FanGraphs that the Braves and Cardinals are fighting for the right to not face Kershaw twice in a five-game series. 2013 Dodgers blogger night includes visits by Stan Kasten and Ned Colletti By Craig Minami The Dodgers held their annual Dodger blogger on Friday night. Brandon Lennox and I were there representing True Blue LA, other Dodger blogs that were there included Roberto Baly from Vin Scully is My Homeboy, "Hideo Nomo" from Sons of Steve Garvey, Stacie Wheeler from Lasorda's Lair, @Eephusblue was there wearing his "Stop Bunting" t-shirt, Sarah Wexler who came all the way from New York and wrote a nice piece on the night on her blog, "We're born again, there's new grass on the field," and Jared Massey from Dodger Diamond. Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten was first to speak and take questions. Kasten spoke about the improvements at the Stadium and how he hopes that the new Wi-Fi system will be working during the playoffs (note that Sprint opted out of this service though I don't know how that affects Sprint customers at Dodger Stadium). Next season, look for more restaurants and bars at Stadium. Kasten reiterated that parking issues have always been issue at Dodger Stadium, they hope more fans would use the bus service. Some of the issues during the early part of the season was due to construction supplies and debris being in those areas but that has mostly been eliminated. Kasten said that if the Dodgers play the Braves, there will be "mixed emotions," he knows people there that he is fond of and has great memories of working with but he loves being with the Dodgers and wants to beat anyone desperately.
Hershiser allowed just four hits through nine innings but the game was scoreless, thanks to Andy Hawkins matching Hershiser pitch for pitch. Through nine innings he was tied with Drysdale, who was broadcasting the game. Per Sam McManis of the Los Angeles Times: "I really didn't want to break it," Hershiser said. "I wanted to stop at 58. I wanted me and Don to be together at the top. But the higher sources (Lasorda and Perranoski) told me they weren't taking me out of the game, so I figured, what the heck, I might as well get the guy out." Drysdale, always the competitive type, laughed when told of Hershiser's statement. "I'd have kicked him right in the rear if I'd have known that," Drysdale said. "I'd have told him to get his buns out there and get them." Hershiser did pitch the 10th inning, and started by striking out Marvell Wynne, but a third-strike wild pitch allowed Wynne to reach base. Benito Santiago sacrificed Wynne into scoring position, then Randy Ready grounded out to advance Wynne to third base. Garry Templeton was intentionally walked, the only free pass of the night by Hershiser, to get to the pitcher's spot, putting runners at the corners. But Hershiser got pinch hitter Keith Moreland to fly out to right fielder Jose Gonzalez to break the record and get to 59 innings. Bill Plaschke of the LA Times shadowed Drysdale that night, who was calling the game: "I told myself I would not say anything to him about it, and I haven't," he said. "On the postgame show, I've asked him how he feels, and things like that, but I've never talked to him about now it's 40, now it's 49, that kind of thing. I didn't want that monkey on my back when I pitched, and I wouldn't put it on his back." Later in the interview room, a couple of reporters attempted to speak to Drysdale while the new record-holder was talking. Drysdale pointed to Hershiser. "You listen to him now," he said. The Dodgers eventually lost the game 2-1 in 16 innings, but history was made. Hershiser lowered his ERA from 2.90 to 2.26 during the streak and would unanimously win the National League Cy Young Award. During the streak, 41 of his 59 innings came on the road.
FOX SPORTS Injuries mount for Dodgers as postseason nears By Michael Martinez LOS ANGELES – One by one, these nagging little injuries are creeping up on the Dodgers, and not at a good time. One game remains in the regular season. The postseason begins on Thursday. The last thing manager Don Mattingly needs to worry about is another injury. But he's got one. Maybe there's no reason for concern, but center fielder Matt Kemp – just 11 games into his return from the disabled list – was a late scratch Saturday because of concerns over his left ankle. Kemp missed 52 games recovering from a sprained ankle and then hamstring soreness before he turned to the active list Sept. 17. But Mattingly said Kemp couldn't get loose after taking batting practice, and the wise course was to sit him down. "I feel like we're being a little cautious, but he's been playing a lot," Mattingly said. "We've been trying to give him as many at-bats as possible without going too far, and obviously today he had trouble getting loose, so we didn’t want to take any chances." Kemp wasn't talkative after the Dodgers lost to the Colorado Rockies 1-0, dressing quickly and refusing to take questions from reporters. His only comment: "We'll see tomorrow. Wake up and see how it feels tomorrow." Injuries, some more serious than others, are gradually mounting. Outfielder Andre Ethier is in Arizona hitting in a batting cage as he hopes his sore left ankle allows him to run the bases. Shortstop Hanley Ramirez has been playing sporadically as he deals with a nerve issue in his back. Right fielder Yasiel Puig fouled two balls off his left foot Friday night and didn't start Saturday. First baseman Adrian Gonzalez is playing through a sore quadriceps muscle. Kemp isn't likely to play in Sunday's regular-season finale, leaving the Dodgers with just Carl Crawford in left and Puig in right. So Mattingly has every reason to feel a bit concerned about Kemp. "A little bit, just because of what we've been through," he said. "But I don't know how much good it's going to do me to be all nervous and worried about it. It's not going to help any. I feel like we’re being cautious. I feel like he’s going to be ready to go." If nothing else, Mattingly can feel content about his pitching. Right-hander Zack Greinke gave up one run in six innings, improving his season ERA to 2.63, and allowed just four hits and no walks. The loss was his first since July 25, leaving him with a 15-4 record. Greinke and ace Clayton Kershaw are undoubtedly the strength of the Dodgers as they enter the playoffs. Kershaw is expected to win his second Cy Young Award, and Greinke, after starting slowly and missing a month because of a broken clavicle he suffered in a fight with San Diego's Carlos Quentin, went 12-2 over his last 19 starts. In that span, he gave up two earned runs or fewer 16 times. "He's given us that one-two punch with Clayton," Mattingly said. "He's given us two guys that, when they take the ball, you feel like you're going to win. It's pretty much quality start after quality start." Greinke was typically low key about his performance, saying, "It’s pretty good. (I'm) executing pitches pretty well. It could be worse, that's for sure." Given what the Dodgers are enduring now, they don't need worse. They need better -- and fast. Puig held out for precautionary reasons By Michael Martinez LOS ANGELES – No need to worry about Yasiel Puig. His foot is OK, although he was not in the starting lineup for Saturday night's game against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium. "He's fine today," manager Don Mattingly said. "It's really just me being precautionary with him. We talked yesterday about possibly giving him the day (off) anyway. I want him to play tomorrow, so we're just being safe with him." Puig fouled a ball off his left foot twice Friday night. The second time, he fell to the ground and then hobbled back to the dugout after flying out to right field. He was removed from the game, but X-rays were negative. Puig was not limping before Saturday’s game and even took part in batting practice before the Dodgers played the Colorado Rockies in their next to last game of the regular season. Mattingly said he wasn’t too concerned about Puig even when he went down, saying, "I've never really seen anybody actually not be able to play the next day from that. It looks really bad, it hurts really bad, but then for some reason that area just doesn't hold the swelling, and the next day they seem to be fine." Mattingly said Puig would be available to pinch hit Saturday. The Dodgers are planning to hold a pep rally for the team after Sunday's game. Fans holding tickets to the game will be admitted to the rally. The Dodgers sold out all three games against the Rockies this weekend, assuring them of 29 sellouts this season. The last time they had more was 1983 when they sold out 37 home games. YAHOO! SPORTS Directory: documents documents -> Concept stage documents -> Concept stage documents -> The great global switch-off documents -> Nonprofit grant application documents -> The Truth about the Rwandan Genocide documents -> Annual InStructional unit plan documents -> Chaos equipment included Download 276.95 Kb. Share with your friends:
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