Los angeles dodgers clips

The third baseman, who batted only .204 during an injury-plagued season last year, has four hits to raise his average to .286. The Dodgers improve to 7-0 at home.

By Dylan Hernandez

April 23, 2012, 11:10 p.m.

Maybe Juan Uribe isn't finished.

He certainly looked that way last year, when he hit .204 in his injury-shortened first season with the Dodgers. He didn't change many minds in spring training, when Manager Don Mattingly talked about the possibility of replacing the top-heavy 33-year-old as the starting third baseman.

But 17 games into the 2012 season, Uribe is batting .286.

Uribe had his best game as a Dodger on Monday night, collecting four hits, driving in three runs and scoring two in a series-opening 7-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium.

"I always had faith," Uribe said. "I knew inside I could do this. I always had that faith inside of me. Playing baseball is what I love to do. Playing baseball is what I want to do."

For the Dodgers, this was the rare game in which Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier weren't the heroes. That designation belonged to the players at the bottom of the lineup: Uribe, James Loney andA.J. Ellis.

Loney was two for three with a double, a walk and two runs scored.

Ellis was two for four with two runs batted in.

The trio's combined production resulted in something rare for Uribe: He was cheered by the fans at Dodger Stadium. Loudly.

What remained of the crowd of 26,376 fans was on its feet when Uribe came to the plate for his final at-bat in the eighth inning. With the bases loaded, Uribe flicked a ball into right field and drove in the Dodgers' final two runs.

"I heard them," Uribe said of the fans. "They've treated me well. They've made it easier for me to come out here and do my work."

The game was Uribe's fourth multi-hit game of the season. The last time he had a four-hit game was a lifetime ago, on Sept. 8, 2007. He was playing for the Chicago White Sox at the time.

"What was important to me wasn't that I got four hits," Uribe said. "What was important to me is that we won. I'm glad because we won. I'm glad because I was able to help the team."

He wasn't able to do that last year, which was his first year of a three-year, $21-million contract.

He was hurt for most of the season. When he wasn't hurt, he didn't hit.

"It's nice because he's a good teammate," Mattingly said. "The guys love him. He always has a smile on his face. He continues to play great defense for us."

Of course, Kemp and Ethier still got their hits.

Kemp was two for three with a run and walk. His average climbed to .460.

Ethier was three for four with a run to raise his average to .308. He also drove in the Dodgers' first run.

Veteran newcomer Chris Capuano had his best start with the Dodgers. He avoided his customary mid-game fade and held the Braves to a run and six hits over seven innings.

Of the Dodgers opponents to date, Atlanta is the only one that has a winning record today. The Dodgers, who remained unbeaten at home (7-0), seemed to welcome the challenge.

"We feel like we're a good club and we'll find out," Mattingly said.

Ethier will be eligible for free agency when his one-year, $10.95-million dollar contract expires at the end of the season.

By Dylan Hernandez

April 23, 2012, 9:15 p.m.

General Manager Ned Colletti said he wants to explore the possibility of signing Andre Ethier to a contract extension soon after the Dodgers' new owners take over the club next week.

"I've always been inclined to keep him," Colletti said. "His start certainly hasn't hurt."

Ethier, who will be eligible for free agency when his one-year, $10.95-million deal expires at the end of the season, drove in 21 runs in the Dodgers' first 16 games. Entering the series against the Atlanta Braves, his runs batted in total was second in the majors behind teammate Matt Kemp's 22.

Ethier drove in the Dodgers' first run Monday.

Nez Balelo, Ethier's agent, has said his client would be open to negotiating a multiyear deal with the team's new owners during the season.

"We understand the position the Los Angeles Dodgers organization was in," Balelo said at the end of spring training. "We understand we had to be patient while the transition took place. If new ownership has interest in having discussions to keep Andre here in Los Angeles for years to come, yes, we would be open to having those discussions."

The Dodgers' sale is expected to close April 30.

Colletti is relieved to see Ethier has recovered from a minor knee operation he underwent last year.

"He's a good player," Colletti said. "There's never been a question about that. It's good to see his knee has recovered from the surgery. … When a player's hurt, you never know how it affects them — their physical well-being and their confidence. It looks like he feels great."

Ethier, who hit only 11 home runs last season, had already gone deep four times through Sunday.

He's also doing something he hasn't done in some time — hit left-handed pitchers. Ethier entered Monday batting .292 against left-handers; he hit .221 against them over the last four seasons.

"I think when he first came up he was pretty good against left-handed pitching, so we know it was in there," Colletti said. "Sometimes, it's a matter of confidence. He's battling them and he's had some success against them."

Keeping Loney in line

James Loney has drawn praise from Manager Don Mattingly for not constantly tinkering with his swing the way he has in the past.

Mattingly is partly responsible for that. Mattingly noticed Loney made a mechanical adjustment last week in his first at-bat in his hometown of Houston. He told Loney to go back to what he's been doing the entire season.

"He had a roll of quarters and he went to the batting cage in his hometown and he knew somebody there," Mattingly joked, referring to Loney's habit of taking too much advice.

Soon after Mattingly said that, he noticed Loney talking to former Dodger Kenny Lofton near the dugout. Lofton made a swinging motion, prompting Mattingly to laugh and say, "Oh God. I didn't see that."

Short hops

Mattingly, a basketball fan, was asked how long Lakers forward Metta World Peace should be suspended for elbowing Oklahoma City guard James Harden. "As long as Harden can't play," Mattingly said. … Dodgers scout John Green threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Green's daughter, Christina-Taylor Green, was killed in the 2011 Arizona shooting that wounded Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. … Infielder-outfielder Alex Castellanos was named the Pacific Coast League's player of the week. From April 16-22, Castellanos hit .440 with four home runs and six RBIs for triple-A Albuquerque.

Dodgers make themselves at home: They're 7-0 at Dodger Stadium

By Steve Dilbeck

April 24, 2012, 8:20 a.m.

Home is where the heart is, even if not the cheering throngs.

But very early, home has been very good to the Dodgers. Heck, it's actually been perfect.

Not all the warm fires and mom's chicken noodle soup in the world could make Dodger Stadium a more comfy place for the Dodgers these days -- they've started the season 7-0 there.

April numbers on most anything can change in a hurry (see: Juan Uribe's four hits Monday raised his batting average 75 points), but the Dodgers can at least take some early comfort in knowing that Chavez Ravine has been one friendly place thus far.

Of course, it could be argued that their good run at home has been aided by six games against the lowly Padres and Pirates, but still, they did win the games.

No other team in baseball is currently undefeated at home. Then there are the Royals, who are somehow 0-10 in Kansas City.

Last year, the Dodgers went a pedestrian 42-39 at home, so this is something new, if far removed from the 13-0 start at home in the 2009 season.

The crowd hardly helped inspire the Dodgers to any home-field advantage last season, when the team typically played before an odd, half-empty stadium. And it's not like the fans have come streaming back this April. Monday was the Dodgers' third home game this season played before an announced crowd of less than 30,000.

When you're coming off two consecutive disappointing seasons and unprecedented ownership turmoil, you take your encouragement where you find it. Whether it's against unimpressive teams, or all victories at home.

The struggling infielder drives in three runs and scores twice while raising his average from .211 to .286.

By Steve Dilbeck

April 23, 2012, 10:19 p.m.

They hit, they pitched, they played defense. They also ran the bases, but that’s another matter.

Mostly, though, the Dodgers opened their three-game series against a hot Atlanta Braves team on Monday by treating them just like all those struggling teams they’d been beating up on.

The Dodgers used seven effective innings from Chris Capuano and some timely hitting from the bottom of the order -- including four hits from struggling Juan Uribe -- to down the Braves, 7-2, before an announced Dodger Stadium crowd of 26,376.

The Dodgers (13-4) received two hits from Dee Gordon, Matt Kemp, James Loney and A.J. Ellis, three from Andre Ethier, and, of course, the four from Uribe to mount a 15-hit attack. This against an Atlanta team that had won 10 of its last 12 games.

The Dodgers started to work on Braves right-hander Jair Jurrjens in the first inning, Gordon lacing a single, stealing second and scoring on a hit by Andre Ethier.

Former Dodger David Ross evened the score when he hit a solo homer off Capuano in the second, but the Dodgers came back with two in the bottom of the inning to regain the lead with Uribe and Ellis each singling in a run.

The Dodgers pushed their lead to 5-1 with two more runs in the fourth inning. Ellis singled in another and Gordon hit a fly deep enough to left to score a second.

The Dodgers could have padded their lead even more in the fifth after Kemp and Ethier singled –- into a double play. Running from first on Ethier’s hit to left field, Kemp rounded third, and after something of a delayed move, broke for home. Where he was thrown out.

Ethier, seemingly caught by surprise at Kemp’s move, stopped after he rounded first, then broke for second, then tried to dive back to first, where he was tagged out for one odd double play.

Capuano gave up the one run on six hits and four walks in his seven innings, his longest outing of the season. He struck out five.

The Braves got one run back when Josh Lindblom gave up his first run of the season in eight appearances. Dan Uggla hit a solo homer off him in the eighth inning.

The Dodgers, however scored two more in the bottom of the inning when Uribe –- who came into the game batting .211 and left it hitting .286 –- hit a soft line-drive single with the bases loaded to score both runs.

It was the first time since Sept. 8, 2007, that Uribe had four hits in one game.

Be careful what you wish for? Dodgers finally play winning teams

By Steve Dilbeck

April 23, 2012, 7:33 p.m.

And then on their 17th game, they played against a winning team.

The Dodgers are starting a six-game homestand Monday against the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals, two teams off to strong starts. Which would be the opposite of their first five series, all played against teams looking up at .500.

That has made it somewhat difficult to gauge the merits of the Dodgers’ 12-4 start, but now there’s a more controlled aspect as the Dodgers prepare to play the 10-6 Braves and 12-4 Nationals.

“We feel like we’re a good club, and we’ll find out,” Manager Don Mattingly said.

Good teams have to be able to beat up on the weak, which the Dodgers have done against the San Diego Padres (twice), Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros. They lost two of three games in Milwaukee to the Brewers, who are 7-9.

The Braves lead the National League in runs (91), are second in hits (144) and third in hitting (.264). The Brewers lead the majors in earned-run average (2.34) and are tied with the Dodgers in strikeouts (144).

And the Braves have won 10 of their last 12 games.

“We’re both playing pretty good,” Mattingly said. “We’re both two pretty confident clubs right now. It doesn’t matter who we’ve been playing, who we’ve been beating. You’re winning games, you’re pretty confident.

“So we both go into the series thinking, let’s see what happens.”

By Steve Dilbeck

April 23, 2012, 2:00 p.m.

Keep wondering. Ever tried a Google  search on this guy? You’d find more info on the local winner of the fifth-grade science fair.

Mark Walter, apparently, is the main man behind Guggenheim Baseball Management’s purchase of the Dodgers. It would be nice to feel good about Walter after the harrowing experience of Frank McCourt as owner, but Walter is apparently so private it’s hard not to be nervous.

He’s an ex-lawyer, which automatically makes most nervous. He lives in Chicago. He has a lot of money, but people seem to be wildly guessing how much. Nothing particularly negative has jumped out.

The Times made an effort to flush out the Walter story this weekend, and although there is some better background material and most describe him as a decent guy, it’s hard not to come away still feeling as if  you don’t know the guy.

Of course, some thought they knew the McCourts after they first arrived too.

-- The Times’ Jim Peltz thinks James Loney may have found his stroke.

-- Roxanna Green will sign copies of her book “As Good As She Imagined” in the right-field merchandise tent before Monday’s game against the Braves and during the first three innings. Her daughter, 9-year-old Christina-Taylor Green, was killed in last year’s shooting spree in Tucson.

-- Matt Kemp was not named the National League player of the week for the first time this season (Atlanta’s Freddie Freeman was), but outfielder Alex Castellanos was named the Pacific Coast League player of the week after batting .440 with four home runs and eight runs batted in.

-- Ross Newhan thinks it would be some role reversal if Peter O’Malley were to buy the Padres.

-- Well, it’s about time: The Dodgers finally have an official ginseng beverage, Mr. Pink Ginseng Drink.

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