“Times have changed and times are strange
Here I come but I ain’t the same
Mama I’m Coming Home”
~Ozzy Osbourne
Part of the fun of doing a weekly baseball column is that so many things vary from week to week. Last week I was looking for optimistic things to write about. This week is a bit easier. The Dodgers‘ offensive and bullpen woes are still there, but a winning road trip capped off with win on Mother’s Day is always cause for celebration.
Several changes may be coming for the Los Angeles Dodgers pitching staff in the foreseeable future. With the peak of the hot stove season still about a month and change away, the club will utilize other avenues — most specifically, waiver claims, players returning from the disabled list, and promotions from the farm system — in hopes of creating a more effective corps of throwers.
Continue reading “Changes Ahead for Dodgers’ Pitching Staff”
Even at the Double-A level, Dodgers’ pitching prospect Chase De Jong takes a very disciplined, Clayton Kershaw-like approach in the days leading up to his starts, spending hours in the video room analyzing opponents and developing strategies, which could quite easily set him apart from others around him.
Continue reading “Dodgers Prospects: Chase De Jong Poised for Success”
“Do you wake up on your own
And wonder where you are?
You live with all your faults”
~Johnny Rzeznik
My first memories of Chase Utley are with the Scranton/Wilkes Barre Red Barons. The Red Barons were my local Triple-A affiliate and there was quite the crew there for awhile — in addition to Chase, there was also Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Pat Burrell and Shane Victorino. Utley was only in Scranton for a year, and even though I’m not a Phillies fan, I have always continued to follow him and the others throughout their careers.
While the 2016 season is only 28-games-old and still extremely young, the Los Angeles Dodgers are beginning to establish a bit of a defined identity on paper as several areas of weakness and need are already becoming visible.
A few other departments could actually be considered worse off than the starting rotation, yet in order for the Dodgers to demonstrate their ability to contend throughout the year, one or two starting pitchers may need to be added sooner rather than later.
Continue reading “Four Pitchers Who Could Help the Dodgers’ Starting Rotation”
Just one day after the second-best pitching prospect in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization struck out nine batters and threw five innings of shutout ball, the highest ranked player on the farm tossed six brilliant frames of near-perfect baseball.
Perhaps fueled by the friendly fire of competition, Julio Urias went six very strong innings in an early affair on Wednesday, striking out six batters and allowing no runs, hits or walks.
Continue reading “Dodgers Prospects: De León, Urias Impressive in Succession”
With the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ disabled list count still in double digits, numerous injury reports are finally beginning to emerge which indicate time frames for the returns of several key players.
While it would have been very handy to have outfielder Scott Van Slyke available early this week to DH against the Rays’ lefty tandem of Matt Moore and Drew Smyly, manager Dave Roberts told the media that Van Slyke’s back is still about a week away from sustaining any type of baseball related activities.
Continue reading “Dodgers Injury Notes: Van Slyke, Ethier, Guerrero & More”
This was a craptastic, forgettable week for the Dodgers. I, your resident source of Optimism and Sunshine, will recap only the good and beautiful from the past week. It may be a short post.
It only took Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers (mostly Kershaw) two hours and seven minutes to halt a disastrous six game losing streak on Sunday afternoon, while at the same time preventing the Padres from completing the three game sweep in Los Angeles.
Continue reading “Kershaw Shines as Dodgers Snap Six-Game Losing Skid”
Think Blue Planning Committee 