LOS ANGELES DODGERS CLIPS
THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 2012
DODGERS.COM
Dodgers' woes compounded by Ethier injury
LA left in tie for first place after third consecutive shutout
By Ken Gurnick / MLB.com | 6/27/2012 8:30 PM ET
SAN FRANCISCO -- Completing a series sweep of epic proportions, the Dodgers lost a game, sole possession of the division lead and
outfielder Andre Ethier to injury on Wednesday.
Ethier suffered a strained left oblique while the Dodgers were blanked for the third consecutive game, 3-0, by the Giants, who pulled
into a tie for first place in the National League West.
No Giants team in history had held a Dodgers team scoreless for an entire three-game series, but this one did.
The Dodgers' losing streak hit four in the culmination of a disastrous 1-8 trip as the offense's scoreless-innings drought reached 30, the
most for a Dodgers club since 1996, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
The only Dodger to reach third base in the entire series was Wednesday's losing pitcher, Chad Billingsley, who then was thrown out at
the plate trying to score on a wild pitch.
"It's been a long nine days," catcher A.J. Ellis said.
The Dodgers have been in first place since the sixth day of the season, they led by as many as 7 1/2 games on May 27 and by five as
recently as June 17, but that's all gone now.
With disabled list stints for Matt Kemp and Mark Ellis appearing near an end, chances are Ethier will be the next one shelved. The
Dodgers say he's day to day, but manager Don Mattingly said when he hears "oblique," he prepares for 20 days. Ethier, injured on a
check swing, will undergo an MRI on Thursday.
Ethier, signed to a five-year, $85 million contract extension two weeks ago, was removed for precautionary reasons after being erased
on a double-play grounder by Juan Rivera that ended the top of the first inning.
Mattingly was unusually quiet in his postgame session with reporters, reflecting a clubhouse partly distressed and partly in shock. And
that was before the team equipment truck broke down en route to the airport.
"No runs in three days. It's hard to find anything positive out of it," said Mattingly.
Jerry Hairston said not hitting is just as contagious as hitting, and here's how the disease has spread: Bobby Abreu went 2-for-26 on
the trip, Juan Uribe was 1-for-21, James Loney 0-for-15, Elian Herrera 2-for-31 and Ellis 4-for-21. The team was 0-for-15 with runners
in scoring position in the series.
The trip also began with a shutout loss. The Dodgers had four hits Wednesday, the sixth time in the last nine games they had five hits
or fewer.
"Am I out of answers?" Mattingly said, repeating a question. "Yeah, at this moment."
A moment later, general manager Ned Colletti entered the manager's office and closed the door behind him. The club is desperately in
search of a corner infielder, but it's too early for most teams to unload bad contracts or good players.
"At this point it's hard to get help," Mattingly said. "You say go outside, but everybody in baseball knows you need help. There's
nowhere to go."
Billingsley (4-7) rebounded from blowing a five-run lead in his last start. He had one tough inning, but with the Dodgers' lack of run
support, one tough inning is all it takes.
He was out-pitched by Tim Lincecum, the two-time NL Cy Young winner, who snapped career highs of 10 starts without a victory and
six consecutive losses. He came into the game 2-8 with a 6.07 ERA, including a loss to the Dodgers on May 9.
The Dodgers, who have one homer in the last 13 games, nearly scored in the third, and it was Billingsley who almost did it, doubling
with one out, taking third on a wild pitch and trying to score on what would have been another wild pitch.
But the ball caromed off the backstop to catcher Hector Sanchez, who threw to Lincecum at the plate. Billingsley slid into Lincecum,
who was knocked over with his glove coming off his left hand. On his back, Lincecum with both hands held the glove up to plate
umpire Fieldin Culbreth to show the ball was still in it and got the out call.
"I'm not much to go through, but he was going to have to go through me to get to the plate," Lincecum said.
Lincecum took a page from Billingsley and started a rally in the bottom of the third with a single, went to second on Gregor Blanco's
groundout, third on Ryan Theriot's single and scored on Melky Cabrera's sinking liner that left fielder Bobby Abreu tried to trap. Buster
Posey walked to load the bases and Angel Pagan walked for the second run.
Pagan drove in the third run in the fifth inning with a one-out single after Theriot's double and a walk to Posey.
Source: Dodgers agree to sign Cuban Puig
By Jesse Sanchez / MLB.com | 06/28/12 9:45 AM ET
The Dodgers have been open about their willingness to spend money to make the team better and candid about their desire to
strengthen their presence on an international market that they once dominated.
It appears the club has made progress on both fronts in one fell swoop.
According to an industry source, the Dodgers have agreed to a multiyear deal worth more than $40 million with 21-year-old
international prospect Yasiel Puig, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound outfielder from Cuba.
The Dodgers haven't commented on or confirmed the signing.
Puig (pronounced Pweeg) was declared a free agent Wednesday, not long after establishing temporary residency in Mexico, and was
eventually cleared by the U.S. Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
In order to avoid being subject to new CBA guidelines that will limit spending on international prospects to $2.9 million per team
without penalty, Puig must sign the record-setting deal, have the contract approved by Major League Baseball and pass a physical
before Monday.
The Cubs and White Sox also expressed interest in Puig.
A top prospect in the island's premier league, the Cuban National Series (Serie Nacional), Puig hit .276 with five home runs during his
first campaign with Cienfuegos in 2008-09 and had a breakout year the next season, hitting .330 with 17 home runs and 78 RBIs. He
did not play for Cienfuegos during the 2011-12 seasons because he was being disciplined for attempting to defect.
Puig, a member of the country's national team, is the latest high-profile Cuban player to sign with a Major League club. Outfielders
Yoenis Cespedes signed a four-year $36 million deal with the A's in mid-February, and Jorge Soler signed a nine-year, $30 million deal
with the Cubs earlier this month. Left-handed pitcher Omar Luis Rodriguez signed a Minor League deal worth $4 million with the
Yankees last week, and fellow lefty Gerardo Concepcion signed a five-year, $6 million deal with the Cubs in early February.
Back in January 2010, Aroldis Chapman signed a six-year $30.25 million deal with the Reds, and infielder Adeiny Hechavarria signed a
four-year, $10 million deal with the Blue Jays three months later. Pitcher Yunesky Maya signed a four-year, $8 million deal with the
Nationals that July.
Before the start of the 2009 season, Dayan Viciedo signed a four-year, $10 million deal with the White Sox, and shortstop Jose Iglesias
signed a four-year, $8.25 million contract with the Red Sox near the end of the season.
In May 2011, the Rangers signed outfielder Leonys Martin to a five-year, $15.5 million deal, which included a $5 million signing bonus.
More Cuban prospects could be on the way. Pitcher Armando Rivero, along with outfielder Henry Urrutia, were also declared free
agents this month and are seeking deals.
Ethier to get MRI after exiting with oblique strain
By Ken Gurnick / MLB.com
SAN FRANCISCO -- Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier strained a left oblique muscle on a checked swing in a first-inning at-bat
Wednesday and will undergo an MRI on Thursday to determine the severity.
Officially, he was listed as day to day, although manager Don Mattingly said when he hears "oblique," he prepares for 20 days. Ethier
was slightly more hopeful.
"Maybe this is one bullet we can dodge from somebody getting hurt this year," he said after the Dodgers' 3-0 loss to the Giants.
"Maybe in a day or two I'll be back at it.
"I think getting shut out three in a row hurts more than this does. This is about as disappointed as I've ever been."
Ethier explained that he felt something when he took a checked swing on a 2-2 changeup from Tim Lincecum for a ball. He checked on
the next pitch, a slider down and in for the walk, and to make sure he didn't get charged with a swing, recoiled his bat back quickly and
felt a "cramp or a tight pinch" in his side "like you'd get from laughing."
He stayed in the game and was erased on Juan Rivera's double-play grounder.
"I told myself it would get going when I took warmups in the outfield, but Donnie said no," Ethier said. "It was mostly precautionary -let's not make it worse."
Ethier, hitting .291 and the league leader in RBIs until last weekend, said he's never had a pulled oblique muscle and was told this one
was unusual on the left side for a left-handed hitter. Hitters usually get oblique injuries on the side nearest the pitcher.
Now Ethier faces the prospect of joining Matt Kemp (strained hamstring) as a cheerleader from the sidelines, the Dodgers' one-two
punch leaving the offense punchless.
"Any time you can't go out there and you're one of the guys they look at, you're not fulfilling your role," said Ethier, who played most
of last year with a bum knee that required surgery. "Sometimes you don't feel well and you go out and play when a lot of guys are
banged up, then all of a sudden this bites you. It's little things that are frustrating."
Teammate Jerry Hairston said now more than ever the Dodgers must play to the clubhouse motto.
"We have to just find a way," he said. "We can't sugarcoat it. It is what it is. Hopefully he just felt a little tweak. If not, we just find a
way. You can't make excuses, not up here."
Ellis could start rehab Friday with Kemp close behind
SAN FRANCISCO -- Infielder Mark Ellis could begin a Minor League rehab assignment as early as Friday and return to the Dodgers
lineup next week and Matt Kemp should be right behind him, manager Don Mattingly indicated.
Ellis underwent emergency surgery May 19 to relieve pressure from swelling in his lower left leg after a take-out slide by St. Louis
baserunner Tyler Greene.
"It sounds like he's getting close to going out," said Mattingly, who added that Ellis would play four or five games with around 20 atbats before being activated. "It seems like there's a chance of getting him back before the [All-Star] break."
The Dodgers are 22-11 with Ellis starting at second base and batting second. They are 21-21 when he isn't.
Mattingly said Kemp (hamstring) is a few days behind Ellis. Mattingly has said Kemp won't play in the All-Star Game (he's the leading
outfield vote-getter) if he hasn't first returned to the Dodgers' lineup. Kemp hasn't ruled that out.
Struggling Uribe in lineup for finale, but Loney out
SAN FRANCISCO -- Juan Uribe and his .217 batting average were back in the Dodgers' lineup Wednesday, but James Loney and his .244
average were not as manager Don Mattingly continued his lineup roulette in the midst of the offensive tailspin.
Mattingly conceded he wasn't sure what to expect from Uribe, who returned June 11 from a month on the disabled list with an
arthritic left wrist. Uribe is 1-for-18 on the current trip. In nearly 1 1/2 injury-marred seasons with the Dodgers, Uribe has five home
runs after slugging 24 for the Giants in 2010 before signing a three-year deal with Los Angeles.
"Since he came back [from the wrist injury], he hasn't looked as good," Mattingly said of Uribe. "I need Juan to play better. I believe
it's better than this. I believe in hard work, not giving up on guys or in guys giving up on themselves."
It's no secret the Dodgers are looking for replacements at both infield corners. At first base, however, they can bring Juan Rivera in
from left field and start Bobby Abreu in left field, as they did Wednesday. At third base, they have no productive options other than
Josh Fields, who has a .331 average and .516 slugging percentage for Triple-A Albuquerque.
The Dodgers are 19-12 when Uribe starts at third base. They are 12-5 when Adam Kennedy starts there.
Signed Montana jersey makes Kemp's day
SAN FRANCISCO -- During Monday night's Dodgers-Giants game, Matt Kemp made eye contact with legendary quarterback Joe
Montana, who was sitting in the front row next to the Dodgers' dugout.
While making a throwing motion, Kemp mouthed to Montana: "I want a signed football."
To which Montana mouthed in reply: "I want a signed bat."
To which both smiled.
When Kemp arrived in the clubhouse Tuesday, he was greeted by a Joe Montana San Francisco 49ers jersey, with the inscription:
"Enjoy watching you work. The best. Joe Montana."
"I'm so happy I want to cry," Kemp said. "I'm the biggest 49er fan. I had an uncle who took me everywhere and he was a big 49er fan.
I'm the biggest Joe Montana fan."
Kemp said he will respond with a signed Dodgers jersey for Montana.
After 17-run outburst, Mets face ice-cold Dodgers
By James Walker / MLB.com | 6/27/2012 8:40 PM ET
The Mets come into a four-game series with the Dodgers, which starts Thursday at Dodger Stadium, all of a sudden on quite an
offensive roll after routing the Cubs to the tune of 17-1 Wednesday.
The Dodgers? Well, not so much.
The Mets, who have slipped to third place in the National League East standings, were muddling along and had lost the first two
games of the series with the Cubs until Wednesday's explosion.
The Dodgers were shut out for the third straight game by the Giants on Wednesday, losing 3-0, and fell into a tie for first place in the
National League West with their Northern California rivals.
The Dodgers were swept in the Bay Area for the second time in as many weeks after losing three straight at Oakland June 19-21.
The Dodgers have lost four straight games, eight of their last 10 and 10 of their last 13 games.
Dodgers manager Don Mattingly is more concerned with how his team is playing than the fact that it no longer is alone in first place in
the NL West.
"I'm more concerned about our club than the standings," Mattingly said Wednesday. "We just need to take care of our business and
not be concerned with anybody else.
"When a team is going really good, you're not as good as people think you are. And when you're going really bad, you're not as bad as
people think you are."
However they go about it, the Dodgers need to regain some of their swagger, Mattingly said.
"We've just lost a little bit of confidence and the game is based on confidence," he said.
Mets manager Terry Collins had thought, or at least hoped, he would see more days like Wednesday from his team.
"We haven't had a lot of days were we had multiple guys in the lineup come up big," Collins said. "We kind of thought going into
Spring Training we would have more of those. Hopefully, it's something that continues."
Collins says his team's inconsistency of late doesn't bother him.
"If this was a team that had huge expectations, it could bother you," Collins said. "Because we weren't expected to be very good, you
can let some of the stuff go, because you know you're dealing with young guys. They're learning on the job here."
Mets: Young gets the start
• Right-hander Chris Young will be Thursday's starting pitcher.
Young, who will be making his fifth start, is 1-1 with a 3.42 ERA and is coming off a solid performance in his last outing when he took
the loss in 4-3 defeat at the hands of the Yankees Saturday.
He pitched six innings and gave up four hits and three earned runs.
• The Mets hit four home runs Wednesday, with second baseman Daniel Murphy hitting two of them.
• Four players -- Murphy, David Wright, Ike Davis and Scott Hairston -- drove in all 17 of the runs the Mets scored Wednesday.
Wright drove in five runs and Murphy, Davis and Hairston each drove in four.
In addition to Murphy's blasts, Davis and Hairston also homered.
Dodgers: Steady Capuano gets the call
• Left-hander Chris Capuano, who has been the Dodgers' most effective starter of late, will be Young's mound opponent. Capuano is
9-2 with a 2.60 ERA in 15 starts.
Capuano pitched seven innings and gave up seven hits and one run in beating the Angels, 3-1, in his last start Saturday.
Worth noting
• The Dodgers have not scored a run in 30 innings and things got more difficult Wednesday when Andre Ethier was removed from the
game after the top of the first inning.
Eithier had walked and came up sore with a left oblique injury after being erased on an inning-ending double-play grounder by Juan
Rivera.
It's unclear whether Eithier will be available for the Mets series.
ESPN.COM
Tim Lincecum finally earns a win as Giants shut out Dodgers again
Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO -- Tim Lincecum threw his 167-pound body in front of the plate to save a run. He pounded the strike zone like the
Lincecum of old. More than anything, he pitched the San Francisco Giants into first place while winning again at last.
The Freak's funk is over -- for now anyway.
Lincecum won for the first time in nearly two months to end the worst drought of his career, and the Giants held the Dodgers
scoreless for the third straight game in a 3-0 win Wednesday.
Back in the clubhouse once his day was done, he joked with strength and conditioning coach Carl Kochan.
"I was like, 'Winning,' and he goes, 'It's a lot better than losing,' " Lincecum said. "That's the easiest way to put it. ... To be able to
sweep the Dodgers, throw three shutouts and be in the position we're in says a lot about us."
Angel Pagan added an RBI single and drew a bases-loaded walk to back Lincecum (3-8) as the Giants moved into a tie with Los Angeles
for first place in the NL West by getting just their second sweep of the season. It was the first time in franchise history they shut out
the Dodgers in a three-game series, a run spanning 123 seasons.
Lincecum struck out eight and walked two while outpitching Chad Billingsley (4-7). The two-time NL Cy Young Award winner ended a
career-long 10-start winless stretch in which he went a career-worst 0-6.
His victory came one day shy of two months after his last win, April 28 against San Diego.
Lincecum got focused, and he just plain got mad about his poor pitching. This outstanding outing helped the Giants take a division lead
for the first time since last Aug. 9.
Facing a depleted Dodgers lineup didn't hurt. Already missing All-Star Matt Kemp, the Dodgers lost Andre Ethier after one at-bat to a
left oblique injury that could land him on the disabled list.
"But getting shut out three days in a row hurts a lot more than this," said Ethier, scheduled for an MRI on Thursday.
Lincecum struck out two in a 1-2-3 second, and calmly punched his pitching hand into his glove as he walked off the mound. He had
gone 0-4 in his previous six starts against the Dodgers since his last victory on July 30, 2010.
The Dodgers were swept in the Bay Area for the second time in as many weeks after losing three straight at Oakland from June 19-21,
scoring two total runs over the six games here.
"It's been a long nine days," catcher A.J. Ellis said.
Melky Cabrera had an RBI double and Brandon Crawford tripled among his three hits in San Francisco's first three-game sweep of the
Dodgers at AT&T Park since July 30-Aug. 1, 2010.
Pitching to cheers of "Come on, Timmy!" Lincecum also made a run-saving play that drew a standing ovation in the third.
After Billingsley doubled off the wall in center for his sixth hit in 25 at-bats this season, he moved to third on a wild pitch. Lincecum
threw another wild pitch that got past catcher Hector Sanchez and reached the backstop. The pitcher covered home, blocked the plate
and tagged out Billingsley. His glove was knocked loose, but Lincecum held onto it and made the play with his left hand.
"It's funny how the ugly thing kind of worked out to a pretty cool thing," Lincecum said. "I didn't want him to get a run. I'm not much
to go through but he was going to have to go through me to get to the plate."
Lincecum allowed only one more runner past first. Sergio Romo recorded the final four outs for his fourth save in as many tries.
Lincecum came to the plate to roars from the sellout crowd of 42,245 in the third and hit a one-out single down the left-field line. He
scored on Cabrera's double.
Buster Posey then walked to load the bases and Pagan walked to force home a run, which brought pitching coach Rick Honeycutt to
the mound for a visit with Billingsley.
Billingsley lost his third straight start, tagged for three runs and nine hits in six innings.
Lincecum, who settled down Friday at Oakland after falling behind 3-0 in the first inning and showed positive signs the next four, ran
his scoreless innings streak to 12.
Manager Bruce Bochy visited Lincecum after a seventh-inning walk to Ellis put runners on first and second with one out, but drew
cheers when Lincecum stayed in the game to retire the next two batters.
After Lincecum told Bochy "Yeah" he was fine to stay in the game, he followed that up with a stronger "Yes, sir." It worked.
"I think he has returned to the Timmy of before," said Sanchez, catching Lincecum for the second straight start.
Sanchez stayed in the game after landing hard on his left arm, hip and ribs while making a diving catch of a foul popup by Herrera for
the first out in the fourth.
Ethier was removed before the bottom of the first after injuring his side muscle on a check swing.
Game notes
Giants starting pitchers have allowed one earned run in their last 31 innings. ... Juan Uribe, 1-for-21 during the road trip, returned to
the Los Angeles lineup and went 0-for-3. ... Dodgers 2B Mark Ellis will head on a rehab assignment Saturday to Class-A Rancho
Cucamonga if his baserunning goes well Thursday. He's likely to play four or five games and get 20 at-bats. "I'm anxious," Ellis said. "I
don't think I've ever gotten a hit in a rehab game. You just want to get back with the team." ... Wednesday marked the 32nd
anniversary of Jerry Reuss' no-hitter for the Dodgers against the Giants at Candlestick Park. ... LHP Madison Bumgarner looks to
become the Giants' first 10-game winner of 2012 when he pitches the series opener Thursday night against Cincinnati and former San
Francisco skipper Dusty Baker
Dodgers have deal with Yasiel Puig
Updated: June 28, 2012, 11:18 AM ET
By Enrique Rojas | ESPNDeportesLosAngeles.com
Cuban outfielder Yasiel Puig has reached agreement on a seven-year, $42 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, sources told
ESPNdeportesLosAngeles.com.
The agreement is pending a physical exam, and would be the largest dollar figure accorded a Cuban defector, surpassing the four-year,
$36 million deal of Oakland Athletics outfielder Yoenis Céspedes in February.
"Puig's contract with the Dodgers should be completed by Friday. The young man could play in the major leagues this year, maybe in
time to help with the race for the playoffs or the World Series," said the source, who added that the agreement includes some clauses
that could permit Puig to become a free agent after his fourth year.
Under the new rules that regulate the hiring of Cuban ballplayers, upon receiving permanent residency, known as FM2 in Mexico, Puig
will not need to be unblocked by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, the agency of the U.S. Department of the Treasury that enforces
the sanctions of the United States' embargo against Cuba.
The 21-year-old Puig batted .330 with 17 home runs, 47 RBIs and 78 runs scored in 327 at-bats with the Cienfuegos Elefantes in the
2010-11 Cuban National Series. Later, he averaged .370 in 46 at-bats in the playoffs, at barely 20 years of age.
Puig, who also was considered the fastest player in Cuban baseball, was left off the Cienfuegos team for the 2011-12 season after
having been caught on several occasions trying to escape the country. He finally succeeded in defecting last month.
Andre Ethier injures oblique muscle vs. Giants
June, 27, 2012
By Associated Press
Already missing All-Star Matt Kemp, the Dodgers lost Andre Ethier after one at-bat to a left oblique injury in their 3-0 defeat at the
hands of the San Francisco Giants.
Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum struck out Dee Gordon to start the game, then allowed a single to Jerry Hairston and walked Ethier. He
then got Juan Rivera to ground into an inning-double play.
Ethier was removed before the bottom of the first after injuring his left oblique muscle, apparently while sliding into second on the
double-play ball.
Trade targets for the Dodgers
Buster Olney
June, 28, 2012
The ambulance chasers will be on the phone, one evaluator noted after the New York Yankees lost CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte in
the span of about four hours Wednesday. What the evaluator meant is that any team looking to dump a veteran player with a bad
contract will be calling the Yankees, just in case they're ready to jump.
Ned Colletti, the general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, would probably love to get more of those calls today. He would
probably appreciate having more options than he does right now, as he looks to apply a little defibrillation to his team's fading
offense. Andre Ethier is now out, and Matt Kemp isn't going to be back for a few more weeks. The Dodgers have been shut out in their
last three games, and in the month of June, only the Miami Marlins have scored fewer runs.
Colletti has been calling around asking for help, and the team's new ownership is ready to make suitable deals when they become
available.
Here's the problem: There are staggeringly few options in the market right now, and even fewer attractive possibilities, with so few
teams having declared themselves as sellers. But there are still some players the Dodgers could be interested in:
Jeff Francoeur, Kansas City Royals: Kansas City prospect Wil Myers appears ready and thinks about a promotion every day, and if he's
called up, Francoeur would theoretically become expendable. But as of Wednesday afternoon, Francoeur had a .702 OPS, which
ranked 51st among 60 outfielders, and given the nature of his contract and the type of player that he is, making a trade would be
tough. He's owed about $9 million for the rest of his deal, which runs through next year, and given his lack of production this year, the
Dodgers will probably want the Royals to absorb at least some of the money -- and the Dodgers likely wouldn't give up anything
decent for him.
Is this Kevin Youkilis II? Not at all. Because while Youkilis was generally unhappy, Francoeur has an important presence in the KC
clubhouse. Why would the Royals simply give away a healthy player whom they're already going to have to pay, anyway?
And while some Royals fans are clamoring for Myers with the presumption he'll be an upgrade, consider what's happened this year
with Eric Hosmer, who has had a tough season despite the fact that he continues to be regarded as one of the top young players in the
majors. There's no guarantee that Myers will hit right away, which means that KC won't be in the giveaway business with Francoeur.
Alfonso Soriano, Chicago Cubs: He's owed about $46 million, and Chicago is certainly prepared to eat a whole lot of it. But Soriano is
an incredibly streaky player, he is limited to left field, and if the Dodgers traded for him, there's probably as good of a chance that he
would be part of the problem as there is that he would be part of the solution. Imagine the Dodgers playing the next month with
Soriano and Bobby Abreu on the corners?
Chase Headley, San Diego Padres: He'd be a great fit for the Dodgers in every way, giving them some positional flexibility. But the
Padres might not be wild about trading within their own division -- the history of trades between these two teams is a lot like YankeesMets -- and San Diego's franchise is currently in the final stages of being sold. The process for any significant deal might slow down,
unless the Dodgers were willing to overpay.
Edwin Encarnacion, Toronto Blue Jays: Yes, he's eligible for free agency after this season, and he's having a strong year, and he'd be a
nice fit. But it's probably far too early for Toronto to start dumping players, and prying Encarnacion away from the Jays right now
would cost the Dodgers' sticker price, plus 25 percent. And L.A. really doesn't have a very good farm system.
Vernon Wells, Los Angeles Angels: Oh, sure, the Angels would probably be open to a conversation about Wells, who is owed about
$50 million for the next 2 1/2 seasons, and the Dodgers wouldn't have to give up any prospects for him. But there is an open question
about whether Wells can still play right now.
Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins: He's owed about $22 million for the rest of this year and next year, and there is such significant
injury risk because of his concussion history that some executives simply don't believe any team would make a move for him.
Carlos Lee, Houston Astros: He could play first base and be an RBI guy for the Dodgers, but in the past, he's told the Astros he would
not approve a trade; he's happy being close to his ranch.
Bryan LaHair, Cubs: Month to month, his OPS has gone from 1.251 to .792 to .666. He is 3-for-35 against left-handers, and there are
concerns about his defense.
Boston Red Sox leftovers: In the next couple of weeks, Boston will get back Carl Crawford and Jacoby Ellsbury, and so the Red Sox
could have a surplus of outfielders with Daniel Nava and Ryan Sweeney. But there is no guarantee that Crawford's elbow will hold up
under the stress of playing every day, and the Red Sox would want something decent in return -- maybe more than the Dodgers would
want to give up.
Hanley Ramirez, Miami Marlins: Miami owner Jeffrey Loria spoke to his players last week, so it's probably far too early for him to think
about dumping players. Ramirez is owed $40 million and is hitting .260, and they'd want significant return for one of Loria's favorite
players.
Daniel Murphy, New York Mets: Here's someone who could be a nice fit. The Dodgers have bullpen help, which the Mets need, and
the price for Murphy wouldn't be prohibitive now, because he's had an off year. But Murphy had always hit before this year, and the
Mets have long thought his best position is actually third base, where L.A. has a need.
The bottom line: Colletti is going to have to work through some less-than-perfect options.
From ESPN Stats and Info, more on the Dodgers' slide:
The Dodgers went 1-8 during their nine-game road trip and are now tied with the San Francisco Giants for first place in the NL West.
Dodgers/Giants win percentage by month this season
June: .440/.640
May: .571/.517
April: .696/.545
From Elias Sports Bureau: It's the first time the Dodgers have ever been shut out in a series sweep of three or more games. The last
time the Dodgers were shut out three straight times came back in August 2007 against the Diamondbacks and Reds. The Giants'
sweep of the Dodgers in San Francisco comes just a week after the Dodgers were swept by the Athletics across the bay in Oakland. In
the two series combined, the Dodgers were outscored 24-2.
Best managers of the first half
June, 27, 2012
By Jim Bowden | ESPN.com
National League
1. Don Mattingly, Los Angeles Dodgers
Surprisingly, the Dodgers spent most of the first three months of the season with the best record in baseball despite the fact superstar
Matt Kemp spent much of it on the disabled list with a hamstring strain. However, a lineup that is clearly one of the weakest in the NL
found a different hero in almost every win.
Mattingly’s laid-back and understanding approach has created an incredible winning atmosphere in the clubhouse. But he also adds
his considerable playing experience to his managerial acumen. When sluggers become too pull-happy, Mattingly suggests how to fix it
because he’s experienced it. When a player needs a day off, he reads it; when a player needs a kick in the rear, Mattingly does it. He
cut his managerial teeth under Joe Torre, and it shows. He has a calming effect on a team; he knows how to put players in a position
to succeed by mixing and matching and has not been afraid to take chances on players such as Elian Herrera, who had no major league
experience.
His team wins with pitching and defense and an offense carried by Kemp (when he’s in the lineup) and Andre Ethier. He relates to the
rookies as to the veterans. His ability to delegate authority to his coaching staff and pitching coach Rick Honeycutt is exceptional.
LA TIMES
Dodgers are swept by Giants and lose Andre Ethier
San Francisco is tied for the lead after third consecutive shutout. Ethier suffers injury to rib cage.
By Dylan Hernandez
June 27, 2012, 8:35 p.m.
SAN FRANCISCO — The Dodgers haven't scored in their last 30 innings. They have been shut out in three consecutive games. And their
lead in the National League West vanished Wednesday, when the San Francisco Giants moved into a tie for first place with them by
beating them at AT&T Park, 3-0.
Now, the free-falling team might lose All-Star outfielder Andre Ethier.
"You almost start laughing at it," catcherA.J. Ellissaid.
Ethier felt what he described as a "cramp or tight pinch" in his left rib cage when checking his swing to draw a first-inning walk against
Tim Lincecum. He was removed from the game after Juan Rivera grounded into an inning-ending double play.
"It just didn't get any better," said Ethier, who ranks second in the NL with 55 runs batted in.
Ethier and trainer Sue Falsone said they wouldn't know if he would have to be put on the disabled list until he underwent an MRI
exam Thursday. But if Ethier is sidelined, he figures to be out awhile: Position players usually take about a month to recover from
oblique muscle strains.
Ethier's injury comes at a time when fellow All-Star Matt Kemp is believed to be a couple of weeks from returning from the disabled
list and the Dodgers are in the midst of a historically bad run.
This marked the first time in franchise history that the Dodgers were swept by the Giants and shut out in all three games. Aside from
the 1966 World Series against Baltimore, the last time they were blanked by the same team three consecutive times was in 1937
when the Boston Braves did it to them. The 30-innning scoreless streak is tied for the seventh-longest in Dodgers history.
The Dodgers blew a lead over the Giants that was at 4 1/2 games a week earlier and at 7 1/2 games as recently as May 27. They lost
eight of nine games on a trip that also included visits to Oakland and Anaheim.
"It's hard to say I see a whole lot," Manager Don Mattingly said. "Right now, we're not doing enough to score a run."
The Dodgers' latest setback served as a confidence builder for Lincecum, a two-time Cy Young Award winner who entered the game
with a 2-8 record and a 6.07 earned-run average. Lincecum earned his first victory in 11 starts, limiting the Dodgers to four hits and
two walks over seven scoreless innings.
Ethier was hopeful he could return soon to help the Dodgers emerge from their rut.
"Maybe this is one of the bullets we can dodge," Ethier said.
He wanted to play catch at his defensive station in right field in the bottom of the first inning, but Mattingly wouldn't let him.
"It was precautionary," Ethier said.
Of the Dodgers' 45 home runs, 22 have been hit by Ethier or Kemp, who has been sidelined since May 31 because of a strained left
hamstring.
If Ethier and Kemp are sidelined for the start of a three-game series against the New York Mets on Thursday at Dodger Stadium, the
Dodgers' top home run hitter will be A.J. Ellis, with six.
A visibly frustrated Mattingly didn't sound as if he expected the Dodgers to acquire offensive reinforcements in the near future, even if
Ethier can't play.
"At this point, it's hard to get help," Mattingly said. "You can say you're going to go outside and try to get help, but everybody in
baseball knows you need help. At that point, there's nowhere to go."
0 for crying out loud: When will the Dodgers score again?
The Choking Dogs can't score and can scarcely hit as they are shut out for the third game in a row by the Giants. And with Andre Ethier
injured, the outlook is increasingly bleak.
By T.J. Simers
June 27, 2012, 8:28 p.m.
SAN FRANCISCO -- The Choking Dogs didn't score a run in the first two games here. Going back to the Angels series, it's 21 innings
without scoring.
So before Wednesday's game I'm trying to persuade Vin Scully to give everyone back home a "Scooooooooooooooore!" like soccer
broadcasters yell "Gooooooooooooooooal!"
What a Scully moment it would be if the Dodgers ever do score again.
I suggest the same to Spanish-language broadcaster Jaime Jarrin, who immediately launches into an "Una carrrrrrrrrrrrreeeera!" as if
the Choking Dogs might score one run.
I get chills, and then I remember the Dodgers still have Juan Uribe and James Loney on the roster.
Uribe is now 0 for his last 13 entering the game, Loney 0 for 18 and Elian Herrera 0 for 19. Murderers' Row when it comes to killing a
rally.
Herrera is actually only 0 for 15, but things are going so badly for the Dodgers, the PR department already has him 0 for 19 in the
statistics they provide the media.
I ask GM Ned Colletti if it's time to bring back Eugenio Velez, as a reminder to Loney, Uribe and Herrera that things really can get
worse. He finished last year with the Dodgers 0 for 37.
I don't know how he does it, but Colletti has a knack for finding guys who can't hit.
First inning, the Dodgers get two men on and Juan Rivera pounds a ground ball to third to start a double play. Make that 22 scoreless
innings.
Andre Ethier injures an oblique muscle on a check swing. Who ever thought Ethier would be knocked out of the game before Chad
Billingsley?
Ethier is replaced by Herrera, who needs his swing checked. The PR department already has Herrera pegged to go 0 for 4.
I feel bad for Manager Don Mattingly. I ask, "How do you fill out a lineup card with such stiffs?"
He says, "I'm not going to call them stiffs."
I suggest he will one day, if only privately.
"No, I'll never do it publicly," he says.
Second inning, and two Dodgers strike out. Make that 23 scoreless innings.
The Choking Dogs have scored one more run in the last nine games than the Galaxy scored goals in its last nine games.
"If we don't win another game the rest of the year we're going to be in trouble," Mattingly says, and all the reporters are writing it
down.
Third inning, Billingsley hits a double off the wall, advances on a wild pitch and attempts to score on another wild pitch. But Giants
catcher Hector Sanchez retrieves the ball, tosses it to Tim Lincecum,and Billingsley is tagged out.
Billingsley appears to beat the high tag, but Mattingly doesn't come out to argue. He must know the Dodgers don't have what it takes
to score.
The Choking Dogs are in danger of being tied for first place after posting the best record in baseball much of the season.
Fourth inning, Jerry Hairston singles and because Herrera is so good at it, he's purposely asked to make an out. But his sacrifice bunt
attempt is popped up and caught.
None of this is really troubling. The same thing happened before Frank McCourt got Manny Ramirez. Just imagine what new
management is going to do with its deep pockets at the trading deadline. I'm guessing Magic Johnson is already working the phones.
Isn't it exciting, knowing the Dodgers are going to be the biggest wheelers and dealers at the deadline in a gung-ho effort to show
Dodgers fans they really want to win?
Fifth inning, and Uribe strikes out on a wild pitch, but he makes it to first base. I wonder if Jarrin is yelling, "Es un milagro!" — "It's a
miracle!" It allows Billingsley, the Dodgers' best hitter, to come to the plate. He strikes out.
I ask Mattingly if he thinks the Dodgers have squandered their fast start, or because of roster limitations it was unavoidable.
"I look at it like we put a lot of money in the bank early and we had to spend a lot to keep paying the bills," he says. "We're not using
the credit cards yet."
Stress makes people say the strangest things.
Sixth inning, and Herrera fails again. The Dodgers' PR department has him pegged correctly.
The Giants are winning 3-0 and the Choking Dogs are about to wrap up a nine-game trip with one win.
Seventh inning, two men on, Uribe at the plate, the game on the line and Magic sends out a tweet: "Just arrived at the launch party
for @tvASPIRE in NY. New Edition is going to perform & the place is packed!" Uribe will have to continue to aspire to hit the ball as he
strikes out.
The Choking Dogs are 11-18 since May 28, and with Ethier hurt, who scares anyone with a bat in their hands?
Magic tweets again: "Hope Ethier is okay. We need to rally to beat these Giants. Let's go @Dodgers!"
He's obviously not watching; there is no rally in these stiffs. Where are you, Matt Kemp?
Eighth inning, and the Dodgers go out in order. Make it 29 scoreless innings.
The scoreboard here is not very encouraging. The Mets are the Dodgers' next opponent; they've scored 17 runs Wednesday against
the Cubs.
Ninth inning, and Herrera makes it 0 for 18. Bobby Abreu takes a called third strike, game over and the Dodgers are 0 for San
Francisco.
A Fox TV reporter puts a microphone in Mattingly's face.
"Looking for some positives, we saw some aggressive baserunning by Billingsley and Hairston," she says. "How happy are you with that
kind of effort from those guys?"
Mattingly shows remarkable restraint in not choking the reporter. He says he finds nothing positive.
He's at his lowest ebb; maybe Magic will tweet with an encouraging word or pictures of his launch party.
Late word just in: It's being reported the Dodgers' equipment truck has broken down on a freeway here. The team delays its flight
back to L.A. while waiting for the bats to arrive. No one seems to understand why.
Dodgers' Chad Billingsley is out at home
Pitcher comes the closest to scoring of any Dodger in the series.
By Dylan Hernandez
June 27, 2012, 9:10 p.m.
SAN FRANCISCO — Chad Billingsley almost reached the promised land.
As it was, Billingsley got to a place no other Dodger reached in the team's three consecutive shutout defeats to the San Francisco
Giants: third base.
That happened in the third inning in the Dodgers' 3-0 loss Wednesday, when the pitcher doubled against Tim Lincecum and reached
third base on a wild pitch. Lincecum threw another pitch to the backstop and Billingsley bolted for home.
Catcher Hector Sanchez retrieved the ball and tossed it to Lincecum, whom Billingsley slid into. Billingsley's feet appeared to touch
home plate before Lincecum's high tag, but he was called out by plate umpire Fieldin Culbreth.
Billingsley later said he didn't know if he was safe. From his obstructed view in the visiting dugout, Manager Don Mattingly said he
thought Billingsley was out and didn't protest the ruling.
With that, Billingsley was resigned to the same fate as Clayton Kershaw and Nathan Eovaldi in the series — pitching with absolutely no
run support.
Billingsley (4-7) was charged with three runs and nine hits in six innings, extending his personal losing streak to three games.
Billingsley gave up two runs in the third inning, when he served up a run-scoring double to Melky Cabrera and walked Angel Pagan
with the bases loaded. Pagan singled in Ryan Theriot two innings later to extend the Giants' lead to 3-0.
Billingsley said he wasn't affected by the knowledge that the Dodgers were in the midst of a slump. Catcher A.J. Ellis didn't think the
lack of offense was adding pressure on the pitchers.
"I don't sense it," Ellis said. "If I did, I would address it."
Mark Ellis close to return
Mark Ellis underwent an emergency operation less than six weeks ago to prevent his left leg from having to be amputated. But the
veteran second baseman could be back playing for the Dodgers in another week.
Ellis could start a minor league rehabilitation assignment with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga as early as this weekend. Mattingly said Ellis
probably would be ready to be activated after four or five minor league appearances.
"We're trying to get him around 20 at-bats," Mattingly said.
Lee moving up
Recently promoted from Class A, top pitching prospect Zach Lee had a promising debut with double-A Chattanooga (Tenn.).
Lee held the Mississippi Braves to an unearned run and six hits over six innings. He struck out four.
Before his promotion, he was 2-3 with a 4.55 earned-run average over 12 starts with Rancho Cucamonga.
Lee, 20, was the Dodgers' first-round draft pick in 2010. A star quarterback in high school, Lee accepted a $5.25-million signing bonus
and walked away from a football scholarship at Louisiana State.
Dodgers' gloom: Shut out again, tied atop West, lose Andre Ethier
Right fielder injures an oblique muscle in the first inning of a 3-0 loss to the Giants, who sweep the Dodgers without giving up a run.
By Steve Dilbeck
June 27, 2012, 3:55 p.m.
Down they go, down into depths unimaginable just a few weeks ago, down where light is reduced to a flicker.
The Dodgers were shut out, 3-0, Wednesday for a historic third consecutive game by the Giants, caught atop the National League
West, beaten by a pitcher who hadn’t won in his last 10 starts … and that wasn’t even their worst news of the day.
Andre Ethier strained his left oblique in the first inning, left the game and will probably be out for an extended period.
That leaves the Dodgers without their top two position players in a lineup that already wasn’t harkening memories of the ’27 Yankees.
Matt Kemp remains on the disabled list with a hamstring injury and is not expected back until sometime after the All-Star break in
mid-July. Position players who suffer an oblique injury in the rib cage are typically on the DL for a month.
Meanwhile, on the field the Dodgers have been held scoreless the last 30 consecutive innings. It was the first time the Los Angeles
Dodgers had been shut out by one team in three consecutive regular-season games. The Brooklyn Dodgers suffered the same fate in
1937.
This time the Dodgers could not score against beleaguered Tim Lincecum, the former two-time Cy Young winner who has been a
complete mess this season.
Lincecum entered the game with a record of 2-8 and an earned-run average of 6.07. He had not won a game since April.
But these current Dodgers could give life to a dead pitcher. Lincecum held the Dodgers scoreless in his seven innings, limiting them to
four hits.
The Dodgers almost scored in the third inning, and actually might have, but Chad Billingsley — who had doubled and took third base
on a wild pitch — tried to come home on a second Lincecum wild pitch.
But the ball ricocheted directly off the backstop to catcher Hector Sanchez, who fired back to Lincecum covering the plate. Lincecum
applied the tag to the sliding Billingsley. Replays indicated Billingsley might have had a foot on the plate before the tag, but the way
things are going for the sinking Dodgers these days, they’d almost be stunned to get that call.
The three-game sweep allowed the Giants to catch the Dodgers for the lead in the NL West at 43-33.
For the Dodgers, the game ended a disastrous nine-game trip that saw them win only one game. They were swept in the Bay Area by
both the Giants and A’s.
The Giants had not shut out a team in a series of three or more games since 1954.
Billingsley actually pitched pretty well for the Dodgers, but with the offense again MIA, it went for naught.
Billingsley (4-7) went six innings, giving up three runs on nine hits, striking out seven and walking three.
For the Dodgers, no Andre Ethier, no Matt Kemp ... no hope?
By Steve Dilbeck
June 27, 2012, 2:53 p.m.
Actually thought it couldn’t get any worse did you?
Silly. Snowballs pick up size and speed heading downhill, and right now the Dodgers are falling like Gibraltar is tied to their ankles.
It’s not bad enough that the Dodgers are in freefall in the National League West and can’t hit Dee Gordon’s weight. Now they are a
team without a star position player.
Because now Andre Ethier is out, and he figures to be for awhile.
Ethier somehow strained his left oblique in the first inning Wednesday in San Francisco, left the game and will likely be placed on the
disabled list Thursday.
You know, to give Matt Kemp company.
If the sky is not falling, then no one’s ever heard of Chicken Little. Ethier and Kemp have accounted for 22 of the Dodgers’ 45 home
runs. The Dodgers’ current home-run leader is …A.J. Elliswith six.
Oblique injuries were the rage early last season, and a study by team senior director of medical services Stan Conte found that the
average position player who suffered a strained rib-cage muscle went on the DL for an average of 31 days.
Kemp is not expected back until after the July 10 All-Star break. If Ethier is out an average amount of time, he would not return until
the end of July.
The Dodgers were a modest offensive team with Kemp and Ethier, constantly finding themselves in one-run games, and are now going
to be seriously challenged to score enough to remain competitive in the National League West.
Without their third and fourth hitters, the Dodgers are about to field some interesting daily lineups.
Of course, it could still get worse. Somehow.
More bad news for Dodgers: Andre Ethier exits game, possibly hurt
By Dylan Hernandez
June 27, 2012, 1:28 p.m.
SAN FRANCISCO -- Andre Ethier had to be removed from the Dodgers’ series finale against the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday,
turning what was already a bad trip into a potentially cataclysmic one.
Ethier appeared to be injured sliding into second base on a double play that ended that first inning. Slow to walk off the field, Ethier
spoke to Manager Don Mattingly and trainer Sue Falsone near the first base line.
Ethier was replaced in right field by utilityman Elian Herrera, who was 0 for his last 15.
The Dodgers’ No. 3 hitter, Ethier entered the game ranked second in the National League with 55 runs batted in.
Cleanup hitter Matt Kemp has been sidelined since May 31 with a strained left hamstring.
Dodgers lost at the corners: James Loney and Juan Uribe
By Steve Dilbeck
June 27, 2012, 12:15 p.m.
There are messages in a bottle, and then there are those in the lineup card.
Hopefully for Don Mattingly, those in the lineup care prove more a tad more effective. Though even an SOS received is hardly the
same as being able to act on it.
There is only so much Mattingly can do in an attempt to put some life into the Dodgers' vanishing offense. He has the weapons he has,
and, unfortunately, right now those include almost nothing but struggling hitters.
But it's at the corners where the Dodgers have most been hurting for offensive production, and that's putting it in a kind light. First
and third are typically areas not just of good offense, but of power.
Alas, for the Dodgers they are primarily the domain of James Loney and Juan Uribe, respectively.
Uribe has been a disappointment since he arrived at the start of last season, and Loney's up-and-down and sideways career is an area
of growing frustration.
Loney is not in the starting lineup again Wednesday, an increasing phenomenon and the third consecutive game he's been on the
bench. He's out Wednesday against right-handed Tim Lincecum. He was out Tuesday against right-hander Ryan Vogelsong, despite
having been six-for-12 lifetime against him.
Loney hasn't had a hit in his last 18 at-bats. He's had one RBI in his last 29 at-bats. He's had one home run in his last 168 at-bats, none
is his last 84 and only two on the season.
So he's out of the lineup in all three games of the Dodgers’ biggest series of the season thus far, him and his .179 road batting average
(he's actually hitting .308 at home).
When he's out, Juan Rivera is the primary first baseman. And although Rivera isn’t exactly tearing it up and is a major downgrade
defensively, he is currently a step up from the lost-looking Loney.
Uribe, who has battled injury, has enjoyed only the slightest flashes of offensive success since signing to be the Dodgers’ everyday
second baseman. He has proved to be marvelous defensively as the everyday third baseman, but it’s getting almost painful to watch
him swing the bat.
Uribe has one hit in his last 18 at-bats and seems incapable of doing that simple thing every T-baller is taught from the day they show
up with a too-big cap -- keep your eye on the ball. In his 1 1/2 years as a Dodger (385 at-bats), Uribe is hitting .208 with five homers
and 40 RBIs.
Mattingly has tried sitting Uribe too. Wednesday against the Giants, he returns to the lineup but is back batting eighth. That would be
the spot for the worst hitter in the lineup, not the guy projected to bat fifth.
Mattingly can try to get their attention verbally, and he can try to send them messages by way of playing time and position in the
order.
It isn't like they aren't trying to hit. But they aren't hitting, and for a team unexpectedly in a pennant race, that's unacceptable. That's
a real SOS.
DAILY NEWS
BASEBALL: Dodgers' latest loss is most painful one
L.A. fails to score again. Ethier leaves with injury
By Gideon Rubin, Correspondent
Posted: 06/27/2012 09:39:58 PM PDT
SAN FRANCISCO - Dodgers manager Don Mattingly, asked about what the return of a healthy Matt Kemp for the second half could
mean to the slumping team, said before Wednesday's series finale against the San Francisco Giants the potential impact of arguably
the game's best player was "huge."
"It's like having a one-two punch without having the one," Mattingly said of Kemp's absence.
On a day when the San Francisco Giants defeated the Dodgers 3-0 in front of 42,245 at AT&T Park to complete a three-game sweep
with their third consecutive shutout, the Dodgers also might have lost the two.
Andre Ethier, second in the National League in RBIs with 55, left the game in the first inning with a left oblique injury.
Ethier's condition won't be known until he undergoes an MRI today in Los Angeles.
News of Ethier's injury capped the last day of what perhaps was one of the Dodgers most poorest trips since coming to Los Angeles.
The loss was their fourth in a row and eighth in nine games. In six Bay Area games (including three against the Oakland Athletics last
week), they combined for two runs. They concluded the trip tied with the Giants for first in the NL West, after leading by 4 1/2 games
at the start of the trip and 7 1/2 as recently as May 27.
The Giants' three-game shutout sweep was their first since they were in New York in 1954 (against the Philadelphia Phillies).
Ethier suffered the injury on two check swings in the first inning.
He said he injured himself checking swings on a 2-2 changeup and a 3-2 slider during a first inning at-bat when he drew a one-out walk
off Tim Lincecum.
"On that check swing I got my bat back real quick to try to make sure that the umpire ... wasn't going to rule that he swung," Ethier
said. "That's when I just felt a cramp, or a tight pinch down on my side."
He said when he slid into second trying to break up an inning-ending double play, "I felt the pinch a little more."
"It doesn't hurt, it's just tight, it's dull," Ethier said. "Getting shut out three days in a row hurts a lot more than this does. This is about
the most disappointed I've ever been about circumstances surrounding the team and everything involved, playing three games this
way."
DODGERS NOTEBOOK: Dodgers can take solace with Kemp, Ellis returning around All-Star break
By Gideon Rubin, Special to the Daily News
Posted: 06/27/2012 10:10:19 PM PDT
SAN FRANCISCO - If there's any good news the Dodgers can take from their disastrous trip, it's that the team that lost eight of nine
games and scored no runs in three games at San Francisco isn't the team they expect to field in the second half.
Matt Kemp figures to return around the All-Star break. Second baseman Mark Ellis could return sooner. And even if an oblique injury
Andre Ethier suffered in Wednesday's 3-0 loss to the Giants lands him on the disabled list, it appears to be a matter of weeks before
the nucleus of a team that had the best record in the majors as recently as a week ago returns intact.
"If you look at it, we're missing one really key guy (Kemp) and Mark Ellis is coming back, and (the Giants are) only beating us 2-0, 3-0,"
Ethier said. "You have those two guys back in the lineup and I think it's a whole other thing.
"Just put Matty back in the lineup alone, and it's a lot more depth and lot of different ways they have to (make up) this lineup."
Ethier acknowledged that his assessment reflects the bright side of what is now a very dark cave the Dodgers find themselves in after
blowing a 42-game lead they had over the Giants when they started the 1-8 trip.
But it isn't entirely pie-in-the sky thinking, either.
"We're not just talking about any other guy," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said.
"Matt Kemp last year, he was as good as anybody in baseball. He was arguably the best player in baseball last year. We get that back
and that changes a lot of things. One guy changes your lineup in a huge way. It's not like you're getting a guy back who drives in 50
runs, you're getting a guy who can impact every game he plays in."
Ellis update
Mattingly said he expects Ellis to start a rehab assignment soon, possibly Saturday with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga. Ellis has been out
since May 19, when he suffered a lower left leg injury that required surgery.
Mattingly said Ellis' biggest concern is making cuts and pushing off his injured leg. The Dodgers want Ellis to get about 20 at-bats in
four or five rehab games.
Mattingly said Ellis could join the team before the All-Star break.
"It sounds like he's getting close," Mattingly said.
Also
Mattingly said Kemp has reported progress no timetable has been set for a rehab assignment yet. ... The Dodgers extended their
scoreless streak to 30 innings going back to Sunday's 5-3 loss to the Angels. In six Bay Area games on their nine-game road trip
(including three in Oakland), they combined for two runs on 24 hits. ... Elian Herrera, who spelled Ethier on Wednesday, was 0 for 3,
extending his hitless at-bat streak to 22. ... Juan Uribe was back at third after being benched Tuesday. He's hitless in his past 16 at-bats
after going 0 for 3 Wednesday. ... Mattingly benched slumping first baseman James Loney for a second straight day.
TRUE BLUE LA
Breaking News - Dodgers bring a Puig to the Farm
by Phil Gurnee on Jun 28, 2012 7:55 AM PDT in News
UPDATE - ESPN is now reporting seven years, forty two million
Cuban outfielder Yasiel Puig has reached agreement on a $42 million, seven-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, sources told
Enrique Rojas of ESPNdeportesLosAngeles.com.
The agreement is pending a physical exam, and would be the largest dollar figure accorded a Cuban defector, surpassing the four-year,
$36 million deal of Oakland Athletics outfielder Yoenis Céspedes in February.
According to Jesse Sanchez the Dodgers have signed Yasiel Puig to a 40 Million Dollar Deal.
According to an industry source, the Dodgers have agreed to a multiyear deal worth more than $40 million with 21-year-old
international prospect Yasiel Puig, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound outfielder from Cuba.
A top prospect in the island's premier league, the Cuban National Series (Serie Nacional), Puig hit .276 with five home runs during his
first campaign with Cienfuegos in 2008-09 and had a breakout year the next season, hitting .330 with 17 home runs and 78 RBIs. He
did not play for Cienfuegos during the 2011-12 seasons because he was being disciplined for attempting to defect.
Here is some video of the newest Dodger
Here is what Fangraphs had to say about him when he was declared a free agent.
The remainder of the numbers — the on-base percentage, strikeout-to-walk ratio, etc. — are comparable. Even the doubles are
comparable. Puig reportedly has above-average speed and was once considered the “fastest player in Cuban baseball” before
defecting, so it’s not overly surprising that Puig would collect more triples than Cespedes
Stan Kasten said yesterday that Dodger scouts and management were totally focused on bringing in a big fish before the free agent
international deadline of July 2nd. For once there will be no talk of being close, this time, this management team got the deal done.
This may or may not work out, but no one can fault the team for being aggressive in a an area they have neglected this decade.
Dodgers 6/27/12 Minor League Report - Zach Lee Impresses in AA Debut
by Brandon Lennox on Jun 28, 2012 7:00 AM PDT in Los Angeles Dodgers Minor League Report
Minor League Player of the Day – Pratt Maynard - 4 for 5, 3 Runs, 2 SB's. The 2011 3rd round pick has been extremely quite this year,
as he doesn't have a home run in 2012 and has an OPS of just .614. Over the last 10 games Pratt is hitting .353 however, so hopefully
he has a strong 2nd half of the season.
AAA – All 5 runs in this game were scored via the solo home run, but unfortunately the Isotopes only had two of the lonely blasts in a
3 - 2 loss to the Redbirds (Cardinals). Matt Angle and Jerry Sands were the two Albuquerque hitters to take the ball deep, and they
also accounting for two-thirds of the team's hits. Brian Cavazos-Galvez's single was the only other base knock for the Isotopes in the
loss. John Ely continued to pitch well despite allowing all 3 solo bombs as he gave up only two other hits and struck out 9. He
continues to post a surprising strikeout rate as his K/9 is above 9 for the first time in his career. Angel Guzman pitched the 8th and
with another scoreless frame he lowered his ERA to 1.35.
AA – Kyle Russell made sure that Chattanooga didn't lose in Zach Lee's AA debut as his 3-run homer in the 11th secured a 4 - 1 victory
over the Braves. Russell's bomb in extra frames was his only hit of the contest, and it was definitely the highlight of a slow offensive
night. Jake Lemmerman went 2 for 5 with a double for the team's only other extra base knock, while J.T. Wise and Rafael Ynoa also
had 2 hits in 5 at bats. Getting back to Lee, the 20 year old allowed just 5 hits and 1 run over 6 solid innings while striking out 7. He
walked 3, but needed just 81 pitches to record the 18 outs. After Zach left the game 4 different relievers combined to shut out
Mississippi for the final 5 frames, starting with Geison Aguasviva who hurled 2 innings of 1-hit ball. Javier Solano picked up the win
with a hitless 10th, and Steve Ames recorded the save with a scoreless 11th.
HiA – The Mavericks (Mariners) dealt the Quakes another heart breaking loss as they scored a single run in the 8th and in the 9th for a
6 - 5 win. Similar to what happened just a few days ago, Scott McGough took the loss with another subpar outing. He allowed a single
to start the the bottom of the 9th, then after a balk and a sacrifice bunt the team decided to walk the bases loaded. The plan
backfired, however, as Scott subsequently walked in the winning run. Going back to the start of the game, Brandon Martinez had his
worst outing in a while as he gave up 5 hits, 2 walks, and 4 runs over 5.2 frames. Ryan Acosta gave up the tying run in relief, then as
mentioned above McGough lost the game. At the plate Alexis Aguliar had a perfect day at the plate as he went 4 for 4 with a walk and
2 RBI's. Scott Wingo also drove in 2 with a triple, while C.J. Retherford continued his hot streak with 2 singles.
LoA – The Loons finally put on an offensive show as Great Lakes downed the Silver Hawks (Dbacks) 11 to 6. Nick Akins, who really has
no business being in the Midwest League, finally had a big day as he crushed 2 homers and collected 3 RBI's. Pratt Maynard didn't
have a bomb, but he may have one upped Akins with 4 singles, 3 runs scored, and 2 stolen bases. Joe Winker went 2 for 4 with a
double, while Delvis Morales also recorded a two-bagger and drove in two runs. On the mound Joel Lima struggled a bit in his first
start of the year as he gave up 8 hits and 6 runs (4 earned) over 4.2 frames, but luckily his bullpen was great to help savage the win.
Jose Dominguez had his first strong game in a while with 4 K's over 2.1 innings, while Matt Shelton lowered his ERA to 2.19 with a 1-23 inning.
Rookie Ogden – The Raptors lost in about 2 hours on Wednesday as they managed just 3 singles in a 4 - 2 defeat to Idaho Falls. Jesus
Valdez had the only offensive performance worth mentioning as he went 1 for 3 with a walk and a RBI. Despite the loss starter Jake
Hermsen pitched a solid game as he allowed just 3 hits and an unearned run over 5 frames. Michael Drown gave up 2 runs and
technically blew the save, but Daniel Coulombe was impressive in his 3 innings of work as he allowed just 1 hit and struck out a game
high 5 batters.
Rookie Arizona – Several 2012 draftees played a key role in this victory as the Dodgers came from behind and defeated the Padres 11
to 9. 4th round selection Justin Chigbogu ended up as the hero as his 9th inning homer broke the tie and drove in the eventual game
winning runs. The rehabbing Noel Cuevas also deserves some credit for the victory, however, as his double in the 8th tied the game
and gave him 3 RBI's for the night (to go along with 2 stolen bases). 7th rounder Theo Alexander also had a professional debut to
remember as he went 3 for 5 with a double and a RBI. Starter Jonathan Martinez had a relatively rough start as he gave up 6 hits and 3
runs over 3.2 innings. Kazuya Takano permitted a pair of runs to score over 1.1 frames, while Fransisco Villa got a bit lucky as all 4 of
the runs he allowed were unearned. Rickey Perez recorded his 3rd save of the year with a scoreless 9th.
DSL – The Dominican Dodgers continue to roll on Wednesday with a 5 - 1 win over the Astros. Josmar Cordero didn't have an extra
base hit in this game, but his 2 singles ran his hitting streak to 22 games. Gerson Nunez had 2 more hits to increase his batting average
to .386, while Jeffry Rojas drove in a pair with a single and a sac fly. The Dodgers pitching staff basically split this game into thirds as
Edison Bock started the game with 3.2 innings of shutout ball. 18 year old Wascar Teodo threw the next 3.1 frames and did not even
allow a hit as he lowered his ERA to 1.29, then Willie Canelo finished off the win with 2 innings of 1 hit ball.
Coming up – For the first time in their careers, the cousins are both scheduled to pitch on the same day as Ethan Martin throws for the
Lookouts on Thursday, and Ralston Cash takes the mound for the Loons. Hopefully that will lead to a good title on Friday morning.
Michael Antonini is going to start for the Isotopes, and Derek Cone is going to take the ball for the Raptors.
Minor League Transactions – LoA: Jarret Martin was placed on the DL to make room for 2012 15th round pick Duke von Schamann,
who was promoted to the Midwest League after just two appearances with the Raptors.
Albuquerque Isotopes Box Score (AAA)
Chattanooga Lookouts Box Score (AA)
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Box Score (HiA)
Great Lakes Loons Box Score (LoA)
Ogden Raptors Box Score (Rookie)
Arizona Dodgers Box Score (Rookie)
Dominican Dodgers Box Score (DSL)
Minor League Central - Daily Dodger Recap
Dodgers Await Andre Ethier MRI, But Oblique Suggests Disabled List Stint
by Eric Stephen on Jun 27, 2012 9:44 PM PDT in Los Angeles Dodgers Roster
The Dodgers will await the results of the MRI exam for Andre Ethier, which he will take on Thursday morning. But it seems clear that
Ethier, who injured his left oblique on a check swing in the first inning and then left once the inning ended, could be headed for the
disabled list.
As noted by Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, "The Dodgers say he's day to day, but manager Don Mattingly said when he hears 'oblique,' he
prepares for 20 days."
There have been plenty of examples of oblique injuries in the last year, including a pair of Dodgers.
Ivan De Jesus strained his oblique while swinging on March 17 during spring training, but his injury was so severe that he had to leave
the game immediately, in the middle of his at-bat. De Jesus didn't return to game action for nearly seven weeks.
Last year, Rafael Furcal strained his left oblique and missed 25 games, though his injury occurred on a throw, not while at the plate.
Drew Stubbs hurt his left oblique while swinging and missed 17 games for the Cincinnati Reds, before returning this week. Travis
Ishikawa missed 27 games for the Milwaukee Brewers with a strained left oblique before returning on Monday.
Darnell McDonald missed 23 games for the Red Sox in May He was placed on the disabled list five days after coming into pitch in a
blowout, though he and the team said his appearance on the mound didn't cause the injury. "It wasn’t one particular thing because
it’s been going on for a while. I’ve been treating it but it hasn’t gotten 100 percent, so they want me to rest and get it right,"
McDonald told ESPN Boston in May 13.
Chicago Cubs catcher Steve Clevenger missed 30 games earlier this year. Like Ethier, he hurt himself while swinging, but Clevenger also
suffered a cracked rib, which lengthened his time missed.
Matt Joyce hurt his oblique and was placed on the disabled list last week, though he hopes to return within two weeks.
So if Ethier has to go on the disabled list, who will replace him? One of the trio of Alex Castellanos, Scott Van Slyke, or Jerry Sands is an
option will likely be recalled, but will they play? As previously noted by Mike Petriello of Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness and Cat Fancy,
Van Slyke was not in the lineup for Triple A Albuquerque on Wednesday night in Memphis.
Since their respective returns to Triple A...
Castellanos hit .352/.390/.593 with two home runs and five doubles in 14 games
Van Slyke hit .310/.397/.448 with one home run and five doubles in 15 games
Sands hit .250/.323/.443 with four home runs (including on Wednesday) and three doubles in 24 games.
Another option is moving Juan Rivera to right field and having James Loney play first base, but Mattingly has been increasingly
frustrated in corner infielders Loney and Juan Uribe of late, enough to significantly reduce their playing time.
The offense is in need of a shake-up after 30 innings with no runs, and 13 runs in their nine-game road trip. We'll see what the next
two weeks provide.
Fit To Be Tied: Dodgers Fail To Score In San Francisco
by Eric Stephen on Jun 27, 2012 3:36 PM PDT in Dodgers Game Recaps
The Dodgers' nine-game road trip played out pretty much like a worst case scenario, as the Dodgers on Wednesday did something
they had never done before. With their 3-0 loss to Tim Lincecum and the Giants on Wednesday, the Dodgers completed a three-game
series in San Francisco without scoring a single run.
Not one.
In three games.
The closest they came to a run all series was in the top of the third inning on Wednesday, when pitcher Chad Billingsley doubled, then
advanced to third on a wild pitch. Another wild pitch gave Billingsley enough daylight to think he could score, but a perfect bounce off
the backstop to catcher Hector Sanchez was followed by a throw to a covering Lincecum nailed Billingsley at the plate and kept the
Dodgers off the plate.
The Dodgers have not scored in their last 30 innings, and have been shutout for three straight games for the sixth time since 1918.
Oh, and to top it all off the Dodgers lost likely All-Star right fielder Andre Ethier to a left oblique injury in the first inning on
Wednesday, just adding to the costly road trip. Manager Don Mattingly said after the game, as shown on Prime Ticket, that Ethier
would have an MRI exam on Thursday.
Things aren't all bad for the Dodgers, as even though they finished their road trip with one measly win in nine games they are still tied
for first place in the National League West. But even after losing four straight games and eight of their last nine, they might not have
hit rock bottom yet.
Matt Kemp is likely out until after the All-Star break, and Ethier could soon join him on the disabled list, depending on the severity of
his left oblique injury. Even the most optimistic of Dodger supporters can't possibly look at the scrap heap that is what remains of
their lineup and think this team can score many runs.
I'm trying to find the upside here but I just don't see it. Other than simply hoping the Dodgers can keep their heads above water in 11
games until the All-Star break, what more can they do?
Other than acquire Jeff Francoeur, of course.
As Vin Scully noted on the braodcast, "Now the season really begins."
Up Next
Does it matter? The good news is that the Dodgers return home. They open a four-game series with the New York Mets on Thursday
night, with Chris Capuano starting for the second straight game trying to snap a four-game losing streak, facing his former team. Tall a
Chris Young starts for the Mets.
Andre Ethier Leaves Game With Left Oblique Injury
by Eric Stephen on Jun 27, 2012 2:04 PM PDT in News
The Dodgers road trip from hell got even worse on its final day, as Andre Ethier left Wednesday's game in the first inning with a left
oblique injury. Ethier walked on the first inning, then was erased on a double play by Juan Rivera. It is unclear just how or when Ethier
injured the oblique, but he was removed from the game in the middle of the first after talking with trainer Sue Falsone.
Elian Herrera replaced Ethier in right field.
We don't really know the extent of the injury, but oblique injuries are never good so don't be surprised if Ethier has to join Matt Kemp
on the disabled list. My guess would be that Alex Castellanos would be recalled to replace Ethier, but I'm sure we'll know more
tomorrow.
All that is missing on this road trip as the new Pedro Guerrero breaking his leg sliding into third base and Jim Campanis going on
Nightline.
The Dodgers trail the Giants 2-0 in the fourth inning, and have been held scoreless for 25 straight innings, dating back to Sunday. They
have lost seven of the first eight games on the trip.
Dodgers Look To End Shutout String In San Francisco
by Eric Stephen on Jun 27, 2012 10:51 AM PDT in Dodgers Game Previews
The Dodgers head into their road trip finale in San Francisco looking for one measly win. But perhaps baby steps are in order, and
simply scoring a run against the Giants would be something to cherish.
The Dodgers have been shutout in two straight games and have been held scoreless for their last 21 innings, dating back to Sunday.
Since 1918, the Dodgers have been shutout in three straight games five times.
Dodgers Getting Shutout Three Straight Times, Since 1918
Year
Dates
Shutouts
Innings
1937
Jun 29-30
3
36
1962
Sep 29-Oct 1
3
35
1966
Oct 6-9
3
33
1966
Apr 23-25
3
30
2007
Aug 5-8
3
28
That October 1966 streak was during the World Series, as the Baltimore Orioles held the Dodgers scoreless in the final 33 innings of
their four-game sweep of the Dodgers.
The Dodgers will try to score against Tim Lincecum, who has an eye-popping 6.07 ERA to go with his 2-8 record. Lincecum struck out
eight in five innings at Dodger Stadium on May 9, but a patient Dodger team forced him to throw 101 pitches and eventually got to
him for four runs in a 6-2 win. However, that seems like a lifetime ago.
The good news for the Dodgers is that they have never been shutout in seven starts against Tim Lincecum in San Francisco. But they
have also never scored more than three runs in those games and have lost five of the seven games, winning twice last year when
Clayton Kershaw had Lincecum's number.
Chad Billingsley gets the start for the Dodgers, looking to rebound from blowing a 5-0 lead on Friday in Anaheim in a loss to the
Angels. The Dodgers scored five runs in two innings on Friday night, but have scored six runs in 34 innings since.
A loss Wednesday means the Dodgers and Giants would be tied atop the National League West, and a 1-8 road trip. A win provides a
small amount of breathing room. But first things first, let's see if the Dodgers can touch home plate at least once first.
FOX SPORTS WEST
Punchless Dodgers endure more pain
Joe Rosen – Fox Sports West
For 15 months, Don Mattingly has made the most of his resources during a transitional Dodger phase, easing the evolution of a team
awash in off-the field issues into a competitive, late-surging team in 2011 before emerging as an outright divisional contender this
spring. Los Angeles is 125-112 overall in Mattingly's tenure and 68-43 in their last 111 games dating back to August 2.
His current resources will be stretched thin after a 1-8 roadtrip that ended in disorder with his team being shut out three consecutive
games in San Francisco and middle-of-the-order hitter Andre Ethier suffering what was reported to be a left oblique injury by
broadcaster Vin Scully on Fox Sports West. Ethier slid awkwardly into second based while unsuccessfully trying to break up a double
play in the first inning.
With the extent of Ethier's injury not yet known, Mattingly is hoping he won't have to deal with another significant hole alongside that
of MVP runner-up Matt Kemp, whose return from a hamstring injury before the All-Star Break is questionable.
"It looks like an oblique," Mattingly said after the game. "I haven't really talked to (Dodgers trainer) Sue (Falcone) as far as probably
having an MRI tomorrow to find out the severity of it. We'll kind of go from there."
With the three consecutive shutouts, the Dodgers' scoreless streak reached 30 innings as pressure continues to mount on an
overburdened lineup and pitching staff.
As if that was not enough, the three-game sweep by the Giants left the teams tied for first place in the NL West with the Arizona
Diamondbacks lurking from a five-game distance, the result of an 11-18 Dodgers stretch since the 7½-game first place perch on May
27. It was the first time in team history in Los Angeles that the Dodgers were shut out in three consecutive games.
"It's always been about us. Take care of our business," Mattingly said of having to ward off the Giants in the suddenly tight NL West on
Prime Ticket's Dodgers Live Pregame Show.
Now, Mattingly's club will be severely hamstrung by its resources in an effort to do so. A makeshift lineup once again will be forced to
rely on continued unlikely contributions with pillars Kemp and potentially Ethier missing time.
Elian Herrera, who replaced Ethier in the field in the bottom of the second inning, has seen his average plummet by 55 points as part
of a 2-for-31 slump. But Herrera will likely continue to see playing time with the scarcity of viable options. Jerry Hairston, Jr., 36, has
held up with a six-game hitting streak and enters the upcoming home stand with a .313 average. Though as a career .260 platoon
hitter who has been pushed into every day action, Hairston carries the risk of overexposure in the second half of the season.
James Loney and Juan Uribe are a combined 0-for-their-last-30, while the club ranks last in the majors with six homers in June. Plus,
the Dodgers rank second-to-last in hitting into double plays with 73.
They return home to face the New York Mets, whose 17 runs in a 17-1 thrashing of the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday represent more
than the 13 combined runs the Dodgers scored on their recent roadtrip. LA scored multiple runs in only three of nine games on the
Oakland-Anaheim-San Francisco misadventure.
Mets knuckleballer R.A. Dickey will carry an 11-1 record and a 2.31 ERA into his scheduled start Friday at Dodger Stadium; Johan
Santana (5-4, 3.00) will appear opposite rookie Nathan Eovaldi (0-4, 4.04) on Saturday.
If there is a bright spot to be found, it's that preferred No. 2 hitter Mark Ellis is on the verge of a minor league rehab assignment.
Injured on Tyler Greene's slide into second base during a mid-May game against St. Louis, Ellis displayed his trademark patience and
contact hitting near the top of the Dodgers order. Los Angeles was 22-11 in games he started.
"It sounds like he's getting close to going out," Mattingly said to reporters. "It seems like there's a chance of getting him back before
the [All-Star] break."
The Dodgers will take any major league caliber player afforded to them at this point, and could be forced to re-call Scott Van Slyke or
Trent Oeltjen should Ethier's injury project as anything more than day to day.
Until Kemp returns healthy from the hamstring injury — he may be close to rehabilitating, according to Dodgers.com — this is a Los
Angeles team that will be very fortunate to ride out the remainder of the first half in first place. After the Mets' visit, the NL-Central
leading Cincinnati Reds come to town for three games to close out the seven-game home stand. Then it's four games at third-place
Arizona for Mattingly's crew before the All Star break.
Chris Capuano, a potential NL All-Star with a 9-2 record and 2.60 ERA will look to the stem the tide against Chris Young (1-1, 3.42) and
the Mets on Thursday. The opener of the four-game series will air on Prime Ticket, beginning with Dodgers Live at 6:30 p.m.
ESPN DEPORTES
De vuelta a casa tras gira desastrosa
Por Rigo Cervantez
LOS ÁNGELES -- Dodgers de Los Angeles han finalizado una gira de nueve juegos por tres ciudades, que podría catalogarse de ligerita,
en cuanto a las millas de viajero acumuladas, por tratarse de plazas californianas: Oakland, Anaheim y San Francisco.
Si embargo, viéndola a través del cristal de los resultados, ha sido un periplo, larguísimo, tormentoso y cansón, ya que perdieron todas
y cada una de las series. Al grado que los integrantes del batallón azul que comanda Don Mattingly deben ahora mismo sentirse felices
de que el viajecito ha terminado y que, a partir de este jueves, regresan a jugar en casa.
Un solo triunfo en esas nueve confrontaciones en el camino es una cosecha muy pobre. Particularmente, les fue como en feria en sus
duelos frente a los equipos de La Bahía, ya que primero, fueron despojados por los Atléticos en una ronda de tres juegos de interligas,
para luego, tras visitar Anaheim donde ganaron uno y perdieron dos, regresar y ser humillados por los Gigantes, que también les
ganaron tres al hilo con el agravante de que la novena de San Francisco no les permitió tan siquiera una carrera en 27 entradas
seguidas de beisbol.
Y si se considera que la más reciente anotación de los Dodgers ocurrió el pasado domingo, en el sexto inning, frente a los Angels, en
Anaheim, los bates de los Dodgers se han enfriado a tal grado, que les han colgado 30 argollas en igual número de episodios.
Una racha que intentarán terminar a partir de este jueves en su estadio del Elysian Park.
LLEGAN LOS METS
Efectivamente, Dodgers intentará volver ser aquel equipo arrollador de los primeros dos meses de la temporada y para ello, se verán
las caras ante los Mets de Nueva York, un equipo que viene dando la pelea en la División del Este en el Viejo Circuito, para luego
recibir la visita de los punteros en el sector Central de la propia Liga Nacional, los Rojos de Cincinnati.
La última vez que jugaron en Chávez Ravine, la novena de Mattingly ostentaba la mejor marca, en cuanto a juegos ganados y perdidos,
de Grandes Ligas, con cinco juegos de ventaja en el sector oeste. Hoy, el equipo azul no solo tiene encima a los Gigantes, con quienes
comparte el liderato, sino que hasta el tercer lugar, los Diamondbacks de Arizona ya han recortado las distancias.
HAN FALLADO
Los lanzadores 1 y 2 de la rotación, Clayton Kershaw y Chad Billingsley, han perdido efectividad en sus más recientes salidas. Les ha
costado, tanto al zurdito Cy Young del 2011, lo mismo que al derecho nativo de Ohio, dominar a la oposición y sumar victorias.
La lesión de Ted Lilly vino a complicarle la existencia a Mattingly, porque el jóven Nathan Eovaldi, llamado para tomar su lugar en la
rotación, aunque ha mostrado condiciones no ha podido agenciarse su primer triunfo.
Y ante este panorama, quien ha dado la cara por el elenco de abridores, es el derecho Chris Capuano, quien acumula una marca de
temporada de 9-2, con promedio de efectividad de 2.60, en carreras permitidas.
El bullpen también se ha visto mermado, por la operación artroscópica en un menisco lateral de su rodilla derecha, a que fuera
sometido el apagafuegos texano Javy Guerra.
LAS LESIONES
Y hablando de lesionados, el tema no es menor, y se agravó este miércoles, cuando en el primer inning del juego en San Francisco, el
jardinero derecho Andre Ethier dejó la contienda, luego de barrerse en segunda, con dolencias abdominales.
En lo que va de la temporada para los Dodgers, los dolores de cabeza parecen no terminar, ya que luego de perder a su estelar
toletero Matt Kemp en la segunda mitad del mes de mayo, el recrudecimiento de una lesión muscular en la pantorilla izquierda, lo ha
marginado del juego durante todo junio.
La lista de jugadores que han pasado por la enfermería, no se detiene ahí, también se han sumado Mark Ellis, Juan Rivera y Juan Uribe,
entre otros.
La buena noticia es que Ellis podría iniciar un proceso final de rehabilitación, jugando en algún equipo filial, a partir del viernes,
mientras que el jardinero central Matt Kemp le seguiría los pasos.
LAIST
LAst Night's Action: Dodgers Lose. Period.
San Francisco Giants defeat LA Dodgers 3-0. Three games in three days, and the Dodgers did not score one run. None. The closest the
Dodgers got to scoring a run in this three-game series was in this game when starter Chad Billingsley was on third. In fact he was
inches away from breaking the scoreless streak that went back to Sunday.
Billingsley hit a one-out double in the top of the third inning and took third base on a wild pitch by Giants starter Tim Lincecum.
Lincecum's 6.07 ERA was starting to loom large as he uncorked yet another wild pitch that went all the way to the backstop. Catcher
Hector Sanchez grabbed that ball and tossed to Lincecum covering the plate just as Billingsley started to slide.
The 240-pound Billingsley couldn't move the 90-pound Lincecum. Lincecum tagged Billingsley, showed the ball to home plate umpire
Fieldin Culbreth and got the emphatic punch out at the plate.
Billingsley gave up two runs in the bottom half of the inning, and that was that. The Dodgers mustered only four hits against Lincecum
getting shutout in three consecutive games by the same team for the first time since 1937. Or something like that.
All that needs to be said is that this is pretty historic in the annals of Dodger history the offensive futility. And just to make everything
that much more cheery, Andre Ethier left the game in the first inning with a strained left oblique.
To review. No Matt Kemp and no Andre Ethier in the near future. The Dodgers are now tied with the Giants for the NL West lead. The
Dodgers can't hit worth a lick. And the R.A. Dickey and the Mets are coming to town.
At least Hello Kitty and Keroppi are coming on Sunday.
CBS SPORTS
Dodgers sign Cuban prospect Puig for $42 million
By Danny Knobler | Baseball Insider
The new Dodgers have money, and they're more than willing to spend it.
Thursday, they stunned the baseball world with a monster deal for 21-year-old Cuban prospect Yasiel Puig. Puig agreed to terms on a
$42 million, seven-year deal, sources told CBSSports.com, beating a July 2 deadline for big-money international signings.
Puig's big power attracted interest from at least half a dozen teams, but baseball people familiar with the international market were
still shocked by the size of his contract. Puig got more guaranteed money than either Yoenis Cespedes or Jorge Soler, two Cubans who
got much more publicity when they signed within the last year.
Puig was declared a free agent just this week after establishing residence in Mexico. He wasn't as well known as Cespedes and Soler,
in part because Cuban authorities allowed him to play outside the country just twice.
The Cubans feared that Puig would defect, and it turned out those fears were justified.
Scouts who have seen Puig have come away impressed, although there are some concerns about his conditioning. He didn't hit a
single home run on the first day of his Mexico workout, and tired quickly, blaming the high altitude in Mexico City.
There is also a belief among some scouts that Puig's adjustment to American baseball could take longer than that of Cespedes.
According to the Mexican website solobeisbol.com.mx, Puig worked out in Mexico for scouts from the Yankees, Phillies and White Sox,
among others, in addition to the Dodgers. The Chicago Tribune reported this week that the Cubs were also bidding for Puig.
"You see him on the right day, he could be Vladimir Guerrero," said one scout who is familiar with Puig. "He doesn't have the power of
[Giancarlo] Stanton or [Bryce] Harper, but he's close."
Puig had played in the Serie Nacional, the highest Cuban league. In the 2010-11 season, he hit .330 with 18 home runs in 327 at-bats.
He has played outside of Cuba only twice, because the Cuban authorities were so concerned that he would defect (as he eventually
did).
The Dodgers have been aggressive on the international market this year, with money available after the change in ownership. They
signed Puig despite never having seen him play in an actual game.
As of next week, teams will be severely limited in handing out bonuses to most international players. Each team will have just a $2.9
million signing pool each year, with severe penalties for going over the limit.
Not all Cuban players will be covered by the new rules, which apply only to anyone who hasn't yet played three years in the top Cuban
league (or in top leagues in Japan or Korea). A few Cubans with more than three years' experience are currently trying to establish
residency in the Dominican Republic.
Puig, however, did not have three years in the Cuban league. He would have been covered by the new guidelines, so agent Jaime
Torres faced a tight deadline in getting Puig signed.
Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com first reported that Puig had agreed to sign with the Dodgers.
SI.COM
A year after awful beating, Giants-Dodgers rivalry has different feel
Ann Killion
>INSIDE BASEBALL
SAN FRANCISCO -- Grown men dressed as gnomes -- complete with pointy hats and orange-and-black striped socks -- stood outside
AT&T Park on Tuesday, while a handful of Dodgers fans dressed in blue milled around.
Not exactly a tense, threatening atmosphere for a heated rivalry.
The grown-up gnomes were in line for the latest in an endless stream of San Francisco Giants-related giveaways -- a bearded Brian
Wilson garden gnome -- and by being dressed as garden statues themselves they were ushered directly into a "Gnome Express" line.
The Dodgers fans were on hand to witness their club's first visit to San Francisco of the 2012 season, with their team still clinging to
the division lead.
It was a far different, far more relaxed scene from last season's initial Dodgers' visit to the Bay Area. Back then both organizations
were reeling from the brutal beating of a Giants fan at Dodgers Stadium on opening day. Bryan Stow, a paramedic and father of two
who was wearing Giants colors, was beaten in the Dodgers parking lot and suffered a traumatic brain injury. He is currently in a
rehabilitation facility. Two suspects were arrested last summer and pleaded not guilty last week.
"From the Dodgers standpoint, we learned a lesson," said Los Angeles outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr. "The whole city learned a lesson. This
is still a rivalry but we just want people to be smart about what's going on."
In that first Dodgers visit of 2011 to AT&T Park, the tension was high. Uniformed police were a visible presence as were local fire
fighters and paramedics, who collected funds to help Stow's family. In a rare moment of unity, both teams took the field together.
Giants pitcher Jeremy Affeldt and Dodgers infielder Jamey Carroll stood together and appealed to fans for civility. The ballplayers
asked the fans to remember that this was only a game, to cheer for their team but to respect each other.
"I think it resonates," Affeldt said Tuesday night. "I think there are people out there who don't really care and that's just the world we
live in. But I believe in the goodness of people ... my hope is that people will think twice about what they're doing and why they're
doing it."
Affeldt visited with Stow in February, when he was at a Bay Area rehabilitation facility before he was moved to a facility further away.
The Giants dedicated Opening Day to Stow and had him participate in the pregame ceremonies via satellite. His 13-year old son, Tyler,
threw out the first pitch.
"I think fans everywhere, if they could see Mr. Stow, who is having to learn how to roll over, would understand," Affeldt said. "To see
the damage that took place in a moment that will cause such pain to a family over the course of a lifetime, it's just not worth it."
The message must resonate, right? The lesson must be learned?
But less than four months after Stow was beaten, fans shot each other a few miles from AT&T Park -- at Candlestick Park during a
49ers-Raiders exhibition game.
"So I don't know how far the impact went," Affeldt said.
On Tuesday night, there was a smattering of Dodger blue among the sea of orange and black at the sold-out ballpark. Not all of it
belonged to actual Dodgers fans -- San Francisco police sent a compliment of undercover officers dressed in Dodgers garb to ensure
that fans behaved themselves, using a tactic the department employed during the 49ers-Giants NFC Championship Game. According
to Giants senior vice president Staci Slaughter, the team had a full compliment of security and had no unusual incidents in the first
game of the three-game series on Monday night.
"I think everyone learned a real lesson on both sides," Slaughter said.
Some of the blue in the crowd belonged to authentic Dodgers fans, who didn't seem overly concerned about representing their colors.
"You always have some people saying stuff," said San Jose resident Charlie Turner, who was wearing a Dodgers hat and a Dodgers
World Series championship jacket. "I don't worry about it. Just don't get reactive. We're all here to have fun."
When the Dodgers lineup was announced, the players were heartily booed. The atmosphere at the park was charged, but in a good
way -- the way it should be in a battle between two rivals competing for the division. The environment earned high praise from
Dodgers manager Don Mattingly, who was groomed in some high-intensity ballparks.
"I just like the energy here -- it's a little crazy," he said before the series began. "Fans are kind of rowdy. It's a little Boston-ish for me.
People try to get under your skin. I like that."
On Tuesday night, behind the pitching of Ryan Vogelsong, the Giants shut out Los Angeles -- the first time in a decade San Francisco
has recorded two consecutive shutouts against the Dodgers. The Giants pulled to within one game of the Dodgers, who had a sevenand-a-half game lead on May 27, in the National League West.
"When you've got 42,000 people screaming 'Beat L.A.' you don't want to let them down," Vogelsong said.
That's what they were chanting, gnomes and all. But it didn't seem like anyone was taking the words literally.
SPORTING NEWS
Dodgers' Andre Ethier leaves game with oblique strain
Published 18 hours and 56 minutes ago Last updated 12 hours and 38 minutes ago
Anthony Witrado Sporting News
The Los Angeles Dodgers are going through their worst stretch of the season, and things got worse before their finale with the San
Francisco Giants was even finished Wednesday.
Right fielder Andre Ethier, second in the National League with 55 RBIs, left the game in the first inning after straining his oblique trying
to break up a double play. Oblique injuries are tricky and it could land Ethier, a potential All-Star, on the disabled list with the team’s
other offensive star, Matt Kemp.
Losing Ethier and with Kemp not expected back until after the All-Star break, the Dodgers are in danger of not only falling behind the
Giants in the NL West, but also the Diamondbacks in the near future.
The Dodgers have been hammered by injuries this season, and given the season’s context and timing, a trip to the DL for Ethier would
easily be the most damaging.