LOS ANGELES DODGERS CLIPS
TUESDAY, SEPTMEBER 11, 2012
DODGERS.COM
On a role: Players believe in Dodgers
By Lyle Spencer
The stars haven't aligned properly for the Dodgers yet, and there is no guarantee they will before it's too late to salvage
2012.
A good time to start would be Tuesday night against the D-backs in Arizona, with Clayton Kershaw planning to take the
ball against Ian Kennedy at Chase Field.
The Dodgers are hoping Matt Kemp's shoulder is healed sufficiently to enable him to return to center field and recover
the power stroke that has been missing since he slammed into a wall in Colorado on Aug. 28.
Through all the disappointments of late, including losses in five of six games against the National League West-leading
Giants, there have been some sterling performances from role players, skilled athletes who do not make the big bucks or
stop traffic.
Mark Ellis, the second baseman, and A.J. Ellis, the catcher, have distinguished themselves. Third baseman Luis Cruz has
emerged from obscurity to become the most popular guy in Chavez Ravine.
Now, if only the big guys on the marquee can start delivering with consistency, perhaps the last week of the season will
be meaningful and fans won't be deflated when October arrives.
Money obviously doesn't buy championships, but it certainly raises expectations. The Dodgers knew that when they
made blockbuster deals with the Marlins and Red Sox in July and August for big-name, big-ticket talent.
"I think expectations are good -- great, really," Mark Ellis said. "You want to have those expectations."
Ellis, known primarily for his superior glove throughout his career, has adapted nicely to the leadoff role in a
reconfigured Dodgers lineup with the arrivals of Adrian Gonzalez and Hanley Ramirez in the heart of the order.
"It's different when you're out there every day," Ellis said. "Yeah, we're expecting [to break loose]. We've got the talent.
It's just that sometimes guys are trying to do more than they can.
"We're running out of time a little, but we're not dead. The season's not over."
The guy is doing his part to jump-start the dormant offense. Ellis' on-base percentage of .357 is rock solid, along with his
. 274 batting average.
He's not a classic burner in the form of Dee Gordon, who began the season in the leadoff role, but Ellis can get around
the bases -- if the guys behind him do what they're paid so handsomely to do.
"It's not like it's the first time I've done it," Ellis said of the leadoff responsibilities. "I'm just trying to do the best I can to
get on and make things happen. There's nothing else you can do."
The Dodgers are 8-7 with Ellis leading off, 40-28 when he bats second. Shane Victorino has some history hitting at the
top of the order in his Phillies days, but his .321 OBP this season isn't what you want from your catalyst. He's been
hitting second, between Ellis and Gonzalez.
"Mark's been doing a solid job for us, getting on base," manager Don Mattingly said. "We just need to get things going
behind him."
In a season littered with debilitating injuries, the new second baseman is no exception. Ellis was out from May 19 to July
4 with an injured left leg, missing 43 games.
Reflecting his overall value, the Dodgers were five games under .500 in his absence.
Cruz arrived on July 2, unheralded, with few expectations. He has taken full advantage of every opportunity, carrying a
.292 batting average through 57 games, with a .426 slugging percentage.
Like Ellis, Cruz feels the Dodgers are capable of exploding any day and carry it to the finish.
"Everybody knows the kind of talent we've got," Cruz said. "We've got to keep playing, keep the faith.
"We still have a lot of baseball left. We've got to keep fighting, stay positive -- and stay together.
"We have a lot of great players here. Once we get rolling, we can win a lot of games. I'm confident -- and so is everyone
else in the room.
"We're not going to quit, I know that for sure. We'll keep fighting to the end."
LA TIMES
Dodgers are facing an arduous road to reach the playoffs
By Dylan Hernandez
PHOENIX— The Dodgers are expecting Clayton Kershaw to return from a hip injury and pitch Tuesday against the
Arizona Diamondbacks. They are also anticipating Matt Kemp will have recovered from his shoulder problems and be
back in the lineup.
"It has to be Tuesday," Manager Don Mattingly said.
That is, Tuesday must be the day the Dodgers start winning games at an abnormally high rate if they want to give
themselves a chance to reach the playoffs.
The Dodgers have lost nine of 15 games since they added Adrian Gonzalez to a lineup that already included Kemp,
Hanley Ramirez and Andre Ethier. Before their day off Monday, they trailed the first-place San Francisco Giants by 5 1/2
games in the National League West and the St. Louis Cardinals by 1 1/2 games for the second of two wild-card spots.
"Hopefully, we catch fire and get rolling soon," outfielder Shane Victorino said.
With only 21 games remaining, the calendar is against them. So is their schedule.
Which team could the Dodgers start a winning streak against if not the Diamondbacks?
The Diamondbacks all but conceded their season was over last month when they traded shortstop Stephen Drew and
starting pitcher Joe Saunders to contending teams. The two-game set at Chase Field might be the softest part of what's
left of the Dodgers' schedule.
Their three opponents after the Diamondbacks are the Cardinals, Washington Nationals and Cincinnati Reds. If the
playoffs started today, all three teams would be in.
The Dodgers' games against the Nationals and Reds, who lead their respective divisions, are part of a nine-game trip that
will end in San Diego. The Padres sit in fourth place in the NL West but have the best record in the division since June 30.
The Dodgers close the season with a six-game homestand that includes three games against the Colorado Rockies and
three against the Giants.
But that season-ending series probably will not decide the division title.
If the Giants win half of their remaining games, the Dodgers would have to close the season on a 16-5 tear to tie them
for the division title. But the Giants' victory over the Dodgers on Sunday was their 13th win in their last 18 games against
division opponents, and they won't face any more teams outside of the NL West.
The Dodgers' four-game series against St. Louis this week gives them a chance to overtake the Cardinals in the wild-card
race. But the Cardinals have six games left against the Houston Astros and three against the Chicago Cubs. As of Sunday,
the Astros and Cubs were two of only three NL teams that were officially eliminated from playoff contention.
The Astros and Cubs also have upcoming games against the wild-card-contending Pittsburgh Pirates, who began Monday
a game behind the Dodgers. However, the Pirates lost for the seventh time in nine games Sunday.
None of this will matter if the Dodgers don't start scoring runs.
In the 15 games the Dodgers have played with Gonzalez in their lineup, they have averaged only 3.3 runs per game.
Before their trade with the Boston Red Sox, they were averaging 4.0 runs per game.
Gonzalez is batting only .242 as a Dodger, but .313 with men in scoring position. On the season, he is hitting .387 with
men in scoring position.
But Gonzalez has rarely hit under those circumstances over the last two weeks.
Victorino, who was acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies at the July 31 nonwaiver trade deadline to be a spark plug at
the top of the lineup, has batted only .245 in 35 games with the Dodgers.
Victorino said he doesn't know why he hasn't reached base more.
"I'm just plugging along," Victorino said. "Do I want to be on base every single at-bat? Absolutely. Hopefully, it does
happen more. But at the end of the day, I go out there and I give my best effort. That's all I can ask of myself."
Dodgers beef up front office with City Hall connections
By Steve Dilbeck
Looks like the new Dodgers owners want a cozy relationship with downtown political types.
On Monday they added two new members to their front office staff, both veterans of City Hall politics.
Renata Simril is the Dodgers' new senior vice president of external affairs, and Rafael Gonzalez is the team’s new
director of community relations.
Simril kinda, sorta takes over Howard Sunkin’s vacant old position. Sunkin’s title was senior vice president of public
affairs, and although he did deal with downtown officials, he evolved more into Frank McCourt’s No.1 assistant. Simril
will not oversee the Dodgers Dream Foundation, which is where Sunkin – who left the team when it was sold and has
since lost approximately 30 pounds – and the team got into trouble with the state attorney general’s office.
Simril is a former deputy mayor under Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn. She was most recently a managing director at
Jones Lang LaSalle, an international commercial real estate firm, responsible for the financial and professional services in
the firm’s public institutions division.
Gonzalez served as a senior member of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s staff and was most recently responsible for leading
his civic initiatives.
Smiril figures to act as a key go-between with Dodgers and downtown when they start plans to remodel Dodger
Stadium.
Reality calls: It's time Dodgers focused on catching Cardinals
By Steve Dilbeck
So how about those Cardinals?
Got 'em in your sights? The Dodgers best have, because their chances of winning the National League West appear
about as likely as Adrian Gonzalez opening at the Comedy Club.
The Dodgers begin this off day 5 1/2 games back of the Giants in the NL West and six in the loss column, with 21 games
left to play.
That’s a long ways back, with precious few days to play catch-up. If the Giants go just 11-11 over their final 22 games,
the Dodgers would have to go 16-5 just to tie them.
Hey, it’s a swell thought, but reality leads elsewhere. And right now, it leads to one of the NL’s two wild-card berths.
If the season were to end today, Atlanta and St. Louis would capture the berths and have a crazy one-game playoff.
The Dodgers currently trail the Cardinals by 1½ games for that second spot. And the Cardinals come to Dodger Stadium
for a four-game series beginning Thursday.
Now that the Dodgers stumbled in San Francisco over the weekend, their focus needs to be on the Cardinals. And they’d
best be looking at taking at least three of those games against St. Louis, because after the Cardinals leave Los Angeles
they play nine consecutive games against the woeful Astros and Cubs. While the Dodgers will be playing their next six
against division leaders Washington and Cincinnati.
These are not the Cardinals of Tony La Russa and Albert Pujols, but they remain formidable, and overtaking them is a
serious challenge. One the Dodgers showed no inkling of being able to handle over the weekend against the Giants.
The Dodgers are 4-3 against the Cardinals this season, having lost their last three.
Should the Dodgers make it to a one-game playoff, they no doubt would like to send out ace Clayton Kershaw. His next
start was pushed back until Tuesday because of a sore hip, and that has him in line to start the opener against the Giants
on Oct. 1 in the final regular-season series of the year.
That means he would have to start the Oct. 5 wild-card playoff on four days rest instead of his customary five.
Still, even getting there is daunting. Which now makes the looming four-game set against the Cardinals their biggest
series of the year.
ESPN.COM
For Dodgers, a painful time of year
By Mark Saxon
Less than 48 hours before the Dodgers scratched Clayton Kershaw from his scheduled start in San Francisco because of a
hip injury, the team's best pitcher sounded optimistic one minute. The next, he sounded realistic.
"Yeah, I feel great physically, 100 percent," Kershaw said. "I mean, obviously I'm probably not 100 percent, like anybody
at this point, but you've got to trick yourself."
The final three weeks of this Dodgers season could well come down to how well this team, particularly Kershaw and
Matt Kemp, can deceive itself. September is a tricky time for contending baseball teams. The games are at their most
exciting, the finish line beckons, but the players' bodies are at their most defeated.
An accumulation of maximum-effort throws tends to stretch a pitcher's muscles and ligaments. Diving attempts in the
field and slides on the bases bruise position players' bodies. Welts from being hit by baseballs -- either from the pitcher's
hand or fouled off the bat -- can linger for weeks. Extra swings in the batting cage tend to tweak muscles and tendons.
After six months of relentless pounding -- including spring training -- just running out to the field can be a painful
experience.
"We have a great life. We’re well taken care of, but it is a rough road," said veteran Adam Kennedy. "It’s a long season
and your body does get beaten up."
While with the Seattle Mariners, Kennedy tore the plantar fascia in his foot shortly after the All-Star break last season.
He kept it to himself and batted .190 after the All-Star break. Kemp was in a miserable hitting funk before he finally
approached manager Don Mattingly and said it was time to get his shoulder looked at. It's a delicate balancing act for
players. Are they helping the team or hurting the team by playing in pain?
"You feel a huge responsibility to the team first," Kennedy said, "and you don’t want to miss out on being part of
something."
After 141 games, nobody in the Dodgers' clubhouse feels fresh. But the wild-card race could hinge on the health of
Kemp and Kershaw. The Dodgers' chances are teetering after a rough series in San Francisco. They could come crashing
down if neither Kemp nor Kershaw can go on Tuesday in Arizona.
Kemp has already missed more than one-third of those 141 games because of hamstring, knee and shoulder injuries.
Saturday, doctors in San Francisco injected his left shoulder with two substances. One was a dye for a contrast MRI,
which turned up no damage other than inflammation.
The other was cortisone, a powerful inflammation reducer that carries side effects, including the possibility it will
weaken the nearby tendons. Kershaw also received a cortisone injection. Such shots are often a medical staff's last
resort, which tells you the potential severity of both players' injuries.
Kemp, who injured himself slamming into an outfield wall two weeks ago, still feels severe pain in his left shoulder,
particularly when he swings and misses at a changeup or curveball. It's doubtful that pain will completely disappear after
a few days of rest.
"I wish this wasn't going on right now, but unfortunately, injuries are part of the game," Kemp said. "They've been part
of my game all year."
Kershaw's situation also is far from cut and dry. If he gets through the first inning in Arizona on Tuesday, he will have
surpassed 200 innings for the fourth straight season (including the 2009 playoffs). That's a hefty work load for a 24-yearold pitcher. The Dodgers' long-term plans rest heavily on Kershaw, who also has been dealing with plantar fasciitis in his
right foot this season.
Kershaw said doctors probably will "take a look at it in the offseason," but he has no plans to stop pitching because of
the often-severe pain in his foot. He also pushed hard to pitch Sunday's game in San Francisco, but manager Don
Mattingly -- probably wisely -- held him out for two more days.
"It's not affecting me at all. It was at the time, but not anymore," Kershaw said. "I just don't worry about it."
This is the time of year when you have to take everything these guys say with a grain of salt and, perhaps, with an antiinflammatory or two.
DAILY NEWS
L.A. Dodgers' Mark Ellis overcomes turbulent season, thrives in leadoff spot
By Gideon Rubin
At a stage in his career where he's supposed to be winding things down, Mark Ellis seems to just be getting warmed up.
At 35, the scrappy Dodgers second baseman has emerged from an injury that nearly left him an amputee to become a
key member on a team locked in a playoff chase going into the final three weeks. He brings a stellar glove and a
steadying influence to the lineup and in the clubhouse in what has been a uniquely turbulent season.
Since moving into the leadoff spot last month, Ellis has thrived.
In 16 games since manager Don Mattingly put him atop of arguably the most dangerous middle of the lineup
combinations in the National League, Ellis is batting .354 (23 for 65) with six extra-base hits.
"I hit leadoff a lot when I was in Oakland," Ellis said. "Obviously, I was a little bit younger, but I could (not) care less
where I hit. I'm going to hit the same way if I'm hitting first, eighth or ninth.
"Whatever's going to work best for our lineup and our team."
Ellis has hit safely in seven consecutive games, and in 14 of his past 16.
"He's been good, he's been solid up there," Mattingly said.
Ellis has also brought some intangibles that, along with his outstanding defense, have contributed to the Dodgers going
47-35 in games in which he starts. (They're 28-22 in games he hasn't.)
Ellis, perhaps the best defensive second baseman in the game according to Mattingly, has a .991 career fielding
percentage that's the second highest all-time mark behind Placido Polanco (.993) among those who have appeared in a
minimum of 750 games at second.
"There's something to be said for a guy who understands the game, who's smart, who's in the right spot," Mattingly
said. "You don't really catch him off-guard on anything. He knows when to move a runner over or bunt a guy over and he
knows when he needs to drive in a run.
"He's a baseball guy."
He's also shown himself to be a gritty guy.
Ellis was involved in a violent collision, when Tyler Greene slid hard into his left leg in a game against the St. Louis
Cardinals on May 18. He underwent emergency surgery hours after the collision that likely saved his leg.
Ellis was back in the lineup within six weeks of the injury that he initially feared had ended his career.
"The first 10 days were a little bit scary," he said. "I wasn't sure what was going to happen, but as soon as I started the
rehab process I knew I was going to be fine. I had to overcome some things but I was able to do that early on in the
rehab process and after that I kind of figured I'd be all right."
Ellis hasn't missed a beat.
He was batting .273 on the day of his collision. He is now hitting .274 (eight points higher than his career average) with a
.357 on-base percentage (22 points above his career average).
"It's been tough," Ellis acknowledged. "It's tough anytime you take off (six) weeks during the season, but to come back
and to be in a race always helps. Just being involved in a September race makes the whole season more rewarding.
"I've been on teams where we've been really good and have had September really matter, and I've been on teams
where September didn't matter at all and obviously more rewarding playing meaningful games in September.
"It's been a challenge, but it's been a lot of fun. There's been a lot of fun moments to the season."
TRUE BLUE LA
Dodgers Week 23 In Review: Hard To Win Without Scoring
By Eric Stephen
The Dodgers had a rough week, losing a pair of series to divisional foes. If they want to find a reason why they are
currently on the outside looking in on the playoff radar, the Dodgers can look to their 28-33 record against the National
League West.
Plus, the Dodgers had their two best players miss time with injury. It was not a good week.
The Dodgers ended the week 5½ games behind the Giants with 21 games left, and are 1½ games back of the Cardinals
for the second wild card spot.
Dodger Batter of the Week: Mark Ellis did what he could to set the table from the leadoff spot with 11 hits and two
walks in six games, hitting .423 with a .464 on-base percentage. But thanks to almost no production of the hitters after
him, Ellis scored just three runs.
Dodger Pitcher of the Week: Clayton Kershaw made only one of his scheduled two starts, but it was good enough to win
this award, as he struck out nine in his seven innings on Tuesday. But a blown lead after he left gave him a no-decision
and led to a Dodger loss in extra innings.
Week 23 Record: 2-4
15 runs scored (2.50 per game)
24 runs allowed (4.00 per game)
.297 pythagorean winning percentage
Season Record: 74-67
557 runs scored (3.95 per game)
539 runs allowed (3.82 per game)
.515 pythagorean winning percentage (73-68)
YAHOO! SPORTS
Boxing fans roundly boo Matt Kemp, who wasn’t where the promoters said he was
By Kevin Lole
One of the traditions at nearly every major boxing event is for the ring announcer to read off a list of celebrities who are
in attendance. The bigger the fight, the more A-list celebrities are usually at ringside.
Promoters were trying to position Saturday's super middleweight title fight between Andre Ward and Chad Dawson at
the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., as a mega-fight. Though it was significant from a boxing standpoint, matching the
unquestioned best fighter from super middleweight against the unquestioned best from light heavyweight, it wasn't the
kind of event that brought out the big names.
When the ring announcer listed L.A. Dodgers' outfielder Matt Kemp as among those in attendance, it generated a loud
and vitriolic chorus of boos from the 8,500 in attendance. They were simply showing support for their local teams,
whether it was the Oakland A's or the San Francisco Giants.
There was only one problem: According to what Kemp told the San Jose Mercury News, he was not at the fight. Kemp
told the paper he is not a boxing fan and went to a concert on Saturday night instead of attending Ward's 10th round
stoppage of Dawson.
"I don't want to watch people get beat up — I've been beat up all year," Kemp said.
Promoter Dan Goossen told Yahoo! Sports he had no idea how the mixup occurred. He said he wasn't involved in the
decisions and said he wasn't sure who made the call.
Goossen had been pitching the fight as a mega-event and after the bout, Ward noted at the post-fight news conference
that "we brought Vegas-style excitement to Oakland."
The crowd of 8,500 was loud and appreciative of Ward's brilliant efforts, but it was deceived by Kemp's introduction.
"As far as the celebrities and all, I don't know, but I didn't have the list," Goossen said. "I heard someone get booed, but I
wasn't sure who it was that they were booing."
Among the celebrities who were introduced was baseball's all-time hit leader, Pete Rose, a long-time friend of Goossen's
who was, in fact, at the fight. Also introduced was Lakers forward Metta World Peace (I didn't seem him at the fight, but
can't confirm he wasn't there) and boxer Shane Mosley (who was in attendance).
On the scale of sins in boxing, this one was relatively minor, but it's just a reminder to never take anything said by a
boxing promoter at face value. There's always a spin factor to consider.
LOSDODGERS.COM
Urge una reacción con el madero
By Lyle Spencer
A los Dodgers se les acaba el tiempo y el motor de su ofensiva no funciona.
Una derrota ante Barry Zito y los Gigantes el domingo dejó a Los Angeles a 5.5 juegos de San Francisco en el Oeste de la
Liga Nacional y a 1.5 de los Cardenales por el segundo comodín.
Naturalmente, no hubo muchas conversaciones en el clubhouse visitante del AT&T Park después del partido del
domingo, la quinta derrota de los Dodgers en sus últimos seis juegos contra los punteros Gigantes.
"No estamos echándonos para atrás", dijo Shane Victorino, jardinero central de Los Angeles hasta que vuelva a la acción
Matt Kemp. "Tendremos la oportunidad de volver a jugar contra este equipo. Esperamos que la división aún esté en
juego para ese entonces."
Victorino se refiere a la última serie de la temporada, del 1ro al 3 de octubre, en el Dodger Stadium entre Los Angeles y
San Francisco. El manager de los Dodgers, Don Mattingly, sabe que la ofensiva de los Dodgers tiene que dejarse ver si el
equipo azul pretende que su próximo duelo con los Gigantes tenga importancia.
"Se trata de ejecución", dijo el segunda base de los Dodgres, Mark Ellis. "Ellos ejecutaron un poco mejor que nosotros.
Tenemos que encontrar la forma de anotar más carreras."
El domingo también era el turno del as Clayton Kershaw, quien fue descartado para su salida debido a una inflamación
en la cadera. Kershaw quería poner su cadera a la prueba, pero aceptó las órdenes del manager y los consejos del
cuerpo médico del equipo.
"No se puede hacer nada con esto", dijo al respecto Victorino. "Nuestro mejor jugador (Kemp) está lesionado también.
No se puede dejar que estas cosas afecten a uno. Claro, uno quiere que los mejores estén ahí, pero hay que seguir
luchando."
El domingo los Dodgers se fueron de 8-0 con corredores en posición de anotar. El viernes fue peor, ya que estuvieron de
10-0 en dicha situación.
"No me preocupo por esas cosas", dijo Victorino, quien se fue de 3-0 con una base por bolas el domingo. "Hay que
seguir adelante. ¿Quiero dar hit en cada oportunidad? Claro que sí. Pero no está ocurriendo.
"Todo el mundo quiere saber qué pasa, pero no analizo eso todos los días. Somos capaces de anotar cinco, 10 carreras
por juego. Somos capaces de ser uno de los equipo contendientes. He estado en peores posiciones que ésta y luego ir a
playoffs."
Hace 12 meses, los Cardenales se encontraban en un hoyo mucho más profundo que el de los Dodgers ahora. Todos
sabemos lo que hizo San Luis. Los Cardenales tenían 74-67, récord idéntico al de los Dodgers ahora mismo, y estaba a
10.5 juegos del comodín el 5 de septiembre del 2011. Cuatro días después estaban a 7.5.
San Luis tomó vuelo y nunca miró para atrás. Si el último club de Tony La Russa es un modelo para estas situaciones, los
Dodgers necesitan hacer algo de ruido y anotar carreras-en cantidades.
"Estos muchachos batearán", dijo Mattingly. "Esa no es la interrogante. Es cuestión de si lo haremos ahora mismo.
"Hemos jugado abajo en el marcador últimamente", continuó el piloto. "Tenemos la clase de ofensiva que debe producir
innings de múltiples carreras. La verdad es que somos capaces de tener grandes entradas. No lo hemos hecho, pero
somos capaces de hacerlo.
"Hemos contado con suficiente pitcheo para ganar muchos juegos. Pero no hemos anotado las carreras."