LOS ANGELES DODGERS CLIPS
WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2012
Dodgers.com
Eovaldi sharp, but LA falls in Kemp's return
By Alex Angert / MLB.com | 5/30/2012 2:13 AM ET
LOS ANGELES -- The stage was set for some old fashioned Matt Kemp heroics on Tuesday night.
He delivered on his part.
Only this time, his teammates, who stepped up admirably to lead the Dodgers to a 9-5 record in his absence, failed to
help in the clutch, as the Dodgers fell to the Brewers, 2-1.
With the Dodgers down one in the bottom of the ninth and the fans on their feet, Kemp smacked a fastball from
Brewers' closer Jon Axford to left-center for a double after working a nine-pitch at bat.
After Andre Ethier was hit by a pitch following the two-bagger, the usually dependable Jerry Hairston Jr. failed to put
down a bunt, forcing him to swing with two strikes, leading to a 4-3 double-play. With Kemp moved to third, James
Loney grounded out to short to end the game and secure the Brewers' victory.
"You want to get the bunt down, obviously, and I tried to do it, but bottom line, I didn't do it," Hairston said. "And I
compound the problem, the last thing I want to do is ground into a double play, but I did that, too. Some nights, it's not
going to be there. It's the big leagues, and you've just got to move on."
While it was hoped that Kemp would resurrect some life into the Dodgers' offense, the ninth inning was another
example of the team's bats continuing to go limp in key moments. The loss moved Los Angeles to 2-4 in its last six
games, after rattling off a six-game winning streak.
"The last couple of days, we've had trouble scratching for runs," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said.
A large reason for that on Tuesday was the performance by Milwaukee's rookie starter Michael Fiers, who was making
his first-ever start in the Majors.
Fiers worked quickly through the Dodgers' lineup, going seven innings, allowing only five hits and one run with no walks.
"You feel the crowd, and how much they support this team, and especially with Kemp back, they're really excited," Fiers
said about the 51,137 in attendance. "For me, it wasn't too tough. I think I handled it decently. I tried not to show too
much emotion, but inside I was going pretty crazy."
The Dodgers countered with their own rookie pitcher, Nathan Eovaldi, who was just as efficient for the most part. Called
up Tuesday morning to replace Ted Lilly -- who was sent to the disabled list Monday with shoulder inflammation -Eovaldi also lasted seven innings, giving up only four hits, two runs and one walk, while striking out four and finishing
with 90 pitches, 63 of which he threw for strikes.
"Eovaldi's ball-strike ratio, absolutely incredible," said Brewers' manager Ron Roenicke. "We kept watching it. It was
sliders, it was changeups, the explosive fastball. That's pretty incredible to do that."
The two young pitchers combined to pitch eight 1-2-3 innings.
However, one mistake erased an otherwise sharp start for Eovaldi.
After Nyjer Morgan started things off in the top of the first inning with a one-out single, the pitcher served up a firstpitch fastball to Ryan Braun, who sent it into the right-field stands.
The Dodgers would have a few opportunities to tie the game, but couldn't convert.
Ethier and A.J. Ellis recorded the Dodgers' first pair of hits on cracked bat singles in the second and fifth, respectively.
Dee Gordon moved Ellis to second in the fifth with an infield single, but the pitcher Eovaldi struck out on a seven-pitch
at-bat without lifting the bat off his shoulder.
Despite a stalled offense, Mattingly didn't consider pinch hitting in that situation.
"We've got a guy out there who is basically coming out of their Minor Leagues with very little experience," he said. "I've
got to believe we're going to put up a couple runs and get back into the game."
With one out in the sixth, Ivan De Jesus got things temporarily rolling with a double down the left-field line. After Kemp
weakly hit a ball that landed only a few yards in front of Milwaukee's catcher, Martin Maldonado, Ethier smacked a
double to right-center to score the runner and record his league-leading 43rd RBI. However, the one run was all Los
Angeles could put together after Hairston grounded out to short to end the inning.
But despite the Dodgers losing in Kemp's homecoming and struggling offensively, the center fielder was glad to be back.
"Exciting," Kemp said, summing up his emotions. "I felt good. It's good to be back with my team. I had some pretty good
at-bats. Hopefully, we can pick up where we left off."
Kemp excited to be back in lineup
By Alex Angert and Lyle Spencer / MLB.com | 05/29/12 10:05 PM ET
LOS ANGELES -- Matt Kemp was born to play, not lead cheers, so the Dodgers' superstar center fielder naturally was
beaming on Tuesday, a few hours before taking the field at Dodger Stadium for the first time in 15 days.
Claiming his left hamstring strain was fully healed, Kemp returned to his familiar No. 3 spot in manager Don Mattingly's
lineup against the Brewers. The National League's Player of the Month for April, Kemp was hoping to regain his stroke
against an unfamiliar right-hander named Michael Fiers, who made his first Major League start.
"I'm ready to go," Kemp said, having ripped Triple-A pitching (5-for-7, two homers) in two rehab games for Albuquerque.
"I actually feel good. I don't even feel [the hamstring strain]. I'm definitely confident in my leg."
Kemp is hitting .359, with 12 homers and 28 RBIs in 34 games. He owns a .726 slugging percentage, and .446 on-base
marks in 117 at-bats. The Dodgers have maintained their winning ways (9-5 in his absence), and continued to deliver a
productive offense largely because of the contributions of A.J. Ellis, Tony Gwynn, Andre Ethier and Jerry Hairston Jr.
"They've done a great job playing good baseball," Kemp said. "I'm back, and it's time to go to work. A lot of guys are
stepping up doing a great job. Tony and A.J. are getting big hits.
"It definitely shows the character of the team, our chemistry. If one person doesn't get the job done, another person
does. That's what it takes to be a winning team. We've lost Mark [Ellis], Juan [Rivera], me, [Juan] Uribe. Those are four
starters. To step up and do what they've done is incredible."
Kemp, who strained the hamstring on May 14, said "it feels like a month" that he's been away.
"I woke up today feeling like it's Opening Day," he said. That might be a good omen. Kemp had two hits, including a
homer, and drove in three runs in a 5-3 Opening Day victory at San Diego.
Dodgers' lineup in flux as regulars return
LOS ANGELES -- Now that Matt Kemp is back from the disabled list, manager Don Mattingly is in search of a new lineup
that works, starting at the top.
While the center fielder was on the DL for the last two weeks, Mattingly used Kemp's replacement, Tony Gwynn, to bat
leadoff, moving the struggling Dee Gordon down to eighth. Before going 0-for-4 Monday night, Gordon, the Opening
Day leadoff hitter, was hitting 8-for-18 since hitting at to the bottom of the lineup.
Against the right-handed Michael Fiers on Tuesday, Gwynn will remain in the leadoff spot, shifting over to left field to
replace Bobby Abreu, who hits lefties better.
Mattingly added that Gwynn has swung the bat well recently, and he's earned him some more playing time. However,
like the rest of the lineup with guys now coming back, the manager couldn't commit to a defined spot for the outfielder.
"It kind of all depends for me with who we got going, where our next couple of games are, how that's matching up, who
we are trying to give a day off to," Mattingly said.
With Juan Rivera nearing his return, Mattingly said he'll need to mix and match certain guys, with a number of players
like Gwynn and Abreu stepping up lately.
"We'll see where it goes," Mattingly said twice before adding that he'll figure it out.
Rivera, Uribe hope to be back soon
LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers welcomed back one Opening Day starter on Tuesday, and they expect the return of
another real soon.
Manager Don Mattingly said outfielder Juan Rivera, who has been on the disabled list with a left hamstring strain since
May 9, should be back with the team when they travel to Colorado on Friday.
"When we first talked about it, and [trainer Sue Falsone] just reminded me, we were talking six weeks, and we're at 19
days," Mattingly said. "So this guy is way ahead of schedule."
Rivera went 2-for-5 with three RBIs during a two-game rehab assignment with the Albuquerque Isotopes. However, he
said he still doesn't feel 100 percent, and he plans to play one or two games for Class A Rancho Cucamonga before
returning.
"I want to get my timing and see how I feel in the knee," Rivera said. "It was a little sore after the second game. Today
it's good, better than the day before. They said it would take two months, but I want to come back before that, so I did
treatment here and at home, alternate hot and cold. I think that helped me a lot, helped me come back early."
Mattingly added Juan Uribe, who hit the disabled list on May 14 with a left wrist injury, is doing better as well.
"He actually is a little irritated they aren't letting him hit today," Mattingly said. "He's been in the cage a couple of days,
and it sounds like he's going to hit BP tomorrow."
Images of Scully bobblehead released
LOS ANGELES -- The images of the Vin Scully bobblehead presented by Farmer John were released on Tuesday. The
bobblehead will be given away to fans with the first 50,000 valid tickets on Aug. 30, when the Dodgers face Arizona.
The Vin Scully bobblehead will be the tenth and final bobblehead given away during the season as part of the Dodger
Stadium Greats Bobblehead series, which has already honored past players such as Orel Hershiser, Don Drysdale and
Maury Wills.
A bobblehead of "The Infield" quartet of Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Bill Russell and Ron Cey was given away before
Tuesday's game.
Gallardo, Kershaw match up in battle of aces
By Tyler Emerick / MLB.com | 5/30/2012 1:22 AM ET
The Brewers spoiled Matt Kemp's long-awaited return to the Dodgers' lineup Tuesday as they won their second
consecutive game in Los Angeles.
But after a 1-for-4 performance, including a double in the ninth inning, the early National League Most Valuable Player
candidate, fresh off a disabled list stint, will look to get the Dodgers back on a winning track on Wednesday in the third
game of the four-game set against the Brewers.
Even though the Dodgers went 9-5 without Kemp, the club is just happy they stayed afloat without their All-Star
outfielder.
"It is good to get Matt back, to start getting a better view of what we've got a chance to look like on a long-term basis,"
Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "We felt as if it was going to be short-term, and we just had to try to survive a
period of time. It was really just surviving. What we've been able to accomplish to a point when Matt got hurt was really
just that rainy-day fund. It bought us a little time where we could struggle and we could still be right there."
On the mound for the Dodgers will be ace Clayton Kershaw, who picked up the loss against the Astros last Friday,
throwing seven innings and allowing five hits, three runs -- two earned -- while walking three and striking out six.
Kershaw is 2-2 in five career starts against the Brewers, with a 4.26 ERA. In his last start against Milwaukee, he threw
eight scoreless innings on the road.
The Brewers will also go back to the top of their pitching rotation, with Yovani Gallardo toeing the rubber. The club's ace
started last Friday against the D-backs in a 7-1 win, in which he tossed 7 1/3 innings of five-hit, one-run ball.
With catcher Jonathan Lucroy going on the disabled list Monday, it's more crucial than ever for pitching to carry the
Brewers' load.
"We have to keep positive, because it's not going to change," pitching coach Rick Kranitz said. "It's just adversity. You
can't give up. We've got to play like we did [Monday] night -- a good, clean ballgame. If we do that, with our pitching
staff, we should be OK. We're going to give ourselves a chance to win. Everybody has to play through things like this."
Dodgers: Rivera, Uribe hope to be back soon
Manager Don Mattingly said outfielder Juan Rivera, who has been on the disabled list with a left-hamstring strain since
May 9, should be back with the team when they travel to Colorado on Friday.
Mattingly added Juan Uribe, who hit the disabled list on May 14 with a left wrist injury, is doing better as well.
Brewers: Lucroy's missed on offense and defense
Expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a broken right hand, Jonathan Lucroy's presence behind home plate, where he caught
four of the five Brewers' starters, will be missed, just like his offensive prowess.
George Kottaras and call-up Martin Maldonado will shoulder the catching load while Lucroy is out. Kottaras is dealing
with a minor hamstring injury himself, so Maldonado made his first Major League start against the Dodgers on Tuesday,
and batted 1-for-3.
Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said Kottaras was feeling better after gutting his way through Monday's game on a balky
left hamstring. He felt cramping while running the bases on Sunday, and remains day-to-day.
Worth noting
• The Brewers used their seventh different starting pitcher this season on Tuesday. The club used just six starters in
2011, fewest in the Majors.
• The Dodgers recalled right-hander Nathan Eovaldi from Double-A Chattanooga to make Tuesday's start against the
Brewers. The corresponding move was lefty Michael Antonini moving back to Triple-A Albuquerque.
Dodgers activate Kemp from disabled list
By Ken Gurnick / MLB.com | 05/29/12 6:10 PM ET
LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers made expected roster moves on Tuesday, activating outfielder Matt Kemp from the 15-day
disabled list, recalling right-handed pitcher Nathan Eovaldi to start against Milwaukee and optioning outfielder Jerry
Sands to Triple-A Albuquerque.
After Monday night's loss, the Dodgers optioned left-handed pitcher Michael Antonini back to Albuquerque to make
room for Eovaldi after a one-day callup.
Kemp makes his return after 15 days due to a strained left hamstring and was in Tuesday night's starting lineup, batting
third against the Brewers.
The Sands move is an indication that Scott Van Slyke has passed Sands on the depth chart of Triple-A outfield prospects.
Van Slyke, however, will probably follow Sands when Juan Rivera returns from the disabled list, which is expected later
this week.
Debate continues as Kemp, Braun dominate
By Lyle Spencer | MLB.com Columnist | Archive 05/30/12 2:11 AM ET
LOS ANGELES -- Months later, whether they like it or not, it's still about Matt Kemp and Ryan Braun. These are arguably
the two best players in the National League, and on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, Braun's two-run homer was the
difference for his Brewers in a 2-1 decision.
Returning to action after a 15-day disabled list visit to heal a left hamstring strain, Kemp showed little rust as 51,137
greeted each of his plate appearances with the familiar "MVP!" chant that could have been interpreted as a Braun taunt.
Facing Michael Fiers, a right-hander making his first Major League start, Kemp struck out, flied deep to right and tapped
out. In his final at-bat, leading off the ninth, Kemp lined closer John Axford's ninth pitch of a classic confrontation to the
left-center gap for a double.
But there would be no late heroics this time for the Dodgers. After Andre Ethier was drilled by a fastball, Jerry Hairston
Jr., unable to get a bunt down, tapped into a double play and James Loney's groundout ended it.
"Matt's a great player, and you expect it from him," shortstop Dee Gordon said of Kemp's attempt to rally his club late.
"Everyone has high expectations for him, and it's rough sometimes. He has high expectations for himself.
"It's great having him back. He swung the bat well, and he's going to continue to do it. He's our leader -- verbally and in
every other way."
Kemp was uncharacteristically subdued in the aftermath, giving clipped answers.
"Exciting," he said, summing up his emotions. "I felt good. It's good to be back with my team. I had some pretty good atbats. Hopefully, we can pick up where we left off."
The Dodgers held their own in their best player's absence, going 9-5, and have the Majors' best record at 32-17. A onerun loss is nothing to get worried about in the big picture. Kemp is back, bringing a game-breaking threat to the heart of
the lineup every night.
"It's always great to have one of the best players in the game in your lineup," said Hairston, who flourished for the
Brewers in their postseason run last October with a .385 batting average in 11 games. "I'm definitely glad to get Matt
back. He had a great at-bat in the ninth, and then I didn't come through, hitting into that double play."
As Braun's teammate last year, Hairston has a keen awareness of the gifts of both players. He sees few in their class.
"In our league," Hairston said, "I would say those two guys are probably the best. They can do everything -- run, hit with
power, play good defense and come through under pressure. Those two guys are as good as it gets."
About 90 minutes before he was to return to center field, Kemp sat in the home dugout and addressed his excitement in
returning to the party after a two-week layoff.
Inevitably, as Kemp expressed how good he felt and how prepared he was to resume attacking fastballs and off-speed
stuff, Braun's name surfaced. Kemp and Braun have become joined at the hip, it seems, since they ran 1-2 -- Braun, then
Kemp -- in the 2011 National League Most Valuable Award balloting.
The expectation that Kemp, given his superior production numbers, would bear resentment over Braun's victory at the
polls never has materialized in any form. Even as Braun was exposed to a bitter-cold winter of performance-enhancing
drug accusations and eventual exoneration, Kemp never joined the camp of the dissenters crying foul over the MVP
Award slight.
"That's one of my homeboys, one of my favorite players," Kemp was saying before the game when asked about Braun. "I
hope he continues to have a great season."
When an effort was made to pursue the PED case, Kemp said he was closed for business.
"That's over," he said. "I'm done talking about that. His numbers are the same as last year. I don't see a change. He's the
same guy he was last year."
Braun is a native Southern Californian, Mission Hills born, schooled on John Elway's turf at Granada Hills High School
before moving on to the University of Miami.
He couldn't have anticipated much love from the fans back home, and they showered him with boos. A fan in the leftfield boxes, awarded a free baseball by Braun after he picked up a foul ball, elected under peer pressure to heave it back
on the field.
Braun handled it all with typical California cool, later bluffing another toss into the crowd before pulling it back.
Braun quickly and decisively affirmed Kemp's remark about his game not suffering under the weight of the drug matter
and its lingering effects with the public.
Going the other way with a Nathan Eovaldi fastball after Nyjer Morgan's one-out single in the first, Braun put it in the
right field seats -- a location not frequently visited by right-handed hitters.
"He can hit pretty much anything," Eovaldi said of Braun. "With him, you have to go up extremely high. He's a real
intelligent hitter."
Eovaldi retired Braun in his second at-bat, but the MVP walked in the sixth and singled in the ninth, stealing his 10th
base before getting stranded.
Dodgers manager Don Mattingly views Braun as one of the few players in Kemp's elite class.
"He can flat-out hit," Mattingly said. "You can say whatever you want; this guy can play. He steals a bag when they need
one, and he's gotten a lot better in the field. He's the same type of guy [as Kemp]. He's a dangerous cat."
Kemp is hitting .355 with 12 homers and 28 RBIs in 35 games. Braun is at .315 with 14 homers, 36 RBIs in 47 games. Let
the debate continue.
L.A. Times
Ryan Braun gets the most valuable hit against Dodgers
Brewers win, 2-1, thanks to Braun's first-inning homer. Matt Kemp is left stranded on third at the end of his first game
back.
May 29, 2012, 11:15 p.m.
While Matt Kemp was serenaded with chants of "M-V-P!" in his return from the 15-day disabled list, the player who
actually won that award last season was subjected to constant boos and taunts by the crowd at Dodger Stadium.
Ryan Braun, who grew up in nearby Granada Hills, was booed when he was introduced as part of the Milwaukee
Brewers' lineup. He was booed every time he stepped into the batter's box. He was booed when he stole a base. When
he flipped a foul ball into the stands, a fan threw it back onto the field.
But Braun's opposite-field, two-run home run in the first inning off Nathan Eovaldi was the difference Tuesday night,
giving the Brewers at 2-1 victory over the Dodgers.
Braun was two for three with a walk. Kemp was one for four with a double.
"I wouldn't say it was something I wasn't anticipating," Braun said of the crowd reaction. "It's not the way I would
choose for it to be, but it certainly makes it enjoyable as a competitor."
Braun not only edged out Kemp for the National League most-valuable-player award last season, he later tested positive
for performance-enhancing drugs. Had his 50-game suspension not been overturned on a technicality, he would have
remained ineligible to play until the series finale Thursday.
Braun said in spring training that he felt it was unfortunate fans would judge him "without knowing what actually
happened." But Braun has steadfastly refused to explain the positive test.
Asked if he might reconsider that position, Braun replied, "I'm not even going there at all."
At that point, the team's director of media relations ended the postgame question-and-answer session.
"Thanks, guys," Mike Vassallo said.
Kemp, who calls Braun a friend, also had no intention of revisiting the controversy. Asked what he thought of how Braun
was booed, Kemp said, "Next question."
Earlier in the day, Kemp defended Braun by pointing to his statistics this season. Braun is now hitting .315 with 14 home
runs and 36 runs batted in.
"His numbers are the same as they were last year," Kemp said. "I don't see a change. Whatever happened — if it did
happen or didn't happen — he's still the same player that he was last year and he continues to have a great season."
Kemp was otherwise in high spirits.
"I felt comfortable," Kemp said. "I had some pretty good at-bats. I had no complaints other than that we lost."
He said he woke up feeling as if it was opening day.
The two weeks he was sidelined, he said, "felt like a month."
Mike Fiers, who made his first major league start, struck out Kemp on three pitches in his first at-bat. Kemp hit a ball to
the warning track in the fourth inning and grounded out to the catcher in the sixth.
Kemp's groundout was immediately followed by a run-scoring double by Andre Ethier that cut the deficit to 2-1 and
increased Ethier's league-leading RBI total to 43.
Kemp led off the ninth inning with the double to left-center. Ethier was struck by a 97-mph fastball from Brewers closer
John Axford. But with two on and no outs, Jerry Hairston Jr. couldn't get a sacrifice bunt down, then hit into a double
play. James Loney grounded out to short with Kemp on third to end the game.
Eovaldi, who was called up from double A to replace the injured Ted Lilly in the Dodgers' rotation, held the Brewers to
two runs and four hits over seven innings but absorbed the loss.
Elian Herrera finally gets the call to the majors
Thanks to injuries, the versatile Herrera gets a chance with the Dodgers at age 27. And he just might stick around.
By Dylan Hernandez
May 29, 2012, 8:40 p.m.
Of all of the unexpected contributions the Dodgers have received this season, none has been as unexpected as that of
Elian Herrera.
Herrera wasn't even in major league camp during spring training. He was in his 10th season in the Dodgers' minor league
system when he was called up from triple-A Albuquerque on May 14 to replace injured third baseman Juan Uribe. He
made his major league debut a day later at the age of 27.
"I'd like to tell you that I studied the minor league system and knew this guy could play, but I can't say that," Manager
Don Mattingly said.
Herrera went into Tuesday batting .310 in 12 games. He has started 10 games — eight at second base, one at third and
another in center field. Even as established players start returning from the disabled list, Herrera figures to remain in the
major leagues. Mattingly has mentioned him as a potential leadoff hitter.
Herrera's journey from the Dominican Republic to the majors was long, difficult and, he says, beneficial. "During that
time, I was able to learn the things necessary to play at this level," Herrera said.
Mattingly compares Herrera to Casey Blake, the third baseman on the Dodgers' 2008 and 2009 playoff teams. Blake,
now retired, spent seven seasons in the minors before his first major league call-up.
"Those guys get a ton of baseball," Mattingly said. "When you've been through that many minor league seasons, that
means you've been to a lot of spring trainings, you've heard a lot of talks about defense, you heard a lot of talks about
baserunning, you've been through a lot of baserunning drills, bunting drills."
Herrera was signed by the Dodgers as a catcher after a weeklong tryout in 2003. His bonus: $15,000.
He remained three years at the Dodgers' Campo Las Palmas facility in the Dominican Republic. In 2006, he finally made
his way to the United States and the Dodgers assigned him to their rookie league team in Vero Beach, Fla.
"You don't know the language," Herrera said. "The food is different. The culture is different."
But in Vero Beach, he was with several other Dominican players. Because he was in Florida, he frequently encountered
other Spanish speakers.
Life became harder when he moved to places such as Midland, Mich., and Ogden, Utah. There, he lived with host
families.
"You didn't encounter people there who could speak Spanish," he said. "I wasn't able to go out and buy food, get a taxi,
respond in the case of an emergency. That's what forced me to learn how to speak English."
It was in Michigan that Herrera met his American-born wife, Staci, with whom he has a 2-year-old daughter.
Herrera was slow to develop, but he possesses a number of above-average baseball tools, which kept the Dodgers
intrigued. He could run, he could throw, he had nice hands, he was a decent hitter.
"You have to have the skills to stay around," farm director De Jon Watson said.
Herrera said he never lost hope of reaching the majors.
"In the Dominican they say, 'Give 100%. What happens happens,'" Herrera said. "Even if you don't reach your goal, you
could always tell your children, 'I gave the most I could give.' My dad taught me that."
Herrera's father, Martin, was a former pitcher who hurt his arm before he could sign with a major league club.
Herrera learned of his major league promotion last month while stretching with his team before a triple-A game. The
manager called the team together.
"He told me the news in front of everybody," Herrera said. "It's something I always waited for. Every player is waiting for
that call."
Dodgers' Juan Rivera is close to return
Rivera is optimistic he will be able to play this weekend against Colorado, which will make left field crowded.
By Dylan Hernandez
May 29, 2012, 9:10 p.m.
Matt Kemp was activated from the 15-day disabled list Tuesday. Juan Rivera shouldn't be far behind.
"Two, three more days," Rivera said.
The Dodgers' opening-day left fielder, Rivera played alongside Kemp on a two-game rehabilitation assignment with
triple-A Albuquerque on Sunday and Monday.
Rivera rested Tuesday and was expected to resume playing with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga the next day. He said he is
optimistic that he will be able to play in the Dodgers' upcoming series against the Colorado Rockies in Denver, which
starts Friday.
Rivera is recovering from a torn tendon in his left hamstring. At the time of his injury, he faced the possibility of surgery.
To avoid a potential operation, Rivera stretched frequently. He received treatment not only at the ballpark during the
day, but also in his house at night.
"When I got hurt, I told myself that I wanted to be back in less than two months," he said.
It appears he'll be back in less than four weeks. Rivera was put on the disabled list on May 9.
Rivera said he felt comfortable running in Albuquerque. He once ran from first base to third. He also ran down a fly ball
near the left-field foul line.
"I felt good," he said.
However, he acknowledged that he felt rusty at the plate.
"I didn't see the ball well the first day," he said. "But I felt more comfortable the second day."
Roster and lineup in flux
The Dodgers sent outfielder Jerry Sands to Albuquerque to make room on the active roster for Kemp. Scott Van Slyke is
expected to follow Sands when Rivera is ready to return.
Rivera's return will crowd the outfield.
With Kemp set in center field and Andre Ethier in right, Manager Don Mattingly will have to split playing time in left
among Rivera, Bobby Abreu and Tony Gwynn Jr.
Abreu went into Tuesday batting .339 in 22 games with the Dodgers. Gwynn played center field in Kemp's absence and
took over the leadoff spot when Dee Gordon was dropped to the eighth spot.
On days Gwynn doesn't play, Mattingly will have to find a new leadoff hitter. Potential candidates include second
baseman Elian Herrera and third baseman Jerry Hairston Jr.
Short hops
The Dodgers released images of the Vin Scully bobblehead doll they will give away to the first 50,000 fans on Aug. 30.
Tickets for the game will not be sold individually and are available to the public only as part of season-ticket or 10-game
packages. … Juan Uribe reported improvement in his injured wrist. He is expected to take batting practice on the field
Wednesday. … Hairston turned 36 Tuesday.
Firm that represented Frank McCourt in bankruptcy goes bankrupt
By Steve Dilbeck
May 30, 2012, 7:35 a.m.
Irony is one of our most overused words, but come on …
News has come from back east that the law firm of Dewey & LeBoeuf is filing for bankruptcy.
Besides the little detail that this is the largest law firm to go under in U.S. history, there is this one other notable fact:
The law firm going bankrupt is the same law firm that handled Frank McCourt’s bankruptcy of the Dodgers.
In its filing, Dewey lists liabilities “in the range” of $100 million to $500 million; if that’s the best estimate it can come up
with, it’s no wonder these guys got into financial trouble.
Hey, I know a guy flush with $1 billion who might be able to give Dewey a loan. You could argue he even owes them.
According to court records, McCourt has incurred more than $20 million in “bankruptcy-related expenses.” Bills are still
coming in. That’s not all from Dewey, certainly, but it’s still a lot of attorney fees. And Dewey was discounting its bill.
Dewey is not planning on coming out of this either, but to liquidate. Guess it knows what it’s doing, it does have all that
experience.
Boos don't bother Ryan Braun in Brewers' 2-1 victory
By Steve Dilbeck
May 29, 2012, 9:48 p.m.
They booed him when he was introduced, booed him when he threw a foul ball into the stands, booed him when he
came to bat.
Alas, for Dodgers fans, they also booed Ryan Braun when he trotted around the bases in the first inning for what stood
up as the game-winning, two-run home run.
Braun, the man who edged Matt Kemp as last year’s National League MVP and later beat a positive drug test, got the
last laugh Tuesday in leading the Brewers to a 2-1 victory before an announced crowd of 51,137.
Braun aside, Nathan Eovaldi pitched an excellent first start for the Dodgers. Called up Tuesday to take the spot of soreshouldered Ted Lilly in the rotation, Eovaldi threw seven strong innings.
After Nyjer Morgan singled and Braun homered on the first pitch in the top of the first, Eovaldi was a model of
efficiency. He gave up only two other hits, and walked one. Of his 90 pitches, 63 were for strikes.
Kemp’s return, however, could not spark the Dodgers’ offense against right-hander Michael Fiers, making his first major
league start.
Kemp, in his first game off the disabled list while recovering from a strained hamstring, went one for four. He doubled to
lead off the bottom of the ninth but was left stranded at third afterJerry Hairston Jr.couldn't get a bunt down, then
grounded into a double play.
Fiers kept the Dodgers off-balance and scoreless until the sixth when doubles by Ivan De Jesus and Andre Ethier finally
pushed a run across. But that was all he would give up.
The 26-year-old Fiers, who was 1-3 with 4.42 ERA at triple-A Nashville, went seven innings, holding the Dodgers to the
one run on five hits. He did not walk a batter and struck out three.
The Dodgers are now 21-7 at home this season, but four of the losses have come against the Brewers.
News and notes: Kemp returns, Sands optioned, Eovaldi called up
By Steve Dilbeck
May 29, 2012, 6:06 p.m.
It’s a news and notes kinda Tuesday …
-- Jerry Sands was the one to go with Matt Kemp being activated. He was optioned back to triple-A Albuquerque.
Sands was the system’s minor league player of the year in 2010, but has struggled to take the next step. He went four
for 20 during this call-up, with a pair of doubles.
The Dodgers kept Scott Van Slyke, the minor league player of the year in 2011, who was called up before Sands. Van
Slyke had a memorable game-winning homer, but is hitting just .136 (three for 22).
-- Kemp was excited to return from the 15-day disabled list: “I woke up this morning and it felt like opening day.”
Kemp knows that now that his consecutive games-played streak is over (at 399), Manager Don Mattingly plans to give
him an occasional day off.
“Since the streak is over, I guess he’s planning on giving me a couple days off here and there,” Kemp said. “But he’s
going to have to fight me to get me out of the lineup. I definitely didn’t want to take those two weeks off. I had to take
them off. It won’t hurt.”
-- Juan Uribe and his sore left wrist are reportedly showing improvement again.
Mattingly said Uribe had been hitting off a tee and is scheduled to take batting practice Wednesday.
-- With right-hander Nathan Eovaldi officially called up from double-A Chattanooga to start Tuesday, the Dodgers
optioned Michael Antonini back to Albuquerque. For the second time this season, Antonini was called up without
making his major league debut.
-- With Kemp back in center, Mattingly elected to still start Tony Gwynn Jr.and move him over to left. Gwynn continued
to lead off, with Dee Gordon batting eighth.
-- Things went as expected for Juan Rivera (hanstring) during the two rehab games he played with Kemp in Albuquerque.
Rivera did a normal workout Tuesday at Dodger Stadium and is scheduled to play a pair of games with Class-A Rancho
Cucamonga before hopefully rejoining the Dodgers when they open a 10-game road trip Thursday in Colorado.
-- Kemp on Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun, who beat him out for last season’s National League MVP and then beat a positive
drug test: “His numbers are the same as they were last year. I don’t see a change. Whatever happened – if it did happen
or didn’t happen – he’s still the same player that he was last year and he continues to have a great season.”
--Jerry Hairston Jr. turned 36 on Tuesday. Said Hairston: “Some days I feel 23, some days 52. When you’re 25, you just
feel 25 every day.”
-- It only seems like Bobby Abreu is on base four times a night. His on-base percentage with the Dodgers is .451, which
leaves him ahead of A.J. Ellis (.437) and Kemp (.446), but still trailing Hairston (.474).
Warning: Dodgers can't relax because of the return of Matt Kemp
By Steve Dilbeck
May 29, 2012, 8:10 a.m.
Matt Kemp walked into the Dodgers’ clubhouse late after their 3-2 loss to the Brewers on Monday, and Andre Ethier
greeted him with:
“We got some reinforcements!”
Ah, yes, the return of Kemp. Good news for the Dodgers, certainly. Exciting news, really.
Not that it doesn’t come with one little caveat.
The Dodgers cannot afford to relax with the return of Kemp. Cannot let their guard down, figure all will be better now
and loosen the reins.
They have to use his coming off the disabled list as a spark, not a moment to exhale. Have to keep the pressure on, the
intensity ratcheted.
Kemp can lead, but not be asked to take over.
“It’s not probably something I’ll really talk about, but I think we have to get contributions,” said Manager Don Mattingly.
“We still don’t know how Matt’s going to come back.
“We can’t expect Matt to come back and everything is good. He has to do his part, everybody else needs to keep doing
their thing. It’s going to have to be a group effort, just like it has been for the most part.”
After Kemp initially injured his hamstring, he continued to play, but not well. In his last seven games, he hit .200 (4 for
20) with only one run batted in. His batting average fell from .392 to .359.
During his brief two-game rehab stint at triple-A Albuquerque, he certainly appeared healthy again (five for seven, five
RBIs, two home runs). Yet it’s uncertain exactly how quickly he can regain his prior form, assuming he can; he was
playing at the highest level in the National League before his injury.
Without him, the Dodgers went a healthy 9-5 and actually gained a half-game over the Giants in the NL West. Tony
Gwynn Jr. mostly filled in at center and hit .304 with six runs scored and three stolen bases.
“That’s why you call it a team, right? We talked about it during spring training; it’s going to take more than one guy to do
this,” Mattingly said. “We’re going to need contributions all around that clubhouse, and we’re getting it.
“We kind of survived this 15-day period. There’s a lot of baseball to be played. We know there’s a long way to go and
[Kemp’s return] just makes us a little bit stronger.”
Just as long as they don’t expect the reinforcements to carry too great a load.
ESPN.com
Matt Kemp comes off DL
By Tony Jackson | ESPNLosAngeles.com
LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp declared himself ready for action after being activated
from the 15-day disabled list before Tuesday night's game against the Milwaukee Brewers, this after a two-day
rehabilitation stint with Triple-A Albuquerque in which he went 5 for 7 with a double and two home runs.
In his return, Kemp went 1-for-4 with a double in a 2-1 loss to the Brewers.
Kemp had been sidelined with a left hamstring strain since May 14, missing a total of 13 games.
"It felt like a month," Kemp said before the game of his two-week DL stint, just the second of his career and the first
since 2007. "I woke up this morning feeling like it was Opening Day. I'm pretty excited ... to get back out there and be
with the boys."
Before the injury, Kemp had the longest consecutive games played streak in the majors at 399, but manager Don
Mattingly plans to give Kemp an occasional day off now.
"Since the streak is over, I guess he probably is going to give me a couple of days off here and there," Kemp said. "He is
going to have to fight to get me out of the lineup. I definitely didn't want to take those two weeks off, but it certainly
didn't hurt."
To clear a roster spot for Kemp, the Dodgers optioned outfielder Jerry Sands to Triple-A Albuquerque. As expected, the
team also recalled right-hander Nathan Eovaldi from Double-A Chattanooga so he could start against the Brewers, a spot
having been cleared for him the previous night when lefty Michael Antonini was sent back to Albuquerque.
Kemp returned to the starting lineup in his customary third spot. At the time of his injury, he was hitting .359 with 12
homers, 28 RBIs and a .446 on-base percentage. Any concern the layoff would hurt his swing appeared to be alleviated
by his performance during the rehab with the Isotopes.
Meanwhile, left fielder Juan Rivera, also on the 15-day DL since May 9 with a left hamstring strain and joined Kemp on
the two-day rehab at Albuquerque, was back with the team on Tuesday. He will resume his rehab on Thursday with
advanced Class A Rancho Cucamonga, and Rivera said he hoped to play two days there and then be activated in time for
Friday night's game at Colorado.
Matt Kemp returns, but Ryan Braun's home run gives Brewers win
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES -- Ryan Braun became the player Los Angeles Dodgers fans love to hate after he beat out Matt Kemp for
the National League MVP award last season. On Tuesday night, he showed how well he responds to the hostility.
Braun hit a two-run homer in the first inning, leading the Brewers to a 2-1 victory and helping first-time starter Mike
Fiers spoil Kemp's return from the disabled list.
The crowd of 51,137 jeered Braun lustily every time he came up -- as they did in Monday's opener of the four-game
series. He answered them with a first-pitch drive into the right-field bullpen after Nyjer Morgan singled with one out in
the first inning. It was his 14th homer of the season, two more than Kemp, who had missed the previous 13 games
because of a left hamstring strain.
"I wouldn't say it was something I wasn't anticipating," Braun said of the booing. "As a competitor, (it) kind of makes it
fun. It's not something I would choose for it to be, but it certainly makes it enjoyable. More than anything, it was nice to
get on the board early."
Last season, Braun helped lead the Brewers to a franchise-record 96 victories and a berth in the NL Championship Series
with 33 homers, 111 RBIs and a .332 average -- compared to Kemp's 39 homers, 126 RBIs and .324 average. The first
time Kemp came up Tuesday, he was welcomed with chants of "M-V-P! M-V-P!" But he struck out and finished 1-for-4.
"I felt good. I didn't feel uncomfortable at all," said Kemp, who homered twice during his two-game minor league rehab
stint. "I'm not rusty. I had some pretty good at-bats, so I felt happy with what I did today, other than the fact that we
lost. I was a little frustrated the last two weeks, watching the other guys play, but they definitely took care of business
while I was gone."
One fan displayed his contempt for Braun during the Dodgers' third, throwing a baseball back onto the field after the
Brewers' left fielder picked up a foul ball A.J. Ellis hit down the line and tossed it into the stands. When Andre Ethier flied
out to Braun to end the fourth, Braun faked like he was going to throw it to the fans -- but kept it and trotted in.
"It didn't really surprise me too much when they threw it back," said Braun, who grew up in Southern California and
made plenty of visits to Dodger Stadium. "There's a lot more energy here right now than I've seen in a long time. I mean,
when Manny Ramirez was here, there was definitely some excitement. But it's different right now.
"The way they're supporting their team right now is really special," he said. "I think they recognize that the team is on its
way to a special season and the fans are really fired up about the direction this organization's headed, the way
everybody's embracing the new ownership group."
Fiers (1-0) allowed a run and five hits in seven innings, striking out three and walking none in his first major league start
and third appearance after being recalled from Triple-A Nashville. The 26-year-old right-hander gave up his only run
when Ethier doubled home Ivan De Jesus in the sixth for his NL-leading 43rd RBI.
Fiers' catcher was Martin Maldonado, who also was promoted from the Brewers' top farm club Tuesday after Jonathan
Lucroy was placed on the disabled list because of a broken right hand that is expected to sideline him for at least six
weeks. It was the first time in Brewers history that both members of their starting battery were making their first start in
the majors.
"It's good that we could do that together," Fiers said. "Me and Marty always work great together. He knows my pitching
and everything I do and what pitches. He's a great catcher, and I love the fact that he caught me tonight. I've been
working with him for the last couple of years, and we have great chemistry."
Fernando Rodriguez pitched a perfect eighth, and John Axford got three outs for his ninth save in 10 chances. Kemp
ended a nine-pitch at-bat with a leadoff double against Axford, and Ethier was hit by the right-hander's next delivery.
Jerry Hairston Jr. grounded into a double play, sending Kemp to third, but he was stranded there when James Loney
grounded to short.
Dodgers 21-year-old right-hander Nathan Eovaldi (0-1) made his seventh career start and first this season, allowing two
runs and four hits over seven innings with four strikeouts and a walk while filling in for the injured Ted Lilly.
"The difference from last year is that I was better able to locate my offspeed stuff, and that set up the fastball," Eovaldi
said. "I got it up and down in the zone, and it confused the hitters. It felt good. I hope I'm here to stay this time."
Game notes
All four members of the Dodgers' record-setting 8 1/2 year infield -- Steve Garvey, Ron Cey, Bill Russell and Davey Lopes
-- threw a ceremonial first pitch in unison. ... Mickey Hatcher, who was fired as Angels hitting coach May 15, sat in the
owners box next to his former Dodgers manager, Tommy Lasorda, and received a warm greeting from the crowd when
he was shown on the video board. ... Fiers was the seventh pitcher to start for the Brewers -- one more than last season,
when they used the fewest in the majors. ... All five games between the teams so far have been decided by one-run
margins.
Kemp has encouraging, if fruitless, return
By Tony Jackson | ESPNLosAngeles.com
LOS ANGELES -- Matt Kemp's first evening off the disabled list didn't exactly end the way he had hoped. It ended with
him sprinting home from third, but that was only a symbolic gesture, and Kemp was crossing the plate with what would
have been the tying run just as James Loney was being thrown out at first for the final out of the Los Angeles Dodgers' 21 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers before 51,137 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium.
For Kemp, the game had been a mixed bag. He had struck out in his first at-bat, swinging through a way-too-high fastball
from an unfamiliar Brewers rookie named Michael Fiers. He had flied to deep right in the fourth, the ball appearing on
its way to the pavilion until it died and landed in the glove of Brewers right fielder Corey Hart on the warning track.
Kemp tapped out weakly in the sixth.
Finally, though, as he stepped to the plate to lead off the ninth against Brewers closer John Axford, Kemp treated us all
to something special -- and something he would have been wholly incapable of as recently as a couple of years ago. Not
the leadoff double that hinted at a Dodgers rally. Kemp has always had the ability to do that. It was more the at-bat
itself, an exhaustive, nine-pitch marathon against Axford in which Kemp fouled off three pitches with two strikes before
finally plugging the gap.
Kemp has been sidelined for 15 days with a strained left hamstring. It wasn't that long ago -- two years ago, in fact -- that
teammate Andre Ethier was off to the kind of start Kemp got off to this year, suffered an untimely broken pinkie in midMay, spent two weeks on the DL (almost the same two weeks of the season that Kemp just spent there), arguably came
back too quickly and never was quite the same the rest of the year.
Can the same thing happen with Kemp? Well, sure it can. But will it? Not likely. The fact Kemp went 5-for-7 with a
couple of homers in his two-game rehab at Triple-A Albuquerque would seem to indicate a seamless transition,
especially if you buy into the notion that Triple-A pitching isn't that far removed from big league caliber.
And if those first three, fruitless at-bats, all against the baffling Fiers, made anyone uneasy, well, they apparently
shouldn't have.
"I thought Matt was good," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "The ball he hit to right field was hit really well. It is
going to take him a little bit to get totally back, but it won't take him long. I thought his at-bats were good. (Axford) is
tough, and Matt hung right there with him."
If Kemp suffered any ill effects from the time he missed, he wasn't saying so.
"I felt good," he said. "I didn't feel uncomfortable. I had some pretty good at-bats. I was completely happy with the way
it went, other than us losing."
It was only a first step, both for Kemp and the Dodgers. There are other players coming right behind him, with Juan
Rivera possibly coming off the DL by the weekend and Juan Uribe about to start taking batting practice. What has been a
patchwork lineup is close to being a complete one, at a time when the Dodgers (32-17) already have a sizable lead in the
National League West, even though it is two games less sizable than it was 48 hours ago.
Still, it was a comforting thing to see Kemp back on the field and healthy. It was an even more comforting thing to see
him have an outstanding at-bat against one of the toughest closers in the league and eventually win the battle.
The only thing left for the Dodgers to do now is to start reaping the benefits of having a healthy Kemp -- something they
weren't able to do on Tuesday night.
3 up, 3 down: Brewers 2, Dodgers 1
By Tony Jackson | ESPNLosAngeles.com
LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Dodgers' offense was silenced by a Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher for the second
evening in a row, the Dodgers falling 2-1 before 51,137 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium. This time, though, it may
have stung a little more.
This time, the Dodgers didn't have the excuse of a depleted lineup, Matt Kemp having been activated from the 15-day
disabled list earlier in the day. And this time, the pitcher silencing the Dodgers was a rookie named Michael Fiers making
his first major league start -- he did make two relief appearances last year.
Fiers held the Dodgers to a run on five hits over seven dominating innings, using just 89 pitches. The Dodgers' only run
came in the sixth, when Ivan De Jesus and Andre Ethier doubled, but Ethier wound up stranded when Jerry Hairston
grounded to short to end the inning.
The Dodgers (32-17) are once again in danger of their first three-game losing streak of the season. Clayton Kershaw, the
reigning National League Cy Young Award winner, will take the mound against the Brewers on Wednesday night, but he
will be opposed by right-hander Yovani Gallardo, who also garnered numerous Cy Young votes last season.
The good
Welcome back. Kemp's return from the disabled list was a welcome sight for the Dodgers. So far, though, that is all it
was. Kemp went hitless in his first three at-bats, including a strikeout and a tapper in front of the plate. Kemp later led
off the ninth with a beautiful, nine-pitch at-bat against Brewers closer John Axford before doubling off the wall, but
Kemp wound up stranded on third when James Loney grounded to short to end the game.
Settling in. After giving up a one-out, two-run homer to Ryan Braun in the first inning, Dodgers right-hander Nathan
Eovaldi, who was making his first start of the season after being recalled from Double-A Chattanooga before the game,
retired 18-of-21 batters the rest of the way before being lifted after seven. That included one stretch of 12 batters in a
row. Braun would be the last Brewers runner to get past first base against Eovaldi.
Glove work. Loney made another of his increasingly frequent, spectacular plays, this time diving to his left to take extra
bases away from Nyjer Morgan leading off the ninth. Alas, on the very next play, Loney committed what initially was
called an error, allowing a hard smash by Braun to get through him, but the official scorer soon changed his mind and
credited Braun with a single. Braun wound up stranded on third base at the end of the inning, so no harm, no foul.
The bad
Boo this. Greeted once again by the loud catcalls that have showered him every time he has stepped into the batter's
box in this series, Braun shrugged it all off in the first inning and slammed a two-run homer into the right field bullpen
against Eovaldi, putting the Dodgers into an immediate, 2-0 hole. The boos, by the way, only got louder as Braun circled
the bases.
Leather-seeking missiles. While being held to one hit through the first four innings by Fiers, the Dodgers hit several balls
hard enough to do damage, but each time, that ball wound up in someone's glove. Following Ethier's leadoff single in
the second, Loney hit a shot to the wall in right that Corey Hart had to reach for while backtracking. In the third, Eovaldi
hit what looked like a flared single to right, but Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks caught up with it and hauled it in.
And in the fourth, Kemp hit what was sure to be his first home run since coming off the disabled list, right up until it died
on the track and was caught by Hart.
Lonely at the top. As valuable as Tony Gwynn has been to the Dodgers this season, especially during the absence of
Kemp, he hasn't been especially good when hitting in the leadoff spot. Gwynn's overall average of .287 coming into the
game was 33 points higher than the .254 he sported as a leadoff man, and his on-base percentage in the top spot was
.290. With Kemp back in the lineup, Gwynn moved from center to left but remained in the leadoff slot, going 0-for-4
with three popups, one of them on a bunt, and a harmless groundout.
2012 Power Rankings: Week 9
RANK
TEAM / RECORD
TRENDING COMMENTS
--
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Dodgers
32-15
Rangers
30-18
Orioles
29-19
Rays
29-19
Nationals
29-18
Indians
26-21
Reds
27-20
Cardinals
26-22
Yankees
26-21
Chris Capuano's amazing season rolls on. He's 7-1 with a 2.14
Last Week: ERA in 10 starts. -- ESPN.com
1
1
Mitch Moreland (.301 AVG/.360 OBP/.566 SLG, 8 HRs) is quietly
Last Week: churning out huge numbers from the bottom of the Rangers'
3
lineup. -- Joey Matschulat: Baseball Time in Arlington
1
By losing two of three to the Red Sox and Royals, the Orioles
Last Week: dropped consecutive series for the first time this season. -2
ESPN.com
1
Fernando Rodney is 16-for-17 in save opportunities, and he has
Last Week:
a .170 batting average against. -- ESPN.com
5
2
Gio Gonzalez leads the majors in strikeouts (79). And he's riding
Last Week: a five-game winning streak, during which time he's compiled a
7
2.25 ERA. -- ESPN.com
3
Ubaldo Jimenez has had a rough go of it of late as he's compiled
Last Week:
an 8.85 ERA over his last four starts. -- ESPN.com
9
6
Aroldis Chapman has allowed only seven hits in 26 innings
Last Week: pitched, and he's yet to allow an earned run in 21 appearances.
13
-- ESPN.com
The Cardinals surrendered the NL Central lead to the Reds, but
2
Adam Wainwright returned to form and the offense returned to
Last Week:
the long ball -- including Matt Adams' first -- to beat Roy
6
Halladay and the Phillies on Sunday. -- Matt Philip: Fungoes
The Yankees are in the middle of a stretch where they don't play
any teams over .500 for 12 games and have taken advantage of
1
it so far by winning five games in a row. Rafael Soriano has
Last Week:
solidified the back-end of their bullpen, lowering his ERA to 2.08
10
after his fifth save on Sunday. -- Rob Abruzzese: Bronx Baseball
Daily
1
Giancarlo Stanton went 7-for-13 this past weekend as the
Last Week: Marlins took two out of three from the Giants. -- Dave
Marlins
26-22
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
Braves
26-23
Blue Jays
24-24
White Sox
26-22
Mets
27-21
Phillies
25-24
Giants
25-23
Red Sox
23-24
11
Gershman: Marlins Daily
A series of unfortunate (and unusual) injuries to the lineup,
7
combined with very inconsistent starting pitching has the Braves
Last Week: looking for answers. The lineup should heal and be OK
4
eventually. The pitching is more of an open question with no
easy solution. -- Franklin Rabon: Capitol Avenue Club
After winning five of six, the streaky Blue Jays have now
dropped five in a row -- including an emasculating 14-3 defeat
4
to Texas on Friday. This team will have to right the ship in a
Last Week:
hurry: Toronto plays host to AL East rivals Baltimore and Boston
8
in consecutive series this week. -- Callum Hughson: Mop-Up
Duty
The White Sox are the hottest team in the majors (9-1, scoring
76 runs in those 10 games). They torched the Indians for 35 runs
4
in a three-game sweep, moving to within a half-game of first
Last Week:
place in the AL Central. Paul Konerko is 23 for his last 35 and
17
leads the majors in batting at .399. -- Diane Firstman: Value
Over Replacement Grit
1
R.A. Dickey has pitched especially well over his last five starts as
Last Week:
he's compiled a 1.84 ERA over that stretch. -- ESPN.com
15
The Phillies have dealt with injuries to their two best hitters in
1
Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, and now they are waiting on a
Last Week: report on the status of ace Roy Halladay. Doc left Sunday
14
afternoon's start after two innings, adding another question
mark to a season full of them. -- Bill Baer: Crashburn Alley
In the latest chapter of the "What's Wrong with Tim Lincecum?"
4
saga, the embattled ace suffered through another loss in Miami
Last Week: -- his fifth straight -- while allowing a season-high six runs. The
12
word is a blister on Lincecum's throwing hand is to blame for his
poor year. -- Chris Martinez: Bay City Ball
1
Daniel Bard's ERA is high (4.69), but he's allowed only three
Last Week:
home runs in 48 innings pitched. -- ESPN.com
16
With his 3-for-4 performance on Sunday in Minnesota, Quintin
Berry became the first Tiger since 1918 to hit safely in his first
five games. He also has three walks and three steals to
Last Week:
complement his excellent center field defense. -- Josh Worn:
18
Walkoff Woodward
--
18
19
20
Tigers
23-24
Angels
24-25
1
Jerome Williams has pitched well of late in that he has a 3.10
Last Week:
ERA over his last three starts. -- ESPN.com
20
3
J.A. Happ has put up impressive numbers over his last three
Last Week: starts (1.47 ERA). -- ESPN.com
Astros
22-25
21
22
23
24
25
26
Athletics
22-26
Pirates
23-24
Diamondbacks
22-26
Mariners
21-29
Brewers
19-28
Royals
19-27
23
2
Coco Crisp has 29 straight successful stolen bases dating back to
Last Week:
last season. -- ESPN.com
19
1
Erik Bedard has given up only four home runs -- all solo shots -Last Week:
in 10 starts this season. -- ESPN.com
21
The Diamondbacks had a 3-3 week, despite allowing 33 runs. Pin
1
the lackluster record on the D-backs' rotation, as they are 14th
Last Week:
in the NL with 4.40 ERA. -- Diane Firstman: Value Over
22
Replacement Grit
1
Hector Noesi has compiled a 2.82 ERA over his last three starts,
Last Week: but he has nothing to show for it (0-2 with a no-decision). -25
ESPN.com
1
Jonathan Lucroy, the fourth-leading hitter in the National
Last Week: League, is tearing it up in the month of May (.388 batting
26
average and a 1.068 OPS). -- ESPN.com
Billy Butler hit his 11th home run of the season Sunday. He's on
2
pace to hit 39 homers this season, which would best the Royals'
Last Week:
season mark set by Steve Balboni, who hit 36 homers in 1985. -24
Craig Brown: Royals Authority
--
27
28
Rockies
17-29
Padres
17-32
Jamie Moyer has allowed five home runs in his past two starts,
Last Week: and during that stretch has compiled a 13.51 ERA. -- ESPN.com
27
The Padres scored no runs in the last 26 innings against the
2
Mets, losing the last three games to end a 1-6 week. Josh
Last Week: Hamilton has out-homered the Padres 20-18. Now, the Padres
30
head to Wrigley Field to face a Cubs team on 12-game losing
schneid. -- Diane Firstman: Value Over Replacement Grit
--
29
30
Twins
15-32
Cubs
15-32
The Twins have the worst run differential by a long shot (minusLast Week: 80) in the majors. -- ESPN.com
29
A 12-game losing streak brings back memories of 1997, when
2
the Cubs began the season with a 14-game losing streak. On a
Last Week: positive note, there were some great beer specials at the
28
Wrigleyville bars to help break the streak. -- Joe Aiello: View
from the Bleachers
Daily News
Eovaldi's one gaffe costly as Braun's homer beats Dodgers
By J.P. Hoornstra, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/29/2012 11:30:06 PM PDT
Updated: 05/29/2012 11:30:36 PM PDT
LOS ANGELES - For a few seconds Tuesday, as his 16th home run of the season sailed into the visiting bullpen at Dodger
Stadium, Milwaukee Brewers slugger Ryan Braun silenced the boos.
When Braun was done circling the bases, Nathan Eovaldi proceeded to silence the Brewers' bats, but the Brewers held
on for a 2-1 victory.
Eovaldi only faced two batters above the minimum after Braun's two-run home run, retiring 10 in a row at one point
before leaving after seven innings.
The 22-year-old right-hander was recalled earlier in the day from Double-A Chattanooga to take Ted Lilly's spot in the
Dodgers' rotation.
Eovaldi hardly showed any nerves as he allowed four hits and walked one, and struck out four in seven innings. It was
the longest start of his major-league career, which consisted of 10 games and six starts for the Dodgers late last season.
The Brewers had an emergency starter of their own, Mike Fiers, and he was just a tad better than Eovaldi. The 26-yearold right-hander allowed five hits and walked none, losing his shutout bid only when Ivan DeJesus and Andre Ethier
clubbed doubles in the sixth inning.
Fiers (1-0) had never before started a major-league game, and only made two appearances out of the bullpen last
season. He was a pedestrian 1-3 with a 4.42 ERA for the Nashville Sounds, the Brewers' Triple-A affiliate.
Milwaukee set-up man Francisco Rodriguez tossed a 1-2-3 eighth inning and turned the ball over to closer John Axford in
the ninth.
Matt Kemp led off the inning and worked the count full before lacing a double to the gap in left-center field. The next
batter, Andre Ethier, was hit by a 97-mph fastball, giving the Dodgers runners on first and second with nobody out.
But Axford got the next batter, Jerry Hairston Jr., to ground into a double play - his final at-bat on his 36th birthday.
James Loney grounded out to end the game, stranding Kemp at third base.
The loudest sounds Tuesday were the cheers for Kemp, who was activated from the 15-day disabled list prior to the
game, and the boos every time Braun stepped to the plate.
There's a method to the madness. Braun finished first in the National League Most Valuable Player voting last year.
Kemp finished second.
After the season it was reported that Braun tested positive for an elevated testosterone level caused by a performanceenhancing drug in October 2011. He faced a 50-game suspension if the initial finding was upheld. An arbitration panel
overturned Braun's suspension in February, citing questions about how Braun's urine sample was handled.
Kemp weighed in on the topic himself prior to Tuesday's game.
"His numbers are the same as they were last year," Kemp said of Braun. "I don't see a change. Whatever happened, if it
did happen or didn't happen, he's still the same player he was last year and is continuing to have a great season."
But the court of public opinion convened in the stands - 51,137 strong - and their verdict sounded fairly unanimous. The
gavel dropped when Braun retrieved a foul ball near the left-field line and tossed it into the stands, only to have it
thrown back at him.
DODGERS NOTEBOOK: Kemp returns from injury
By J.P. Hoornstra Staff Writer
Posted: 05/29/2012 10:27:22 PM PDT
Updated: 05/29/2012 11:17:00 PM PDT
We already know what Matt Kemp can do on a baseball field.
Recently, we found out what the Dodgers' center fielder does when he's on the disabled list.
"The first couple days, when they wouldn't let him do anything, he was really kind of a pain in the dugout," Dodgers
manager Don Mattingly said.
Kemp showed just how eager he was to get back on the field - any field - by going 5 for 7 with two home runs, a double,
four runs scored and five RBIs for the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes over the weekend.
Kemp's rehab assignment ended after two productive games, and he popped into the Dodgers clubhouse for the first
time after Monday's loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.
The next day, Kemp was going through the same motions he did during a streak of 399 consecutive games played.
The streak ended May 14 when he went on the DL with a strained left hamstring.
Kemp only reluctantly came out of the lineup, though Mattingly called the experience a "blessing in disguise."
Easy for him to say - the Dodgers went 9-5 in Kemp's absence and increased their lead in the National League West by a
half-game.
"(Kemp) did it one time last year where he played a little bit, I think he felt a little something for a few days, didn't tell
anybody, got away with it and stayed out there every day," the manager said.
"This year, I think he was basically trying to do the same thing. ... You could really see it defensively and the way he ran
the bases. He wasn't the same.
"It showed him (when) you're feeling something, you've got to get out of there."
To Kemp, the lesson was cloaked in the disguise of a long 15 days.
"It felt like a month," he said. "I woke up this morning and it felt like opening day."
Rivera to Rancho
Left fielder Juan Rivera will report to the Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes today to continue his rehabilitation from a
left hamstring strain.
Rivera went 2 for 5 with a home run and three RBIs in two games with the Isotopes. He said the tendon in his left knee
"was a little sore" after the second game Monday, and Rivera was given a day off Tuesday.
The Dodgers will head out for a three-game road trip against the Colorado Rockies beginning Friday. Rivera said he
hopes to join the team then.
"I don't want to wait two months to come back," he said.
Notable
Jerry Sands was optioned to Albuquerque to make room for Kemp. Sands went 4 for 20 (.200) with two doubles and an
RBI in eight games with the Dodgers. ... Kemp, when asked if fans have moved on from the controversy surrounding
Milwaukee Brewers slugger Ryan Braun: "His numbers are the same as they were last year. I don't see a change.
Whatever happened, if it did happen or didn't happen, he's still the same player he was last year and is continuing to
have a great season." Braun, who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs last winter, then had his suspension
overturned by an arbitrator, has been booed loudly by fans at Dodger Stadium during the series. - Juan Uribe, on the
disabled list since May 14 with a sore wrist, will take batting practice today, Mattingly said. - The Brewers recalled
catcher Martin Maldonoado from Triple-A Nashville, taking the roster spot of Jonathan Lucroy, and placed him in the
starting lineup Tuesday. Lucroy, who is hitting a team-leading .345, is expected to miss 4 to 6 weeks with a boxer's
fracture in his right hand. Maldonado singled in the second inning for his first major-league hit.
Fox Sports West
Despite loss, Kemp happy to be back on field
Joe McDonnell
LOS ANGELES — It was quite the first inning Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium.
Dodger star Matt Kemp heard the cheers as he took the field for the first time in two weeks after recovering from a
hamstring injury. He then heard a cascade of boos when Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun, who beat out Kemp for the NL MVP
last year, stepped to the plate.
Braun, likely booed more for his alleged PED use than for being picked over Kemp, paid back the hostile Dodgers faithful
with a two-run blast into the right-field bullpen — all the runs the Brewers needed to beat LA, 2-1.
However, the night centered on Kemp, whose team went 9-5 in the 14 games he missed. After going 0 for 3 against
rookie Mike Fiers with a first-inning strikeout, he nearly engineered another of the dramatic finishes he's provided on a
regular basis the past two seasons.
Kemp led off the ninth with a double after a nine-pitch at-bat and was joined on base by Andre Ethier, who doubled in
the Dodgers’ only run in the sixth inning and was hit on the right elbow with a 98-mph fastball from closer John Axford,
setting up a sacrifice situation to move the tying and winning runs into scoring position.
However, Axford got Jerry Hairston Jr. to ground into a double play after he twice failed to bunt the runners over, and
James Loney grounded out to short. It was Axford's ninth save in 10 opportunities, and marked the fourth time the
Dodgers have dropped a one-run game to Milwaukee.
“All our games are (close),” manager Don Mattingly said. “That's nothing new for us. I thought Matt had a really good atbat in the ninth. Really good. It's not going to take him long to get all the way back. I thought all his at-bats were good.”
Kemp agreed, saying he felt good all game long.
“I didn't feel uncomfortable at all,” he said, having played two rehab games with Albuquerque, going 5 for 7 with two
homers. “I had some pretty good at-bats. Other than the fact that we lost, I was happy with what I did.
“No problems with (the hamstring). I was ready to go. I don't even feel it, which is good. I'm definitely confident in my
leg and I have to get back to being the old Matt.”
Kemp also said his teammates picked up the slack while he was in recovery mode.
“They held the fort down for the past two weeks. They did a great job, playing good baseball and getting (it) done. But
I'm back now and it's really time to go to work.
“I wasn't quite used to being a cheerleader: I think my only other time on the DL was in my rookie year. But I think I did a
pretty good job and helped the boys out.
“It was very tough to be out, especially with the (team) playing so well. There's been a lot of guys stepping up, doing a
great job. Tony (Gwynn Jr.), A.J. (Ellis), all the guys who've gotten big hits while I've been gone. Hopefully they'll continue
the same now that I'm back.”
They'll get another chance to beat the Brewers on Wednesday night as Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw (4-2) goes
against Yovani Gallardo (3-4).
Notes: Milwaukee had a historical first for its organization, as Fiers and catcher Martin Maldonado became the first
Brewers battery to make their first major league starts on the same night. Fiers (1-0) was outstanding, giving up just one
run and five hits over seven innings and racking up three strikeouts without a walk. Nathan Eovaldi, 22, made his first
start of the season and took the loss.
True Blue LA
Dodgers 5/29/12 Minor League Report - Reed Throws 3 Hitless Frames as Quakes Crack Nuts
by Brandon Lennox on May 30, 2012 8:33 AM PDT in Los Angeles Dodgers Minor League Report
Minor League Player of the Day – Chris Reed - 3 IP, 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, 4 K's. Reed has been handled with care since
returning from a minor shoulder injury, but he continues to impress and was excellent in his shortened outing on
Tuesday. His ERA is down to 3.09 and opposing hitters are batting just .203 against him.
AAA – The Isotopes were basically helpless without Kemp on Tuesday as they lost to the Zephers (Marlins) 4 to 1. Tim
Federowicz provided a solo homer for the only Albuquerque run, and Matt Angle's single was the only other base hit in
this game for the Topes. Starter Will Savage lost his second straight decision after starting the year with 7 straight wins
as he gave up all 4 runs on 8 hits over 7 innings. Michael Antonini finally got some work in as he pitched a scoreless 8th.
AA – The Lookouts scored early in often in a 9 - 5 beating of the Barons (White Sox). Nick Buss led off the game with a
homer, and Kyle Russell hit a 3 run bomb later in the 1st to start Chattanooga off on the right foot. J.T. Wise went deep
later in the game and also doubled in route to 3 RBI's, while Blake Smith went 3 for 5 with a stolen base and a run driven
in. As expected Matt Magill returned to the roster to make the start, and while the reigning Southern League player of
the week didn't have his best stuff, he still recorded the win. Magill gave up 5 runs (3 earned) over 5 frames and struck
out 6, and the good news is that he walked only 1. Javier Solano struck out 3 in his 2 innings of scoreless relief, while Red
Patterson tossed another shutout frame to lower his ERA to 1.26 for the season.
HiA – The Quakes downed the Nuts (Rockies) 5 to 2 on Tuesday behind a solid performance by the pitching staff. The
Dodgers are still be cautious with Chris Reed as he was only allowed to throw 3 innings for the second start in a row, but
he made the most of it by allowing just 1 base runner (via a walk) and striking out 4. Freddie Cabrera gave up both runs
in his 2 innings of relief, but Steve Smith and Scott McGough were excellent over the final 4 frames as they combined to
allow just 2 his. The offense was relatively quiet in the win as Rancho didn't have any extra base hits, but C.J. Retherford
did go 2 for 4 and drove in 3 runs. Michael Pericht also had a pair of singles, as did left fielder Bobby Coyle who was
finally making his 2012 debut.
LoA – The Loons used a 3-run rally in the 9th to tie up South Bend on Tuesday, then completed the comeback by walking
off with a 6 - 5 win over the Silver Hawks (Dbacks). There were several big hits in this game, but none bigger than the
walk-off single by Jesse Bosnik in the 10th. Scott Schebler had 2 doubles, including a big one in the 9th that drove in a
run, while Joe Winker also had a big RBI single that brought the Loons to within one. Angelo Songco only had 1 hit in his
second rehab game, but it was a big one as he crushed a 2 run homer in the first inning. He also walked twice and ended
up scoring 3 runs. Starter Jose Dominguez had another rough outing as he gave up 5 runs (4 earned) in just 3 innings, but
once he left the game his bullpen was outstanding. Joel Lima played a big part in the win as he hurled 3.1 innings of 2-hit
relief, while Juan Noriega and winning pitcher Yimi Garcia combined to allow just 1 hit over the final 3.2 frames.
Coming up – Chris Withrow and the Lookouts will get things started with a day game on Wednesday, while Ryan
O'Sullivan will start for the Loons. Stephen Fife will take the ball for the Isotopes, while the Quakes starter is TBD.
Minor League Transactions – AAA: Mike Parisi was placed back on the DL which opened up a spot for Bret Montgomery.
AA: As expected Matt Magill was added back to the roster to take the spot of Nathan Eovaldi. HiA: The Jarrad Page
experiment is over has he has been released, and Casio Grider was added back to the roster to take his place. Leon
Landry was placed on the bereavement list, and Bobby Coyle was called up to take his spot.
Dodgers fall 2 - 1 to Brauny Brewers
by Phil Gurnee on May 29, 2012 10:19 PM PDT in Dodgers Game Recaps
Nathan Eovaldi gave up a bloop single followed by a pop fly opposite field home run to Chavez Ravine number one most
wanted Ryan Braun, and the Brewers made it stand up for all nine innings.
Other than the home run to Braun, Eovaldi was brilliant for seven innings, throwing strike after strike(90 pitches, 63
strikes). Hardly a ball was struck hard the rest of the game but it was not enough as Michael Fiers out-dueled him. It was
Fiers first major league start and he made it a winning one.
Matt Kemp returned to the lineup and almost made a difference. He struck out in the first but launched a long fly ball to
almost the exact same spot that Braun hit his home run except his ball died on the warning track. If only he had juiced it
just a tad more. In his last ab, facing John Axford he ripped a double to start the 9th, Andre Ethier was plunked putting
the Dodgers on 1st and 2nd with no outs.
At this point Don Mattingly had two simple choices. Let one of his hottest hitters swing away to try to score the tying run
or have him bunt to put runners on second and third with one out. He choose to have Hairston bunt and it might have
been the right call if Hairston had been able to lay down a successful bunt. But he didn't, so with two strikes he swung
away and hit a tailor made double play ball up the middle. That left James Loney and that was the ball game as he hit a
feeble ground ball to the SS for the final out giving the Brewers their second one run victory in a row and four out of five.
Andre Ethier continued his double trouble with another double driving in DeJesus who had doubled earlier. It was the
only run/rally the Dodgers would mount against the rookie.
Dodger Notes:
Ivan DeJesus has had a hit in all three of his starts. Combined he and Elian Herrera have gotten on base just about every
single game they have started since Mark Ellis was hospitalized.
Andre had two more hits, one more RBI, and another double. He's now hitting .400 over his last nine games, including
four doubles, seven runs batted in, and one home run.
Martin Maldonado the starting catcher for the Brewers got his first major league hit a bloop into right field
All five games between the Brewers and Dodgers have been decided by one run, unfortunately the Dodgers have come
out on the wrong side of the ledger four of those five games.
Time 2:30
Attendance 51,137
Game Two - Milwaukee Brewers at Los Angeles Dodgers, May 30th, 2012
by Phil Gurnee on May 29, 2012 7:01 PM PDT in Game Threads
Brewers
Dodgers
RF Hart (R)
CF Gwynn (L)
CF Morgani (L)
2B DeJesus (R)
LF Braun (R)
CF Kemp(R)
3B Ramirez (R)
RF Ethier (L)
1B Green (L)
3B Hairston (R)
2B Weeks (R)
1B Loney (L)
SS Ransom (R)
C
C
Maldonado (L)
SS Gordon (L)
P
Fiers (R)
P
Ellis (R)
Eovaldi (R)
Game Time: 7:10 p.m.
TV: Prime Ticket
MLB GameDay
Dodgers Vs. Brewers Pregame Notes
by Phil Gurnee on May 29, 2012 5:34 PM PDT in Dodgers Pregame Notes
Some pregame info from manager Don Mattingly:
On the numerous questions regarding possible batting lineups and positions when Juan and Juan come back.
I'm paraphrasing - "Things have a way of working themselves out".
Juan Rivera was taking batting practice. Juan Uribe was fielding ground balls but not throwing.
Jerry Hairston with the perfect 1.000 fielding percentage turns 36 today
BobbleInfield tonight for Garvey/Lopes/Russel/Cey
Andre Ethier is 1/2 way toward his sixth season of 30 doubles. Only four Dodgers have accomplished this feat. Can you
name them? Three Brooklyn, One Los Angeles
Andre is already sixth on the Los Angeles Dodger Double leaderboard with 210
Earlier today Andre visited the Union Rescue Mission for the fifth consecutive year
Matt Kemp looked 110 percent in the batting cage
One final note. Remember the Barajas/Gordon rocking gif? In the clubhouse after Dee spent time working on his
bunting, Elian tried to pick him up and show SVS how it is done. Needless to say it did not work out as well as the
original. SVS must have said something because Dee then spent a few minutes trying to lift SVS off the ground with a
bear hug. Didn't happen.
Nathan Eovaldi & Dodgers Sixth Starters
by Eric Stephen on May 29, 2012 1:00 PM PDT in News
The worst kept secret in the world will become official later today, as Nathan Eovaldi will be recalled from Double A
Chattanooga to start for the Dodgers tonight in place of Ted Lilly, who was placed on the disabled list on Monday.
Eovaldi was called up earlier this season for three games against the Washington Nationals, but he did not pitch in any of
the games.
Eovaldi has had three one-inning appearances in Double A this season, each one in preparation of possibly getting
recalled, including a relief appearance Saturday in which he struck out all three batters he faced. In his six real starts
with Chattanooga, Eovaldi was 2-2 with a 3.38 ERA with 13 walks and 26 strikeouts in 32 innings.
Game 49 is the latest into the season the Dodgers have used a sixth starter in 14 years. Not since Dave Mlicki started
game number 61 in 1998 have the Dodgers gone this far into a season needing just five starters. Here is a look back at
the first time a sixth starter was used over the last 13 years.
 2011: Game 14 (Jon Garland)
 2010: Game 21 (John Ely)
 2009: Game 6 (Eric Stults)
 2008: Game 8 (Chad Billingsley)
 2007: Game 16 (Mark Hendrickson)
 2006: Game 32 (Aaron Sele)
 2005: Game 18 (Brad Penny)
 2004: Game 28 (Wilson Alvarez)
 2003: Game 18 (Andy Ashby)
 2002: Game 16 (Omar Daal)
 2001: Game 8 (Kevin Brown)
 2000: Game 11 (Eric Gagne)
 1999: Game 28 (Jamie Arnold)
 1998: Game 61 (Dave Mlicki)
Return of the King or Double Debut Doozy
by Phil Gurnee on May 29, 2012 10:58 AM PDT in Dodgers Pregame Notes
Couple of big stories today as the Dodgers seek to even the series at one game a piece. Dodger center fielder Matt Kemp
will try not to hold down the Dodger offense when he returns today, and Nathan Eovaldi will be making his 2012 major
league debut in place of the injured Ted Lilly. Eric will have more on both of those activations in a few hours.
Eovaldi will not be the only pitcher making his debut, as the Brewers recalled Michael Fiers to take the rubber for them.
Fiers got his feet wet in 2011, but tonight will be his first 2012 appearance. Here is the BaseballHQ scouting report on
Fiers:
Michael Fiers (RHP, MIL)
His numbers in the minors have been stellar—2.80 ERA, 2.4 Ctl, 9.6 Dom—but he doesn’t have overpowering or
dominant stuff that projects well in the majors. Fiers thrives with a very deceptive delivery that keeps hitters off guard.
His fastball only sits in the 88-92 mph range, but he locates it with precision down in the strike zone. He rounds out his
deep arsenal with a fringy curveball, slider, and solid-average change-up. Fiers possesses well above average control and
consistently gets ahead in the count.
STATS: Nashville (AAA) – 10 gs, 1-3 4.42 ERA, 55 IP, 2.7 Cmd, 2.9 Ctl, 8.0 Dom, 6 HR, .243 oppBA
CURRENT ROLE: Starter
POTENTIAL: #4 starter
Besides the injuries one of the reasons for the Brewers struggling can be found at second base. Richie Weeks has had
slumps before but I doubt if he's ever had a slump of this magnitude. If you have been listening to Vin Scully you know
that Weeks has been having trouble making contact (62 K's) but did you know just how bad it has been for Weeks?
Player
OPS+ PA HR BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS
Emmanuel Burriss
Rickie Weeks
45 116 0 9 18 .212 .278 .221 .499
59 200 5 29 62 .156 .290 .293 .583
Marco Scutaro
62 198 1 13 13 .247 .305 .324 .629
Orlando Hudson
Freddy Galvis
63 131 1 8 27 .211 .260 .317 .577
73 173 3 6 25 .236 .263 .382 .645
Danny Espinosa
Neil Walker
78 194 5 19 59 .213 .302 .349 .651
85 185 2 14 34 .263 .315 .347 .663
Darwin Barney
90 175 2 10 20 .259 .306 .389 .695
Daniel Descalso
93 101 2 10 24 .227 .320 .386 .706
Brandon Phillips
99 173 5 13 23 .272 .326 .418 .743
Aaron Hill
Daniel Murphy
102 191 5 18 29 .263 .340 .415 .756
102 202 0 16 25 .297 .351 .368 .719
Mark Ellis
Tyler Greene
106 154 2 18 18 .273 .373 .364 .736
108 113 4 10 29 .235 .310 .461 .771
Jose Altuve
120 206 3 13 26 .302 .351 .455 .806
Dan Uggla
121 215 7 32 56 .260 .372 .436 .809
Omar Infante
133 165 6 7 19 .321 .352 .532 .884
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 5/29/2012.
Three second baseman lead the National League in strikeouts. Weeks (62), Espinosa(59), and Uggla(56). Yet those three
have combined for only 17 home runs. You'd think you'd get more bang for your buck when you whiff amuck.
Dodger Notes:
RBI MACHINE: Andre Ethier went 2-for-4 and gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead in the first inning with his two-out RBI double,
driving in his National League-leading 42nd run of the season. Ethier has hit safely in seven of his last eight games, batting
.375 (12-for-32) with three runs scored, three doubles, a home run and six RBI since May 29.
FUN BOBBY: Bobby Abreu went 2-for-4 with run scored and a stolen base, raising his average to .339 (20-for-59) in 22
games with Los Angeles. Abreu has also drawn 12 walks as a Dodger and has posted a .451 on-base percentage with the
club.
MAKE IT 11: Javy Guerra relieved Aaron Harang in the sixth and retired all three batters he faced for his 11th consecutive
scoreless appearance (11.0 IP).
Also be sure to check out this recap of the incredible Angel game last night. You might have heard of the writer.
AM 570 Fox:
Brewers Top Dodgers
Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Michael Fiers made his first career start and tossed seven innings of one-run ball to
lift the Milwaukee Brewers over the Los Angeles Dodgers, 2-1, in the second contest of a four-game set.
Fiers (1-0) scattered five hits and did not walk a batter while striking out three in the Brewers' second straight win to
start the series.
"Once I got out of the seventh inning a lot of the emotions came up and I thought about what it took to get here," said
Fiers.
John Axford stranded the tying run on third in the ninth to record his ninth save of the year. Ryan Braun supplied the
offense with a two-run homer in the first inning.
Nathan Eovaldi (0-1) took the loss in his season debut despite allowing just two runs on four hits and a walk in seven
innings.
"I was able to locate my offspeed stuff. That set up my fastball up-and-down the zone and that confused the hitters,"
Eovaldi said.
Andre Ethier knocked in the lone run for Los Angeles, which lost for the fourth time in six games.
Matt Kemp returned to the Dodgers' lineup for the first time since May 13 because of a strained left hamstring and went
1-for-4 with a double.
Kemp led off the bottom of the ninth by hitting Axford's ninth pitch into the left-center field gap for his double and
Ethier was hit by a pitch to put the winning runs on the base paths with no outs.
Jerry Hairston Jr. stepped up next and failed to put down a successful sacrifice bunt before hitting a grounder to short
for a double play.
Kemp advanced to third on the play, but James Loney followed with a bouncer to short to end the game.
The Brewers jumped out to an early lead in the first when Braun followed Nyjer Morgan's one-out bloop single with a
blast over the right-field wall.
The two pitchers later combined for a streak of 20 straight retired batters until A.J. Ellis and Dee Gordon hit back-to-back
two-out singles for Los Angeles in the fifth inning.
But Eovaldi stepped up next and worked a 3-0 count before going down looking on three straight fastballs to keep it a 20 game.
The Dodgers were able to get on the board in the sixth when Ivan De Jesus doubled with one out and rounded third two
batters later on Ethier's two- bagger into right-center field.
Milwaukee failed to add an insurance run in the ninth when Taylor Green stranded Braun on third by popping up for the
final out.
Game Notes: Eovaldi went 1-2 with a 3.63 ERA in 10 appearances -- six starts -- for the Dodgers last season...Fiers
pitched in two games out of the bullpen for Milwaukee last year, allowing two hits and three walks with two strikeouts
over two scoreless innings...The Brewers have won 62 straight games when taking a lead into the eighth inning...All five
meetings between the teams this season have been decided by one run...Milwaukee holds a 4-1 advantage in the
season series.
Sports Illustrated
Dodgers activate Kemp, option Sands to Triple-A
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- All-Star center fielder Matt Kemp has been activated from the 15-day disabled list by the Los
Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday after missing 13 games because of a left hamstring strain.
Kemp, the runner-up to Milwaukee's Ryan Braun in last year's NL MVP voting, was leading the league with 12 home runs
when he aggravated his troublesome hamstring running out a grounder on May 13 against Colorado -- ending his
consecutive game streak at 399. He entered Tuesday batting .359 in 34 games with 28 RBIs, and was the first NL player
to be named player of the week during the first two weeks of a season.
He played in two rehab games with Triple-A Albuquerque, going 5 for 7 with two homers.
Outfielder Jerry Sands was optioned to Triple-A.
Yahoo! Sports
Matt Kemp returns with Dodgers in better place
By Tim Brown | Yahoo! Sports – 10 hours ago
LOS ANGELES – Through with being the best player in the Pacific Coast League for two days, which had followed five
weeks of being the best player in the National League, Matt Kemp stood on the top step of the Dodgers' dugout in the
moments before game time Tuesday night.
His hamstring was good to go again. He'd worn a hoodie and hung over the dugout rail plenty long enough. For more
than two weeks somebody else had played center field for the Dodgers, somebody else batted third, and he'd made no
ground on his preseason declaration that 50 homers and 50 steals were within his considerable capabilities. In the 15½
days he was on the disabled list, Kemp was caught and passed in all the Triple Crown categories. For a man who'd played
every day for more than two years, the schedule limped past.
In the afternoon lead-up to Kemp's return, the talk of course was Kemp, and the renewal of his seemingly friendly MVPoff with Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers, who happened to be in town.
(You could tell from the booing. That, and when Braun was generous enough to flip a foul ball into the left-field seats, a
fan dismissively threw it back. "It didn't really surprise me too much," said Braun, who grew up in the San Fernando
Valley, a few miles from Dodger Stadium.)
Kemp holds no grudge against Braun, whom he called, "One of my homeboys," no matter what Major League Baseball's
press releases say about him. Had Braun's 50-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs been upheld, in fact,
he would be returning Thursday, in time for the final game of this series. As it is, Braun hit his 14th home run in the first
inning, and drove in his 35th and 36th runs, which did not please the anti-Brauns in the crowd.
Before the game, Kemp, as he has all along, attempted to steer away from the Braun controversy.
"His numbers are the same as they were last year," he said. "Whatever happened – if it did happen or didn't happen –
he's still the same player that he was last year."
Funny that it was Kemp who missed the early part of the series, and not Braun, but these are the little surprises that
make a season, all of which put Kemp on the top step, waiting for the go-ahead to resume his.
Near where he slammed his helmet at the frustration of being forcibly removed from a ballgame three Sundays ago
because of a strained left hamstring, when he knew the disabled list was calling for the first time in five years, Kemp
actually found himself in a better place. You know, standings-wise.
In Kemp's absence, the Dodgers were 9-5. They'd gained a half-game, from six to 6 ½ up on the nearest team in the NL
West. They still had the best record in baseball.
Huh.
The Dodgers hadn't just held themselves together, hadn't just survived, but won. A lot.
They won with Tony Gwynn Jr., who played center field and not only batted .300, but drove in eight runs and stole three
bases. And with Bobby Abreu, kicked to the curb by the Angels, picked up and dusted off by the Dodgers, for whom he
played left field and batted .368 with a .510 on-base percentage. And with catcher A.J. Ellis, who hit .326 and drove in 12
runs while Kemp was gone, and James Loney, who hit .319, and Andre Ethier, who hit .340 with 10 RBIs. Elian Herrera,
the 27-year-old rookie subbing for injured Mark Ellis at second base, batted .310. Backup catcher Matt Treanor started
three games, hit two home runs and batted .444.
The pitching was taut enough, and the runs – on some days – seemed to come out of nowhere. All while Kemp watched
from the rail.
A.J. Ellis recalled manager Don Mattingly standing in the middle of the clubhouse in spring training, encouraging them
and warning, "It's going to take more than 25 guys."
"He was obviously right," Ellis said as Kemp dressed a couple lockers down. "It would be a collective effort. One guy
doesn't make this team."
He helps plenty, though.
So Kemp didn't have to come back to save them. He just had to come back, get his legs under him, find his swing, tend to
his hamstring, and play. The Dodgers have life, and more could come. They were interested enough in starter Roy
Oswalt to offer him a contract, though Oswalt on Tuesday chose the Texas Rangers instead. General manager Ned
Colletti has banged the phones since May 1 or thereabouts, the earliest he can recall pushing trade discussions. There's
some bad baseball being played out there, and that means early white flags.
The Dodgers are by no means a great team, but they've been plenty good enough for nearly a third of the season, even
without Kemp. They lost Tuesday night to Braun and the Brewers, by a 2-1 score. Kemp laced a ninth-inning double at
the end of a stirring at-bat against closer John Axford and was stranded at third base. Braun was the hero, Kemp got
better as the night went on and was left 90 feet away, and sometimes that's how it goes.
It's all the stuff, perhaps, a guy thinks about from the top step, ready to play again. What he missed. What is left. And
how great it is to start over.
"I woke up this morning," Kemp said, "feeling like it was opening day."
CBS Sports
Matt Kemp returns
By Dayn Perry | Baseball Blogger
The Dodgers have activated start center fielder Matt Kemp from the 15-day disabled list. To make room on the active
roster, outfielder Jerry Sands has been optioned back to Triple-A.
Kemp, who has 12 home runs and is hitting .359/.446/.726 on the season, hasn't played since May 13, when he went
down with a left hamstring strain. Despite Kemp's exceptional levels of production in 2012, the Dodgers managed to go
9-5 without him. Although Kemp has missed significant time, he's still on pace for 41 homers this season.
In a brief rehab stint with Triple-A Las Vegas that can best be described as "utterly dominating," Kemp with 5-for-7 with
a pair of home runs. He's expected to be back in the Dodger lineup on Tuesday night at home against the Brewers.
NBC Sports
Matt Kemp comes off DL, rejoins Dodgers lineup
Matthew Pouliot
May 29, 2012, 6:09 PM EDT
The club with baseball’s best record just got a little strong: the Dodgers activated Matt Kemp from the 15-day disabled
list on Tuesday.
Kemp, the NL MVP runner-up in 2011, was off to a torrid start this season before suffering a strained left hamstring.
Fortunately, he missed the minimum 15 days, and he’ll now have a chance to get back to work on his incredible
.359/.446/.727 line. He’s homered 12 times in 117 at-bats this season.
Going back to Triple-A to make room for Kemp on the roster is 24-year-old Jerry Sands. Given five starts against lefties
during Kemp’s absence, he went 4-for-20 with two doubles and an 8/1 K/BB ratio.
LAist
Dodgers Still Can't Beat the Brewers
Jimmy Bramlett
Why can't the Dodgers beat the Milwaukee Brewers? Coming into Tuesday night the Brewers were 20-28 and seven
games behind NL Central-leading Cincinnati Reds. Yet with their 2-1 victory over the Dodgers, the Brewers clinched the
seven-game season series for the second consecutive season.
"They've got good pitching over there," Dodgers' manager Don Mattingly explained. "These guys can throw some arms
at you. I know they're a little wounded over there, a lot like us, but it doesn't make them any less dangerous."
The arm the Brewers threw out there was 26-year old Michael Fiers making his first start in the Major Leagues and third
appearance overall. The unfamiliarity seemed to dog the Dodgers as what had been their trademark of working the
count turned into swinging the bats early in the count.
"He did a great job," Ellis said about Fiers. "He's a guy not that many of us had seen before — a little bit of a different
arm angle. He pounded the strike zone. We were behind in the count almost all night long. It's tough to hit that way."
The only damage the Dodgers did against Fiers was after Ivan De Jesus lined a one-out double in the sixth inning. Andre
Ethier whacked a double to right-centerfield to bring home the run giving him a National League-leading 43 runs batted
in.
Of course the Dodgers had Nathan Eovaldi who made his first appearance with the Dodgers this season. All Eovaldi did
was retire 12 batters in a row at one point. Unfortunately it came after the first inning.
Having missed the first game of the series, I didn't get to experience the fans' abuse of Ryan Braun. Thankfully the
bobblehead crowd of 51,137 obliged in the first inning, a couple of serenades of "H!-G!-H!" wafting throughout the park.
It was my professional opinion that Braun didn't mind at all. With Nyjer Morgan on first base, Braun took the first pitch
he saw from Eovaldi and scalded it into the right field box seats.
"He hit a good pitch," Eovaldi said. "I left the ball middle away. It was up, but I felt like he hit a good pitch."
Despite that pitch, Mattingly noticed a marked improvement in Eovaldi in this start from where he was last season.
"Nate used all of his pitches," Mattingly said. "He was able to use his breaking ball, his changeup. He was really good
tonight."
This game also marked the return of Matt Kemp to the lineup.
When Kemp was put on the disabled list on May 14 with a strained hamstring, the Dodgers had the best record in the
Major Leagues with a six-game lead over the second-place San Francisco Giants.
On Tuesday's return of Kemp, MVP to those at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers had the best record in the Major Leagues
with a 6 1/2-game lead over the second-place San Francisco Giants.
"It definitely shows the character of this team, how good it is, how the chemistry is and how everybody is pulling
together and helping each other," Kemp told reporters before the game. "If one person doesn't get the job done the
next person behind him steps up and gets the job done. That's what it takes to have a good team."
Kemp's big moment came in the ninth inning. When presented with an RBI situation in the sixth inning, he nubbed a ball
right in front of the plate for an out. However leading off in the bottom of the ninth inning trailing 2-1, he knew the
game had really started for him.
He battled closer John Axford pitch after pitch, fouling off fastball after fastball. Finally on the ninth pitch of the at-bat,
Kemp hit a long fly double to left-centerfield to start a rally.
After Ethier was plunked, birthday boy Jerry Hairston, Jr. grounded into a double play. Perhaps the illusions of going 5for-5 again were just that. It was James Loney's grounder that ended the game exactly 150 minutes after it began.
The Dodgers still have the best record in the Major Leagues, but their lead over the second-place San Francisco Giants is
now down to 5 1/2 games.
Three Stars (as voted by me):
1. Michael Fiers. 7 innings, 5 hits, 1 earned run, 3 strikeouts.
2. Ryan Braun. 2-for-3, 2 RBI, 1 walk, 1 home run.
3. Nathan Eovaldi. 7 innings, 4 hits, 2 earned runs, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts, 1 home run.
Los Dodgers.com
Dodgers caen por la mínima vs. Cerveceros
Associated Press
05/30/12 1:43 AM ET
LOS ANGELES -- Ryan Braun bateó un jonrón de dos carreras, replicando con ello a fanáticos de los Dodgers que le
abuchearon en cada ocasión, y guiando el martes a los Cerveceros de Milwaukee a una victoria de 2-1 sobre Los Angeles.
El abridor Mike Fiers (1-0) solamente permitió una carrera y cinco hits en siete innings, además de ponchar a tres y no
dar boletos, en su primera apertura en las mayores. EL derecho de 26 años toleró la única anotación cuando Andre
Ethier empujó con un doble a Iván De Jesús en el sexto, para su 43ª impulsada.
Braun jonroneó en el primer episodio.
Por los Cerveceros, el boricua Martín Maldonado de 3-1. El dominicano Aramís Ramírez de 4-0.
Por los Dodgers, el dominicano Elián Herrera de 1-0.
Kemp sale de la lista de lesionados
Los Angeles Dodgers
05/29/12 6:20 PM ET
LOS ANGELES - Los Dodgers activaron de la lista de lesionados al jardinero Matt Kemp y enviaron a
guardabosque/inicialista Jerry Sands a Triple-A Albuquerque.
Kemp, quien ingresó a la lista de incapacitados el 14 de mayo, se fue de 7-5 con dos jonrones y cinco remolcadas en dos
partidos de liga menor como parte de su rehabilitación.
Kemp, el Jugador del Mes de la Liga Nacional en abril, está bateando .359 con 12 bambinazos y 28 impulsadas en 34
compromisos por los Dodgers este año.
Univision
Jaime Jarrín: ¡54 años en un beso!
Fecha: 29/05/2012
por Yamilet Hernandez, Univision.com | Fecha: 05/29/2012
Jaime Jarrín 'casado' con los Dodgers
LOS ÁNGELES, California - Este año Jaime Jarrín, la voz oficial de los Dodgers en español, cumple 54 años de trabajo
junto a la escuadra angelina y por ese motivo Univision Radio Los Ángeles le rinde tributo a la leyenda de la narración
hispana del béisbol, que recibirá un homenaje en el Chavez Ravine el lunes 11 de junio de 2012.
En entrevista exclusiva para Univision Radio, Jarrín expresó que tras más de cinco décadas al lado de los azules se sentía
como en sus primeros años. "Me gusta tanto el béisbol y me encanta el trabajo que tengo, que es un privilegio estar
aquí en medio de los más grandes exponentes del béisbol de Grandes Ligas. Es un placer muy grande y creo que esa es la
razón primordial para mi longevidad. El hecho de que estoy enamorado de este deporte", puntualizó el popular Jaime.
Con respecto al uso del eslogan "¡Se va, se , se va! ¡Y despídela con un beso!", que Jarrín repite cada vez que un jugador
conecta un jonrón, aseveró que "en el béisbol nada está escrito, lo mejor es la espontaneidad. Por eso no recuerdo
exactamente cuándo fue que cree esa frase, pero fue hace muchos años".
Comentó que a través de 54 años es difícil precisar la historia más importante que ha vivido con los Dodgers, sin
embargo, hizo referencia a su primera transmisión, la cual fue "un juego recreativo que se hizo en 1959, cuando los
Dodgers iniciaron la campaña contra los Cachorros de Chicago, entonces transmitimos recreando el juego (...) Y eso
lógicamente fue el comienzo de mi carrera, no creí que iba a durar tanto tiempo, creí que iba a ser algo pasajero..."
Otro momento especial recordado por Jarrín fue la inauguración del Dodgers Stadium en 1962, "fue un día
extraordinario cuando se realizó el primer juego en este hermoso recinto. Recuerdo perfectamente ese juego entre los
Rojos de Cincinnati y los Dodgers de Los Ángeles".
En relación a su jugador favorito de todos los tiempos de los Dodgers, Jarrín indicó que al principio una de las personas
que fue muy amable con él fue Willie Davis, quien le brindó apoyo y protección durante sus dos primeros años de
trabajo. Luego estableció relación con peloteros de la talla de Sandy Koufax, Mike Piazzaa, Fernando Valenzuela, entre
otros.
Asimismo, Jarrín habló sobre su experiencia de ser intérprete oficial del famoso lanzador Valenzuela en los años
ochenta. "Fue una experiencia extraordinaria porque cuando llegó Fernando habían otros peloteros, en especial Pepe
Frías y Manuel Mota, que le ayudaban a Fernando con las traducciones porque no hablaba inglés, pero el señor Fred
Claire, creyó que eso no era lo correcto, que para que molestar a otros peloteros (...) Y como yo estaba con el equipo, se
acercó y me dijo que sí podía ayudarle a Fernando, porque yo siempre estaba aquí en el juego y en los viajes, y acepté
encantado".
Tras haberse convertido en el interprete de Valenzuela, Jarrín catapultó su carrera a un nuevo nivel, "hasta entonces yo
era muy conocido, pero únicamente en el Sur de California por mis transmisiones de béisbol, boxeo, peleas de
campeonato mundial, por los eventos especiales que había cubierto como el funeral del presidente Kennedy, la llegada
del Papa a Nueva York, tres conferencias de presidentes, entre otros (...) Pero, una vez que me subí al pedestal con
Fernando Valenzuela, ya en Nueva York, Chicago, Houston y Miami empezaron a enterarse quién era Jaime Jarrín..."
El carismático narrador especificó la rutina que acostumbra a realizar para enrumbarse a su trabajo. "Salgo de casa tres
horas y media antes de las transmisión de cada juego. Felizmente vivo a sólo nueve millas del Dodgers Stadium (...) Una
vez en el lugar ingreso al estadio, me siento en la cabina y empiezo a revisar publicaciones, revistas y notas de los
Dodgers para empaparme de lo que está sucediendo. De vez en cuando bajo al terreno (...) Y el primer día en que viene
un nuevo pelotero, umpire o árbitro me gusta bajar para darles la bienvenida..."
El capítulo más brillante de la vida de Jaime Jarrín ha sido su exaltación al Salón de la Fama de las Grandes Ligas porque
"no es un reconocimiento para una persona, sino que es un reconocimiento para la familia de uno, porque en verdad es
la familia la que más se sacrifica con el éxito de una persona frente a los micrófonos narrando béisbol. Fue una cosa
inenarrable, sentirme en el salón de los inmortales, coleándome allí con los más grandes del micrófono (...) con tantos
titanes en esta profesión. Yo fui el primer latino que en vida llegó al Salón de la Fama (...) Guardando las distancias,
dentro de nuestra industria, es como ganar el Premio Nobel".
Por otra parte, Jarrín dijo estar muy agradecido por el homenaje que se le realizará el 11 de junio de este año en el
Dodgers Stadium. "Es una gentilieza muy grande por parte de los Dodgers, no quisiera que me hicieran más homenajes
porque ya me han hecho varios, a veces me siento un poco cohibido..."
Por último, Jarrín sentenció que "si el cuerpo aguanta" estará unos tres años más al frente de los micrófonos de los
Dodgers.
ESPN Deportes
Es el momento de los Dodgers
Los Dodgers de Los Angeles se han mantenido cerca del tope de los Power Rankings de ESPNdeportes.com, pero no es
hasta ahora que llegan a la cima, gracias en gran parte por el magnífico trabajo que ha hecho su mánager, Don
Mattingly, ante la pérdida de Matt Kemp, Juan Rivera y Mark Ellis a lesiones.
Elián Herrera ha entrado ha jugar una segunda base de calidad reemplazando a Ellis mientras la movida de firmar a
Bobby Abreu cuando los Angelinos de Los Angeles lo dejaron en libertad está pagando dividendos. Abreu ha bateado
para .327 desde que asumió su nuevo uniforme y ha sido un líder dentro y fuera del terreno ante la salida de Kemp
mientras que Andre Ethier y A.J. Ellis siguen produciendo consistentemente.
La rotación de los Dodgers no ha podido ser más dominante en las últimas semanas. Clayton Kershaw y Chris Capuano
tienen un total de 14 salidas de calidad en las 19 que han hecho y Ted Lilly aparentar haber caído en ritmo, aunque no
fue muy efectivo en su última salida ante los Astros de Houston.
Por otro lado, los Vigilantes de Texas ascendieron al segundo puesto tras otra impresionante semana para Josh
Hamilton. Los Vigilantes siguen liderando las mayores en todas las categorías ofensivas con Hamilton, Adrián Beltré y
ahora Nelson Cruz liderando la alineación. Las rotación de los Vigilantes, sin embargo, está mostrando señales de
desgaste. Tanto Matt Harrison como Colby Lewis siguen con ERAs un poco hinchados a estas alturas de la temporada.
Los lanzadores de los Nacionales de Washington, por su parte, siguen dominando con efectividad colectiva todavía por
debajo de las 3.00. Bryce Harper ha sido una buena adición tras la lesión de Ryan Zimmerman mientras Stephen
Strasberg y Gio González han continuado sus salidas dominantes.
Los sorpresivos Orioles de Baltimore no tuvieron una gran semana y la terminaron perdiendo dos de tres ante los Reales
de Kansas City. Aún así, siguen en un empate al tope de la difícil División Este de la Liga Americana.
Los Indios de Cleveland ascendieron al Top 5 por primera vez gracias a la barrida que le propinaron a los Tigres de
Detroit, pero terminaron el fin de semana siendo barridos por los Medias Blancas de Chicago, pese a que Johnny Damon
pegó su primer cuadrangular como miembro de la Tribu.
La caída más aparatosa en los rankings fue la de los Bravos de Atlanta, quienes han perdido cinco juegos corridos y
bajaron de cuarto a 12do. Chipper Jones tuvo que ser enviado a la lista de lesionados y no hay veracidad sobre cuando
estará disponible Freddie Freeman.
Por su parte, los Angelinos regresaron al Top 15 primera vez desde la tercera semana de la temporada al construir una
racha de seis victorias seguidas en dónde Albert Pujols ha logrado subir su promedio a .252 por primera vez desde que
comenzó la temporada.
Los comentarios son del editor de ESPNdeportes.com Javier Maymí. Mientras tanto, puedes hacer tu propio Ranking.
MLB Power Rankings 2012: 28 de mayo
POSICIÓN EQUIPO / RECORD
MOVIMIENTO COMENTARIOS
+1
1
Dodgers
32-15
Semana
Pasada: 2
+1
2
Vigilantes
30-18
Semana
Pasada: 3
+3
3
Nacionales
29-18
Semana
Pasada: 6
Aún con Matt Kemp y Juan Rivera fuera de acción, los
Dodgers han logrado seguir ganando y siguen con el mejor
récord en las mayores. Todo aparenta indicar que Kemp
estará de vuelta el martes y Rivera el jueves y si Andre Ethier
y Bobby Abreu siguen produciendo, esta ofensiva va a
mejorar. Ted Lilly y Clayton Kershaw y Chris Capuano siguen
luciendo dominantes y la aportación de Elian Herrera tras la
salida de Mark Ellis ha sido toda una joya.
El cuadrangular de Josh Hamilton el sábado para ganarle a
los Azulejos en 13 entradas es otro ejemplo por el cual
Hamilton sigue siendo el candidato principal para Jugador
Más Valioso en la Liga Americana. Para los Vigilantes, lo
bueno es que esta producción está despertando de Nelson
Cruz, quien ha elevado su promedio a .272 y está bateando
con más poder. El ERA de sus abridores está comenzando a
hincharse, pero con la mejor ofensiva de las mayores, no ha
sido un problema hasta ahora.
El regreso de Chien-Ming Wang mejora al equipo con mejor
ERA de las mayores. Wang regresó el viernes y lanzó tres
entradas sólidas y ahora reemplazará a Ross Detwiler en la
rotación. Bryce Harper aparenta estar encajando bien en la
alineación mientras Ian Desmond, Adam LaRoche y Jayson
Werth han tenido buenas contribuciones. Igual que ha
impresionado con su brazo, Stephen Strasburgh está
bateando .389 con tres dobles y un cuadrangular en los 18
turnos que ha tomado esta temporada.
-3
4
Orioles
29-19
Semana
Pasada: 1
+3
5
Indios
26-21
Semana
Pasada: 8
-1
6
Rays
29-19
Semana
Pasada: 5
+3
7
Marlins
26-22
Semana
Pasada: 10
+7
8
Rojos
27-20
Semana
Pasada: 15
+4
9
Mets
27-21
Semana
Pasada: 13
Tras ganar su serie contra los Nacionales, los Orioles tuvieron
una semana desalentadora al perder partidos contra los
Medias Rojas y Reales. El bullpen de los Orioles, que ha sido
una de sus fortalezas esta temporada, falló en par de juegos,
incluyendo Pedro Strop, quien ha sido un automático todo el
año. Ofensivamente, Nick Markakis y Matt Wieters han
estado un poco estancado y se ven a los Rays y Yankees en el
espejo retrovisor.
Los Indios comenzaron su semana barriendo a los Tigres, lo
que envió un claro mensaje a la División Central de la Liga
Americana que la Tribu va a competir. Ubaldo Jiménez y
Justin Masterson tuvieron salidas sólidas y hay señales de
que se está estabilizando el bullpen. El fin de semana no fue
tan bueno ante los Medias Blancas, pero si hay algo positivo
en esta División es que va a estar divertida y competida por
el resto de la temporada.
El efecto de las lesiones a sus estelares todavía no se ha
sentido gracias a las aportaciones de Luke Scott, Elliot
Johnson y Sean Rodríguez, pero uno se tiene que preguntar
por cuanto tiempo más Joe Maddon podrá aguantar a este
equipo con pega y cinta adhesiva. James Shields y David
Price siguen mantiendo a los Rays competitivos y esta
semana se van de gira contra los Medias Blancas y los
Orioles, posiblemente para disputarse el puntero de la
División Este de la Liga Americana.
La mediocridad que caracterizó a los Marlins en las primeras
semanas de la temporada parece que ya es cosa del pasado.
Mark Buehrle y Josh Johnson tuvieron buenas salidas esta
semana y al ofensiva ha despertado significativamente.
Gracias a los bates de Omar Infante y Giancarlo Stanton y la
velocidad de Jose Reyes y Hanley Ramírez, los Marlins se han
entrado de lleno a la carrera en la División y lucen sólidos
entrando al segundo tercio de la temporada.
Los Rojos tienen marca de 9-1 desde el pasado 19 de mayo
ahora son los líderes de la División Central de la Liga Nacional
gracias en parte a que Joey Votto sigue produciendo en
grande y los lanzadores, en especial Mat Latos y Mike Leake
están comenzando a encontrar su ritmo. Tienen sus
próximos nueve partido dentro de su División, por lo que
será un trecho de partido que definirán mucho para los
Rojos.
Los Mets aprovecharon esta etapa de su calendario ganando
dos de tres contra los Piratas y tres de cuatro contra los
Padres. Pero quizás la mejor señal de que tienen algo
especial este años es que Johan Santana está viéndose cada
vez más fuerte y la bola de nudillos de R.A. Dickey continúa
desmoronando bateadores. Dickey ganó su séptimo partido
del año el domingo y luce como que está controlando bien
ese lanzamiento.
+1
10
Yankees
26-21
Semana
Pasada: 11
-4
11
Cardenales
26-22
Semana
Pasada: 7
-8
12
Bravos
26-23
Semana
Pasada: 4
-4
13
Azulejos
24-24
Semana
Pasada: 9
-2
14
Gigantes
25-23
Semana
Pasada: 12
+6
15
Angelinos
24-25
Semana
Pasada: 21
-2
16
Filis
25-24
Semana
Pasada: 14
Tras haber sido blanqueados por los Reales, los Yankees han
ganado cuatro partidos consecutivos y de los cuatro, han
anotado 6 o más carreras en tres de ellos. Mark Teixeira
pegó dos cuadrangulares el sábado y aparenta por fin haber
engranado. Andy Pettitte ha ganado dos de sus primeras tres
salidas, lo que quizás algo de alivio para Joe Girardi, quien le
dio la pelota a Rafael Soriano para reemplazar la pérdida de
Mariano Rivera.
Los Cardenales comenzaron la semana con la agria noticia de
que volverán a perder a Lance Berkman por un tiempo y su
parada en Filadelfia, salvo al domingo, fue un desastre detrás
de otro. La buena noticia es que aún con la ausencia de
Berkman, Carlos Beltrán y Rafael Furcal han seguido
produciendo. El problema ha estado en los lanzadores,
permitiendo 20 carreras en los primeros tres partidos en la
serie contra los Filis.
¡Qué diferencia hace una semana! Esta semana los Bravos
perdieron los servicios de Freddie Freeman, Brian McCann y
Chipper Jones y tras la derrota del domingo contra los
Nacionales, ya son siete derrotas consecutivas. Jones fue
colocado en la lista de inactivos de 15 días y los Bravos
tenían marca de 21-5 cuando estaba en la alineación.
Los Azulejos han perdido cinco partidos consecutivos -- dos
contra los Rays y tres contra los Vigilantes -- y van en picada.
La mejoría en la ofensiva de José Bautista y Edwin
Encarnación ha sido de corta duración y la joven rotación con
Kyle Drabek, Henderson Alvarez, Brandon Morrow y Ricky
Romero ha lucido vulnerable en cada una de sus salidas.
Matt Cain tuvo su segunda salida dominante consecutiva el
domingo contra los Marlins y los Gigantes lograron salvar su
semana ganando dos de tres contra Milwaukee y dos de
cuatro en Miami. Todavía preocupa que Tim Lincecum tiene
su ERA en 6.41 pero por lo menos la ofensiva, liderada por
Melky Cabrera y Angel Pagán, tiene el séptimo mejor
promedio de bateo colectivo en las mayores.
Albert Pujols salió de su mala racha y ha sido contagioso para
los Angelinos, quienes suben en el ranking for primera vez en
la temporada. Los Angeles entró al domingo con una racha
de cinco victorias consecutivas y con mucha confianza
entrando a esta semana, e dónde tienen series contra los
Yankees y Vigilantes y si quieren entrar en competencia en el
Oeste de la Americana, tendrán que dominar a un potente
equipo de Texas.
Los Filis vieron su racha ganadora de cuatro partidos
terminar el domingo contra los Cardenales, pero hay cosas
buenas que surgieron en esa racha. Raul Valdés se apuntó
victorias en noches consecutivas saliendo del bullpen, Cole
Hamels mejoró su marca a 7-1 y Carlos Ruiz sigue
produciendo. Las malas noticias es que Roy Halladay fue
apaleado el domingo y ya eso está comenzando a preocupar
a Charlie Manuel.
-17
Medias Blancas
26-22
Semana
Pasada: 17
+2
18
Medias Rojas
23-24
Semana
Pasada: 20
-3
19
Atléticos
22-26
Semana
Pasada: 16
-2
20
Piratas
23-24
Semana
Pasada: 18
+2
21
Astros
22-25
Semana
Pasada: 23
-3
22
Tigres
23-24
Semana
Pasada: 19
Los Medias Blancas terminaron la semana barriendo a los
Indios y perfecta posición para comenzar a ascender
significativamente. Con marca de 9-1 en sus últimos 10
partidos, Chicago está a un juego de Cleveland y
comenzando a dar muestras de vida. En sus últimos cuatro
partidos, Chicago está promediando sobre 11 carreras
anotadas por juego.
La serie entre los Medias Rojas y los Rays demostró que en la
División Este de la Liga Americana va a ser una pelea reñida
hasta el final. Los próximos 10 partidos definirán a Boston ya
que juegan cuatro contra Detroit, tres contra Toronto y tres
contra Baltimore. En el lado positivo, Jon Lester y Josh
Beckett parece están regresando a la normalidad, pero el
bullpen está en picada y todavía no hay un taponero
bonafide en el equipo.
Los Atléticos no anotan más de tres carreras en un partido
desde el pasado 20 de mayor y esta semana fueron
dominados por los Angelinos y los Yankees. El cuerpo de
lanzadores, liderados por Bartolo Colón y Tommy Milone
está dando señales de cansancio y la ofensiva sigue siendo la
peor en las mayores. El regreso de Manny Ramírez está
atrasado, pero tal parece que Manny es la última esperanza
para Oakland.
Tras perder dos de tres contra los Mets, los Piratas se
subieron la moral en el fin de semana con una barrida sobre
los Cachorros y el domingo anotaron 10 carreras, su máximo
en la temporada en un partido. A.J. Burnett ha permitido
sólo dos carreras en sus últimas dos salidas, pero la ofensiva
sigue débil más allá del bate de Andrew McCutchen.
Con cuatro victorias esta semana, incluyendo una sobre los
Dodgers, los Astros parece que enderezaron el barco por
ahora. José Altuve, Carlos Lee y Jed Lawrie siguen
proveyendo energía a la ofensiva, y por lo menos esta
semana, los abridores Wandy Rodríguez y Lucas Harrell
tuvieron salidas extraordinarias. Esta semana juegan cuatro
en Colorado y luego tres contra Cincinnati en casa, lo que
podría ser una buena oportunidad para acomodarse en la
división.
Los Tigres se desquitaron la barrida que sufrieron ante los
Indios barriendo a los Mellizos, algo que no es muy difícil de
lograr en estos días en Minnesota. Detroit ya se está
comenzando a parecer a Boston en términos de que la
ofensiva está produciendo, pero los lanzadores no están
ejecutando. Austin Jackson, Miguel Cabrera y Prince Fielder
todos están promediando sobre .310, pero el ERA colectivo
está por encima de 4.05.
-1
23
Diamondbacks
22-26
Semana
Pasada: 22
+2
24
Reales
19-27
Semana
Pasada: 26
-1
25
Marineros
21-29
Semana
Pasada: 24
-1
26
Cerveceros
19-28
Semana
Pasada: 25
-27
Mellizos
15-32
Semana
Pasada: 30
-2
28
Rockies
17-29
Semana
Pasada: 25
+1
29
Padres
17-32
Semana
Pasada: 29
Perdieron dos de tres contra los Dodgers y dos de tres contra
Milwaukee para caer cinco partidos por debajo de los .500
por primera vez esta temporada. Eso es el equivalente de un
pasito hacia adelante y dos pasitas hacia atrás. Los
Diamondbacks no tienen a un bateador que esté
promediando por encime de .300 y sólo han conectado 38
cuadrangulares esta temporada.
Con una gran serie ante los Orioles, los Reales subieron su
promedio de bateo colectivo a .260, noveno en las mayores,
y ganaron dos de tres contra Baltimore para terminar su
semana. Hay motivos para pensar que Kansas City tocó
fondo. Jeff Francoeur ha logrado subir su promedio a .281
mientras Alcides Escobar y Billy Butler siguen castigando la
pelota y Felipe Paulino está respondiendo desde que fue
insertado en la rotación.
Tras haberle ganado dos de tres a los Vigilantes para
comenzar esta semana, los Marineros fueron dominados por
los Angelinos en casa. Brandon League continúa fallando
tarde en los partidos y Félix Hernández permitió 10 hits y
cinco carreras en seis innings en su última salida. Este equipo
necesita desesperadamente a otro bate de poder. Con Ichiro
Suzuki bateando tercero, no se va a ganar el Oeste de la Liga
Americana.
Hay días que parecen contendores, como el viernes cuando
Yovani Gallardo mantuvo a los Diamondbacks a una carrera
en siete entradas, y otros que simplemente dan pena, como
cuando perdieron 11-3 contra Minnesota el 18 de mayo.
Milwaukee ha sido un equipo de extremos y mirando hacia la
semana próxima tienen cuatro juegos en Dodger Stadium, en
dónde no perdonan a nadie.
Han perdido cinco partidos consecutivos, pero por lo menos
están anotando carreras. Justin Morneau regresó para pegar
dos cuadrangulares en un partido, Denard Span sigue
bateando bien y Joe Mauer, aunque con menos poder que
antes, está promediando .297. El problema ha sido desde la
lomita y el ERA colectivo de 5.50.
Han perdido ocho de sus últimos 10 partidos promediando
poco menos de cuatro carreras por juego. Los Rockies habían
estado sobreviviendo con su ofensiva, pero esta semana ha
estado tan débil como su cuerpo de lanzadores. Para
ejemplo con un botón basta: El lanzador con el mejor ERA de
los Rockies es Juan Nicasio con un 4.58. Nada más con el
testigo.
Los Padres todavía no han logrado armar una racha de tres
victorias consecutiva. Esta semana se fueron 1-6 y en la
barrida que sufrieron ante los Mets, perdieron por un
marcador combinado de 18-1. Jeff Suppen tiene marca de 03, después de un gran comienzo tras regresar de la lista de
inactivos y la ofensiva ha perdido un poco de empuje, pero
Yonder Alonso sigue bateando por encima de los .300.
-2
30
Cachorros
15-32
Semana
Pasada: 27
Los Cachorros no han ganado un partido desde el 14 de
mayo y en esas 12 derrotas consecutivas han anotados dos
carreras o menos en siete ocasiones. Quizás la razón del
retiro de Kerry Wood era para no seguir pasando por esto.
Esta semana regresa a Wrigley después de una malísima gira
para enfrentarse a los Padres a ver si mejora la cosa un poco.
Tiempo Extra con Jaime Jarrín
El legendario narrador en español de los Dodgers de Los Ángeles, Jaime Jarrín, estará con ESPNDeportesLosAngeles.com
luego de su intervención en el programa de 710 ESPN Radio "Lunch with Legends", que se transmitirá hoy miércoles, 28
de marzo desde Los Ángeles.
Jarrín contestará preguntas que hagan los fanáticos en vivo y hablará de su relación con el legendario equipo por más de
50 años. Además, nos ofrecerá su reacción ante la confirmada venta de los Dodgers al grupo liderado por Magic
Johnson.
Puedes preguntarnos también a través de Twitter enviando tu tweet marcado con el hashtag #dodgers.
1020 KTNQ
Dodgers jugaron pelota de 500 este fin de semana
por Alex Radzichovsky, Univision Radio | Fecha: 05/29/2012
Por el ZAR de los Deportes: Alex Russo
LOS ÁNGELES, California - Los Dodgers de Los Ángeles ganaron la última serie contra los Astros de Houston en el Chávez
Ravine como miembros de la Liga Nacional al derrotarlos dos juegos a uno y fue la décima serie que los angelinos ganan
en esta joven temporada.
Aunque los Dodgers perdieron el primer juego de cuatro contra los Cerveceros y suman una foja de 2-2 a través de
cuatro juegos de los siete que juegan como locales, continúan con la mejor marca en ambas ligas con 36-16 y también la
mejor foja casera de 21-6.
Después de esta estancia que termina el jueves los Dodgers saldrán de gira donde jugarán 10 juegos como visitantes,
comenzando la primera parada en Colorado con tres juegos, seguido por cuatro juegos en Filadelfia y terminarán la gira
con tres juegos en Seattle.
Resumen del fin de semana del Memorial Day
Los Ángeles, viernes 25 de mayo, Dodgers 1 Astros 3
En su cuarto aniversario de su inicio en las Grandes Ligas, Clayton Kershaw (4-2, 1,97) quiso celebrarlo con una victoria
pero los Astros fueron malos visitantes y le ganaron el juego por 3-1. El zurdo tejano de los azules en una de esas raras
salidas en la que permitió cinco imparables, cuatro de ellos fueron para dobles y uno fue el campanazo de J.D. Martínez
al jardín izquierdo con un hombre en base. La racha de tres victorias al hilo en casa fue rota y perdieron su segundo
juego consecutivo, pero los Dodgers siguen con la mejor foja en las Mayores con 30-15 y la mejor marca en casa de 19-5.
Fue solamente la segunda derrota de Kershaw en 20 aperturas en casa propia (14-2) y su racha de 22 entradas sin
permitir carreras fue rota. Kershaw lanzó siete entradas en las cuales permitió cinco imparables, tres carreras de las
cuales dos fueron limpias, regaló tres bases por bolas y ponchó a seis, lanzó para un total de 110 lanzamientos de los
cuales 65 fueron para ponches.
El lanzador victorioso fue el derecho de 26 años, Lucas Harrell, quien enfrentaba a los Dodgers por primera vez en su
carrera. Harrell blanqueó a los azules hasta la octava entrada y solamente permitió a dos corredores llegar hasta la
segunda base y consiguió 17 outs de roletazos, pero necesitó la ayuda de cuatro revelistas para preservar su cuarta
victoria de la temporada contra tres derrotas. Harrell lanzó siete y un tercio de entradas permitiendo cinco imparables,
una carrera, regaló tres bases por bolas y no ponchó a nadie. Lanzó para un total de 94 lanzamientos de los cuales 62
fueron para ponches.
Los locales anotaron la carrera de honor de forma de “caballito” en la octava entrada, cuando el nicaragüense Wilton
López caminó a Jerry Hairston Jr.
El gigante taponero de Houston Brett Myers realizó la novena entrada y logró su decimosegundo salvamento en 13
oportunidades y los Astros ganaron su cuarto juego consecutivo.
Los Ángeles, sábado 26 de mayo, Dodgers 6 Houston 3
Los 36,561 fanáticos y más de mil mascotas que llegaron al Chávez Ravine el sábado por la noche presenciaron el
dramático final del juego, en el cual los Dodgers ganaron en la novena entrada, cortesía del bombazo de tres carreras del
receptor azul A.J. Ellis que les dio la victoria de 6-3 sobre los Astros y rompieron la mala racha negativa de dos derrotas
consecutivas. Fue la undécima victoria en 15 juegos de los locales que mejoraron su foja a 31-15, la mejor en el Viejo
Circuito y la mejor como local de 20-5. Con esta victoria la escuadra angelina amplió su ventaja a siete juegos y medio
sobre San Francisco en la División Oeste de la Liga Nacional. Es la ventaja mayor que logran en la temporada y es la más
amplia en cualquier división en la Gran Carpa.
Con el marcador empatado 3-3, el lanzador de los visitantes Wesley Wright (0-1) golpeó con un lanzamiento a Ethier
cuando la cuenta iba de 0-2. El joven Scott Van Sluke sustituyó al revelista y ganador del juego Kenley Jansen (4-0) y
avanzó a Ethier con un toque de sacrificio. El revelista nicaragüense, Wliton López, caminó intencionalmente a James
Loney y después Ellis pegó su quinto cuadrangular de la temporada que salió al jardín derecho, fue la quinta victoria de
los Dodgers de esta dramática forma.
El taponero derecho Kenly Jansen llegó al juego cuando había dos outs en la octava entrada para defender la mínima
ventaja de 3-2 de los Dodgers y tratar de preservar la victoria para Chad Billingsley, después de que el venezolano
Ronald Belesario diera una base por bolas. Brian Bogusevic anotó la carrera del empate cuando Jasón Castro pegó un
roletazo que se volvió en un imparable debido que el esférico rebotó en el guante del tercera base Jerry Hairston Jr y
cayó en el territorio de foul y luego Jansen retiró a Jordan Schafer con un elevado cuando las bases estaban llenas, lo
que preparó la dramática victoria del cuadrangular de Ellis.
El joven jugador dominicano de cuadro de los azules, Elian Herrera, llegó a base en tres oportunidades incluyendo por
un imparable y extendió su racha a ocho juegos consecutivos con un hit. Esta racha Herrera la comenzó el 16 de mayo y
ha estado bateando para un average de .364 (12 de 33).
Ambos abridores se fueron con las manos vacías. Chad Billingsley lanzó cinco entradas permitiendo cinco imparables,
dos carreras limpias, caminó a tres y ponchó a ocho. Lanzó para un total de 99 lanzamientos de los cuales 60 fueron para
ponches. Billingsley, en su cuatro aperturas en Chávez Ravine, todavía no ha podido derrotar a los Astros y tiene una foja
contra ellos en casa de 0-3, y efectividad de carreras limpias permitidas de 8,64.
Más resultados
Los Ángeles, domingo 27 de mayo, Los Ángeles 5 Houston 1
Los 33,306 fanáticos llegaron al estadio para despedir a los Astros en su último juego en Chávez Ravine como
miembros de la Liga Nacional, ya que el próximo año serán miembros de la Liga Americana, pero no les fue bien ya que
perdieron la serie y el juego por 5-1 frente a los Dodgers.
Como había sucedido en los dos previos juegos, Houston tomó la ventaja primero, pero los lanzadores de Houston no
pudieron contener el bate del veterano tercer base de los azules Jerry Aristón Jr, quien bateó cinco imparables en un
partido por primera vez en su carrera y Cris Capuano se llevó su séptima victoria del año y los Dodgers ganaron su
décima serie de la temporada.
Houston anotó en la primera entrada y los Dodgers empataron en la segunda entrada y el receptor azul Matt Treanor le
dio la delantera definitiva a su equipo en la cuarta entrada con su vuelacerca para poner el marcador 2-1 y la novena
azul nunca más miró atrás.
Chris Capuano (7-1, 2,14) lanzó siete entradas de calidad en las cuales permitió dos imparables, una carrera, regaló dos
bases por bolas y ponchó a ocho. Lanzó para un total de 105 lanzamientos de los cuales 69 fueron para ponches. El
tejano mexicano Javy Guerra realizó la novena perfecta.
Los Dodgers en toda la temporada nunca han perdido tres partidos en línea y solo han perdido en dos de las 10
ocasiones en que Capuano ha iniciado en la lomita.
Por su parte, el lanzador perdedor fue J.A. Harpp (4-4, 4,37), quien lanzó siete y un tercio de entradas en las cuales
permitió nueve imparables incluyendo el bombazo de Matt Treanor, regaló dos bases por bolas y ponchó a diez
empatando su marca personal de ponches. Lanzó para un total de 113 servicios de los cuales 78 fueron para ponches.
Los Dodgers han ganado seis juegos de los ocho, pese a las ausencias por lesiones de sus titulares Matt Kemp, Mark Ellis,
Juan Rivera y Juan Uribe. Todo indica que Matt Kemp volverá a la nomina de titulares con los Dodgers el martes.
Con esta victoria los Dodgers acumulan un foja de 10-4-2 en series y en casa los azules tienen un record de 7-1-1, del
cual han ganado cuatro por barrida.
El dominicano de los azules, Elian Herrera, pegó un imparable en la primera entrada para extender su racha a nueve
juegos consecutivos con un imparable o más que comenzó el 16 de mayo y en la cual está bateando para un promedio
de .351 ( 13 de 37).
Los Ángeles, lunes 28 de mayo, Dodgers 2 Cerveceros 3
Antes del encuentro los azules anunciaron que colocaron el lunes al lanzador zurdo Ted Lilly en la lista de lesionados de
15 días por una inflamación en el hombro izquierdo, retroactiva al jueves de la semana pasada.
Es la segunda vez que Lilly pasa a la lista de lesionados esta año. Se perdió los primeros ochos juegos de la temporada
por una dolencia en el cuello. Tiene foja de 5-1 con 3.14 de efectividad en ocho aperturas. Su última apertura fu el
miércoles en Arizona, donde permitió ocho carreras y nueve imparables en tres entradas y un tercio.
Lilly fue remplazado por el joven lanzador zurdo de la Triple-A de Albuquerque, Michael Antonini, quien tendrá su
segunda vuelta con el equipo mayor esta temporada y anda buscando hacer su debut definitivo en las Grandes Ligas.
Los Dodgers comenzaron con el pie izquierdo la serie de cuatro juegos contra los Cerveceros de Milwaukee al perder el
primer encuentro el lunes por la tarde por 3-2 y rompieron su buena racha de dos victorias.
El tercera base dominicano de los visitantes, Amaris Ramírez fue el verdugo del lanzador de los azules Aarón Harang (33, 4,14) al conectar su cuarto cuadrangular al jardín derecho en la cuarta entrada para igualar la pizarra a 1-1 y después
en la sexta entrada impulso la carrera de la ventaja con un sencillo para la victoria.
El lanzador victorioso fue Shaun Marcum (3-3, 3,63), quien efectuó siete entradas permitiendo seis imparables, una
carrera, caminó a dos y ponchó a nueve, lanzó para un total de 119 lanzamientos de los cuales 80 fueron para ponches.
El taponero de los Cerveceros, John Axford, lanzó el noveno episodio y tuvo que trabajar duro para su octavo
salvamento en nueve oportunidades. Dejó pasar a la primera base la potencial carrera de la igualdad, al regalarle un
boleto al bateador emergente puertorriqueño Iván De Jesús Jr, quien llegó a segunda con un lanzamiento descontrolado
antes de que el dominicano Elián Herrera se ponchara por tercera vez esta noche para acabar con el juego.
Aarón Harang (3-3, 4,14) trabajó mas de cinco entradas en las cuales concedió tres carreras una de ellas fue
limpia, cuatro imparables, incluyendo el vuelacercas al dominicano Ramírez, regaló tres bases por bolas y ponchó a
cuatro. Lanzó para un total de 96 servicios de los cuales 60 fueron para ponches.
La racha de nueve juegos consecutivos con un imparable o más del joven dominicano de los azules, Elian Herrera, llegó
al fin la noche del lunes ya que se fue 0 de 4.
El segundo juego de la serie se jugará el martes comenzando a las 7:10 pm y el duelo podría ser entre dos jóvenes
derechos. Hasta el momento están inscritos los nombres de Nate Eovaldi (0-0,0,00) para los Dodgers y para los visitantes
podría ser Michael Fiers (0-0,0,00). Los primeros 50,000 fanáticos que llegan al Chávez Ravine recibirán el muñeco del
famoso equipo de cuadro de los azules formado por Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Bill Russell y Ron Cey.
Todos los juegos de la temporada regular de los Dodgers se pueden escuchar por la KTNQ 1020 AM Univision Radio, con
las voces del doble Salón de la Fama y la voz oficial de los azules por 54 temporadas, el ecuatoriano, Jaime Jarrín y la voz
romántica de Pepe Yñiguez, en su decimaquinta temporada con el equipo y con los expertos comentarios, del ídolo
zurdo mexicano Fernando Valenzuela en su décimo año.
Hoy Los Angeles
Dodgers regalarán camiseta de Jaime Jarrín
Redacción HOY | 5/23/2012, 8:37 p.m.
Los Dodgers de Los Angeles anunciaron que el locutor Salón de la Fama, Jaime Jarrín, en su 54ta temporada como “La
Voz en Español de los Dodgers”, recibirá un tributo como parte de la celebración del Aniversario 50 del Dodger Stadium.
La camiseta de Jaime Jarrín y la Noche Tributo será el lunes, 11 de junio cuando los Dodgers reciban a los Angels a las
7:10 p.m. Los primeros 30,000 aficionados con boletos válidos para el juego del 11 de junio recibirán una camiseta de
Jaime Jarrín. La camiseta tiene como diseño la famosa frase de home run de Jarrín “¡Se va, se va, y se fue… despidala con
un beso!”
Jarrín ha narrado más de 8,200 juegos de temporada regular, 25 Juegos de Estrellas de Grandes Ligas, más de 100
encuentros de postemporada y 20 Series Mundiales durante su casi medio siglo con los Dodgers. Jarrín comenzó a
narrar juegos de los Dodgers en 1959, año en que el club ganó la Serie Mundial.
Jarrín está con el equipo desde antes de la inauguración del Dodger Stadium, narrando juegos mientras los Dodgers
jugaban en el L.A. Coliseum luego de que el club se mudó de Brooklyn a Los Angeles. Por décadas y desde la
inauguración del Dodger Stadium hace 50 años, el miembro del Salón de la Fama ha sido el narrador en español de los
mejores momentos de los Dodgers de Los Angeles para cantidades de aficionados y familias.
“Los Dodgers y nuestros aficionados nos sentimos sumamente afortunados de tener a Jaime Jarrín, locutor del Salón de
la Fama, como nuestra voz en español”, dijo el propietario de los Dodgers Earvin “Magic” Johnson. “Jaime es un ícono de
Los Angeles, quien ha inspirado varias generaciones de latinos en Los Angeles a soñar en grande. Ha sido pieza clave en
sembrar el amor por los Dodgers por toda el área de Los Angeles. Reconocemos lo hecho por Jaime, una institución de
los Dodgers, y estamos agradecidos por todo lo que le ha dado a los Dodgers y sus aficionados.”
Jarrín, oriundo de Ecuador, llegó a los Estados Unidos en junio de 1955, el mismo año en que la estrella de los Dodgers,
Sandy Koufax, hizo su debut de Grandes Ligas. Jarrín nunca había visto un juego de béisbol hasta que se mudó a Los
Angeles. Su primera experiencia en el béisbol fue cuando vio una transmisión del juego de los Dodgers por televisión en
1955 cuando ganaron su primera Serie Mundial al vencer a los Yankees de Nueva York.
Para poder aprender de béisbol, Jarrín comenzó a asistir con frecuencia a juegos de liga menor en Los Angeles, visitando
el Gilmore Field y Wrigley Field desde 1955 hasta que los Dodgers se mudaron a Los Angeles en 1958. El director de la
emisora KWKW, William Beaton, le dio a Jarrín un año para que se preparara para ser un locutor. Durante sus primeros
seis años con los Dodgers, Jarrín y su compañero recreaban juegos en el estudio mientras escuchaban en la radio al
también Salón de la Fama, Vin Scully, junto a Jerry Doggett.
Desde 1965, Jarrín narró en español juegos de los Dodgers en la ruta, acompañando a los Dodgers en cada ciudad, y en
1973, Jarrín se convirtió en el principal locutor en español del equipo. Desde 1962 a 1984, Jarrín narró casi 4,000 juegos
en un trecho de 22 temporadas y nunca se perdió un encuentro. La racha llegó a su final cuando Jarrín estuvo a cargo de
la cobertura y producción en español de los Juegos Olímpicos de Los Angeles en 1984.
Jarrín, ingresado al Salón de la Fama el 26 de julio de 1998 al recibir el Premio Ford C. Frick, se convirtió en solamente el
segundo narrador en español en ser inmortalizado en Cooperstown, junto a Buck Canel.
Jarrín es un pionero de las transmisiones en español y por eso ha recibido varios reconocimientos, incluyendo el primer
Premio Southern California Sports Broadcasters Association's President's, una estrella en el Camino de la Fama en
Hollywood, el mayor reconocimiento de la Asociación de Periodistas Hispanos, el ingreso al Salón de la Fama de
Locutores de Deportes del Sur de California, y su premio al locutor del año en otro idioma y el Premio Golden Mike. El
año pasado Jarrín fue honrado por American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) Foundation con el
Premio AFTRA Media and Entertainment Excellence e ingresó al Salón de la Fama de la Associated Press Television-Radio
Association (APTRA).
Uno de los mejores recuerdos de Jarrín fue en el Día Inaugural de 1981, cuando el lanzador novato mexicano, Fernando
Valenzuela, se subió a la lomita para el comienzo de la “Fernandomanía”. Jarrín trabajó como el traductor de Valenzuela
por varios años. Valenzuela es ahora comentarista junto a Jarrín y el locutor en español, Pepe Yñiguez, para los juegos de
los Dodgers en Univisión Radio 1020 AM KTNQ. Univisión Radio es el patrocinador de la Camiseta y Noche Tributo a
Jaime Jarrín el 11 de junio.
El legado de Jarrín en los Dodgers se ha extendido a tres generaciones en su propia familia, ya que su hijo Jorge está en
su primera temporada como narrador en español para PRIME TICKET y su nieto Stefan jugó para los Dodgers que
salieron campeones del Arizona League la temporada pasada tras ser elegido por el club en ronda 40 del draft del 2011.
Jarrín permanece involucrado con su país natal con el financiamiento, también con la ayuda de donaciones de amigos y
colegas por todas las Grandes Ligas, de una academia de béisbol en Guayaquil para niños entre las edades de 7 y 12
años, con las esperanzas de que el deporte crezca en Ecuador.
Forbes
Dodgers On Track To Earn $20 Million This Season
The Los Angeles Dodgers, who eked out a $1.2 million operating profit last season on revenue of $230 million (net of
revenue-sharing), are on track to be one of the most profitable teams in baseball this season.
In 2011, only the New York Mets (-$40.8 million), Philadelphia Phillies (-$11.6 million) and Los Angeles Angels of
Anaheim (-$1.2 million) posted lower operating income (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization)
than the Dodgers among baseball’s 30 teams.
Last season was a horror show in the city of lost angels that was clearly an aberration. The Dodgers attendance fell by an
average of almost 8,000 per game as owner Frank McCourt and his team were engulfed with a mountain of bad publicity
due to the divorce from his wife Jamie, the beating of San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow on opening day at Dodger
Stadium and a feud with MLB commissioner Bud Selig, and the team was out of postseason contention before the AllStar game.
McCourt put the team into bankruptcy in June 2011, and this March sold the Dodgers and their stadium to Guggenheim
Baseball Management in a court-supervised auction in March for $2 billion.
But there were some smart moves made by the Dodgers before Guggenheim’s purchase. In October the Dodgers cut
ticket prices for nearly all season tickets. Then in November they inked slugger Matt Kemp to an eight-year, $160 million
contract while lowering payroll to $105 million from $120 million, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts. After
Guggenheim bought the team parking rates were reduced to $10 from $15. At 32-17, the Dodgers have the best record
in baseball and attendance is averaging over 39,000 per game, 7.5% more than last season.
According to people familiar with team’s finances but who are not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, the
team’s operating income will almost assuredly be north of $20 million this season. Only the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis
Cardinals are likely to earn more without the aid of revenue-sharing.
And the new media deal that, thanks to concessions granted McCourt in an agreement he negotiated with MLB prior to
the sale of the Dodgers, will enable Guggenhiem to keep more money than other teams with regional sports networks,
hasn’t even been negotiated yet.
USA Today
Prospect watch: Eovaldi joins Dodgers, perhaps for good
By Lawr Michaels, Mastersball.com
With veteran Ted Lilly going on the disabled list, the Los Angeles Dodgers had to dip into their farm system for a starting
pitcher Tuesday night. Right-hander Nathan Eovaldi, an 11th-round selection in 2008, got the call and performed
admirably -- although he took the hard-luck 2-1 loss.
Eovaldi went seven strong innings, holding the Brewers to a a pair of runs, a walk, and four each of whiffs and hits.
After rising fairly quickly through the minors, the 22-year-old has the stuff to fill the role and even earn a full-time spot
in the rotation.
Last season at Class-AA Chattanooga, he went 6-5, 2.62 over 19 starts and 103 innings. With injuries again hitting the
L.A. rotation, Eovaldi made his big-league debut and pitched well with a 1-2, 3.63 mark over six starts (ten games) and
34 2/3 innings. He struck out 23, although he also walked 20 while allowing 28 hits.
With 283 minor league strikeouts to 140 walks over 343 1/3 innings (318 hits) control is the one issue he will need to
work on. So far this year he has been 2-2, 3.09 over eight starts and 35 innings, all back at Chattanooga (30 strikeouts, 13
walks, and 30 hits, good for a 1.22 WHIP).
The Chicago Cubs' first baseman of the future is Anthony Rizzo, who was acquired as part of the deal that sent Andrew
Cashner to the Padres.
Based upon his struggles in the majors last year (.141-1-9 over 139 at-bats in San Diego), Rizzo began 2012 at Class-AAA
Iowa where the left-handed slugger has ripped it up, hitting .354-17-46 over his first 48 games.
Rizzo does need to still watch his swings, having struck out 37 times while garnering just 17 walks, but the Cubs need to
make room for him. That means finding a place for fellow slugger Bryan LaHair.
"Bear"-ing in mind the Cubs recent struggles, and aging and iffy outfield primarily manned by Alfonso Soriano and David
DeJesus, GM Theo Epstein is going to have to make a move. When he does it likely means Rizzo and LaHair do have full
time jobs: the question is "who is out?"
Finally, we have an update on the Orioles' No. 1 selection (fourth overall) in last year's June draft, Dylan Bundy.
A 19-year-old, drafted out of Owasso High School in Tulsa, Bundy signed too late to play either at the Rookie level, or
even get an assignment to the Arizona Fall League, so he began his professional career this season at Low Class-A
Delmarva—at the Sally League—and made eight starts.
Over that span Bundy tossed a total of 30 innings, winning just one game, but logging an ERA of 0.00 (that is correct,
0.00!). In fairness two runs did score off Bundy, but they were unearned as well as lucky since the right hander allowed
just five hits and two walks, while punching out 40 batters.
So, after registering a WHIP of 0.23, and opposition batting average of .053, the Orioles promoted Bundy to their High
Class-A Carolina League Frederick team. There the hurler has produced much more human numbers, allowing a pair of
runs over five innings and his first start. Though he allowed six hits including a homer, Bundy also whiffed six and walked
none.
He is definitely an arm to track, for talent like this will surely find its way to Baltimore's rotation with the same speed —
and likely fanfare — as Matt Moore in Tampa Bay and Stephen Strasburg in Washington.