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Post by Blunashun on Feb 20, 2019 15:40:42 GMT
Kershaw to make 9th straight Opening Day start
By Ken Gurnick
Feb. 19th, 2019
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Clayton Kershaw, signed to a three-year, $93 million extension over the offseason, was again named the Dodgers' Opening Day starter by manager Dave Roberts on Tuesday. The Dodgers open the season March 28 against Arizona at Dodger Stadium.
It will be the three-time National League Cy Young Award winner's ninth consecutive Opening Day start, extending his franchise record. The longest streak of all-time belongs to Hall of Famer Jack Morris, who started 14 straight for the Tigers (1980-90), Twins ('91) and Blue Jays ('92-93). Robin Roberts has the longest streak of Opening Day starts with one team, making 12 in a row for the Phillies from 1950-61.
"It's very cool," said Kershaw. "The cliche it's just another game, but Opening Day symbolizes a lot of things. I'm excited about it. Being on the same team that long, a team with a long list of great starting pitchers, to be associated with them is kind of special."
Kershaw, who will turn 31 next month, enters his 12th big league season coming off a third consecutive year interrupted by injury. He was absent from the NL All-Star team for the first time after seven consecutive selections and finished lower than fifth in the voting for the NL Cy Young Award for the first time in seven years.
Nonetheless, Kershaw had a season most pitchers would envy. He went 9-5 with a 2.73 ERA and totaled 191 1/3 innings, including the postseason. Although Kershaw had a dip in velocity and strikeout ratio, he finished the regular season ranking among NL leaders with at least 25 starts in ERA (fourth), strikeout-to-walk ratio (third), WHIP (fourth) and opponents' on-base percentage (fourth).
In 13 second-half starts, Kershaw went 6-1 with a 2.73 ERA, striking out 77 batters against 12 walks, while posting a 1.00 WHIP and holding batters to a .227/.255/.365 slash line.
After signing the extension, Kershaw said he had something to prove to critics who viewed decreased velocity as a sign his career was in decline. He dedicated the offseason to improving his flexibility and syncing his body with pitching mechanics.
Kershaw is 153-69 with a 2.39 ERA in 318 career games (316 starts) throughout his Major League career.
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Post by Blunashun on Feb 20, 2019 15:50:48 GMT
Verdugo on track for significant playing time
Dodgers hold first full-squad workouts; Jansen pleased with velocity
By Ken Gurnick
Feb. 19th, 2019
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Dodgers held their first full-squad workout on Tuesday, only four days before Spring Training games start.
"With what we've accomplished the last few years, the core is still intact," said manager Dave Roberts. "So it's more just remaining steadfast and prepared while understanding the ultimate goal and how we get there. The culture, the professionalism is there. As a team, we need to eliminate the noise and focus on getting better each day."
• The indefinite absence of Andrew Toles on a personal matter has not changed president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman's comfort level about his club's roster depth.
Without Toles, top outfield prospect Alex Verdugo's path to a roster spot is cleared and Friedman doesn't sound like a late signing is a priority.
"I think we have so much roster flexibility that one of our infielders can kick out to the outfield if we have an injury," said Friedman. "Obviously, we have one less layer, which is not nothing. But if anything, it makes it less crowded in terms of what we're going to do in Spring Training. An injury or two could change things a little bit."
In the meantime, Verdugo will probably inherit some of Toles' playing time while vying with Joc Pederson as a left-handed hitting left fielder.
"He's earned the right to be on our Major League team and help us win games," said Friedman. "He has a very high floor as a player. He has a very advanced approach at the plate. Tremendous bat-to-ball skills that complements our lineup. Very good defensively. Checks a lot of boxes in what we look for in a player. I expect at the end of the year he'll have logged a significant number of plate appearances."
• Kenley Jansen continued to demonstrate a training regimen in stark contrast to last year's slow start to Spring Training, facing batters on Tuesday, along with Rich Hill, Hyun-Jin Ryu among others. Jansen said he was pleased with the life and velocity of his pitches.
"Maybe it was 88 and 89 (mph), but it was February, not April 1 and blowing a save," he joked.
• Walker Buehler said he expects to throw his first bullpen session Wednesday, but added, "Nobody freak out" if it doesn't happen. He's a week behind the rest of the starting pitchers by design after last year's spike in innings.
• Roberts was asked to react to the reported signing of former Dodger Manny Machado by the San Diego Padres.
"It's good for Manny, it's good for the Padres," said Roberts. "We're going to see a lot of him this year."
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Post by Blunashun on Feb 20, 2019 15:56:32 GMT
Toles out indefinitely due to personal matter
Club is unsure when Toles will report to Spring Training
By Ken Gurnick
Feb. 18th, 2019
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Dodgers outfielder Andrew Toles will be out indefinitely while dealing with a personal matter, according to the club.
"We aren't sure when Andrew will arrive, but he has been in contact with the organization and has our full support," according to a team release. "Out of respect for Andrew and his family, we will have no further comment on the matter."
Manager Dave Roberts said he was "surprised" at the news and had not spoken to Toles.
"We'll get Andrew here when he works through personal things," said Roberts. "Don't know the timeline. The first part is just getting him here and getting him back in the swing of things."
Toles' situation could explain why a rumored Joc Pederson trade never happened. Both outfielders bat left-handed, as does Alex Verdugo, so the depth in the outfield will be diminished with Toles absent.
"It's obviously opportunities [for Pederson and Verdugo]," said Roberts. "For Alex and Joc, it's just get ready for the season. Alex had done everything he can do to prove himself at the Triple-A level and he came into camp in really good shape. He understands what he needs to do to get better as a player. Outside of that, it's let things unfold."
Toles has had a difficult past. He was dismissed from the University of Tennessee's baseball team in 2011, and after transferring to Chipola College, he was suspended from the team in '12. Tampa Bay drafted him in the third round that year, but he was disciplined in the Minor Leagues in '14 and was released for disciplinary reasons in '15.
While out of the game, Toles worked briefly at a Georgia grocery store, but was signed by the Dodgers in September 2015. They sent him to Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga for a month to start the '16 season, to Double-A Tulsa for two months and Triple-A Oklahoma City for a week before promoting him to Los Angeles for his Major League debut.
Toles appeared in 48 games in 2016 and posted a glowing .870 OPS, plus a starring role in the club's loss to the Cubs in the National League Championship Series. He opened 2017 in the starting lineup, but on May 9 tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and was lost for the season. With an outfielder logjam, Toles opened 2018 at Triple-A and appeared in only 17 games with the Dodgers.
Toles' whirlwind transformation has been linked directly to Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, who drafted Toles when he ran the Tampa Bay Rays.
All other players have checked into camp with the first full-squad workout Tuesday.
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Post by truedodger on Feb 20, 2019 16:24:33 GMT
Kershaw to make 9th straight Opening Day start I guess he gets the nod out of respect and seniority. To me Buehler is the ace now. What are the odds that Greinke takes the hill on the other side. |
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Post by Blunashun on Feb 20, 2019 16:26:14 GMT
Kershaw to make 9th straight Opening Day start I guess he gets the nod out of respect and seniority. To me Buehler is the ace now. What are the odds that Greinke takes the hill on the other side. I'm happy for CK. Hopefully it's not a portent of our playoff rotation. |
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Post by truedodger on Feb 20, 2019 16:32:39 GMT
Verdugo on track for significant playing time Dodgers hold first full-squad workouts; Jansen pleased with velocity By Ken Gurnick Feb. 19th, 2019 GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Dodgers held their first full-squad workout on Tuesday, only four days before Spring Training games start. "With what we've accomplished the last few years, the core is still intact," said manager Dave Roberts. "So it's more just remaining steadfast and prepared while understanding the ultimate goal and how we get there. The culture, the professionalism is there. As a team, we need to eliminate the noise and focus on getting better each day." • The indefinite absence of Andrew Toles on a personal matter has not changed president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman's comfort level about his club's roster depth. Without Toles, top outfield prospect Alex Verdugo's path to a roster spot is cleared and Friedman doesn't sound like a late signing is a priority. "I think we have so much roster flexibility that one of our infielders can kick out to the outfield if we have an injury," said Friedman. "Obviously, we have one less layer, which is not nothing. But if anything, it makes it less crowded in terms of what we're going to do in Spring Training. An injury or two could change things a little bit." In the meantime, Verdugo will probably inherit some of Toles' playing time while vying with Joc Pederson as a left-handed hitting left fielder. "He's earned the right to be on our Major League team and help us win games," said Friedman. "He has a very high floor as a player. He has a very advanced approach at the plate. Tremendous bat-to-ball skills that complements our lineup. Very good defensively. Checks a lot of boxes in what we look for in a player. I expect at the end of the year he'll have logged a significant number of plate appearances." • Kenley Jansen continued to demonstrate a training regimen in stark contrast to last year's slow start to Spring Training, facing batters on Tuesday, along with Rich Hill, Hyun-Jin Ryu among others. Jansen said he was pleased with the life and velocity of his pitches. "Maybe it was 88 and 89 (mph), but it was February, not April 1 and blowing a save," he joked. • Walker Buehler said he expects to throw his first bullpen session Wednesday, but added, "Nobody freak out" if it doesn't happen. He's a week behind the rest of the starting pitchers by design after last year's spike in innings. • Roberts was asked to react to the reported signing of former Dodger Manny Machado by the San Diego Padres. "It's good for Manny, it's good for the Padres," said Roberts. "We're going to see a lot of him this year." I think Toles suffers from anxiety disorder and takes meds and sees a psychiatrist for it. I hope everything is okay with him. Glad though that he isn't a big money cog in the Dodger machine. I am glad Verdugo will get his shot, finally. I think he will do well. They need guys that can hit, hopefully he hits consistently. They have to move away from some of these .230- .240 hitters and I think that if White Sox lose out on Harper they might be calling the Dodgers for Joc since it's still being reported that there is still interest. |
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Post by Blunashun on Feb 21, 2019 1:02:52 GMT
This is from an article about Bryce Harper's contract situation...
'The White Sox could take a run at Harper. They offered Machado an eight-year, $250 million contract. MLB Network insider Ken Rosenthal said the deal could have reached $350 million, if Machado vested every option and hit every incentive. But White Sox executive vice president Ken Williams said a guaranteed $300 million “wasn’t feasible to us.”
AJ Preller is brain dead to bid against himself like that. Maybe he should hire Dave Stewart as his 'special' assistant & make it a true three ring circus down San Diego way.
One thing this does though is take MLB off the radar for another collusion case. Manny wanted $300,000,000. He got it.
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Post by Blunashun on Feb 21, 2019 20:39:11 GMT
Buehler full-go in 1st ST bullpen session
Dodgers are 'slow-playing' right-hander this spring
By Ken Gurnick @kengurnick
Feb. 20th, 2019
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Catcher Josh Thole has almost six years of Major League service. He caught a young Matt Harvey with the Mets; he caught Aaron Sanchez and Marcus Stroman with the Blue Jays.
On Wednesday, Thole caught the first bullpen session of the spring by Walker Buehler, who has been “slow-played” after last year’s spike in innings.
“Best arm I’ve ever seen,” Thole said after Buehler’s 30-pitch workout. “I used to think Aaron Sanchez had the best young arm, electric stuff. I left that bullpen today and told three of my counterparts that’s the best stuff-wise from a young kid I’ve ever seen. Four, five pitches, all with great action on it. Just a heavy fastball.”
Cody Bellinger stood in for the final 13 pitches.
“Belly was like, you could just read a guy -- I know he was just standing there taking pitches -- but it was like, pop-boom. There’s something about it, the last five feet have a different gear on it.”
This is Thole’s first go with the Dodgers, a non-roster invitee. Turns out it wasn’t the first time he caught Buehler.
“I think it was the offseason before his junior year at Vanderbilt, and I live in Denver and he was visiting family there and we have the same agent, and I was asked to catch him,” Thole recalled. “So even then, I remember him being a kid with a really good arm.
“Today, his stuff was so good, the cutter moved like eight inches. Wiffle ball slider? ‘Oh, I’m just working on it,’ he said. He just found this grip? I can attest, from a stuff standpoint for a young kid, I was supposed to be working on catching stuff, but I threw that out the window. I had to. Just catch the ball, it was moving so much.”
Buehler wasn’t quite as impressed with his performance.
“It was fine,” he said. “I threw everything I had, about 30 pitches. We just took a couple-days breather and went back, knocked the cobwebs off and move forward.”
Buehler agreed that his command improved when Bellinger stepped in, offering two reasons.
“It’s the competitive aspect and the sightlines are a little better, you’re more used to trying to execute with somebody in there,” he said.
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jrgreene6
Legend
Married . . . With Cats
Posts: 7,438
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Post by jrgreene6 on Feb 21, 2019 21:09:26 GMT
Buehler? Buehler? Anyone? Buehler?
GO DODGERS!!!
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Post by 88bulldog on Feb 22, 2019 16:42:28 GMT
Buehler full-go in 1st ST bullpen session Dodgers are 'slow-playing' right-hander this spring By Ken Gurnick @kengurnick Feb. 20th, 2019 GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Catcher Josh Thole has almost six years of Major League service. He caught a young Matt Harvey with the Mets; he caught Aaron Sanchez and Marcus Stroman with the Blue Jays. On Wednesday, Thole caught the first bullpen session of the spring by Walker Buehler, who has been “slow-played” after last year’s spike in innings. “Best arm I’ve ever seen,” Thole said after Buehler’s 30-pitch workout. “I used to think Aaron Sanchez had the best young arm, electric stuff. I left that bullpen today and told three of my counterparts that’s the best stuff-wise from a young kid I’ve ever seen. Four, five pitches, all with great action on it. Just a heavy fastball.” Cody Bellinger stood in for the final 13 pitches. “Belly was like, you could just read a guy -- I know he was just standing there taking pitches -- but it was like, pop-boom. There’s something about it, the last five feet have a different gear on it.” This is Thole’s first go with the Dodgers, a non-roster invitee. Turns out it wasn’t the first time he caught Buehler. “I think it was the offseason before his junior year at Vanderbilt, and I live in Denver and he was visiting family there and we have the same agent, and I was asked to catch him,” Thole recalled. “So even then, I remember him being a kid with a really good arm. “Today, his stuff was so good, the cutter moved like eight inches. Wiffle ball slider? ‘Oh, I’m just working on it,’ he said. He just found this grip? I can attest, from a stuff standpoint for a young kid, I was supposed to be working on catching stuff, but I threw that out the window. I had to. Just catch the ball, it was moving so much.” Buehler wasn’t quite as impressed with his performance. “It was fine,” he said. “I threw everything I had, about 30 pitches. We just took a couple-days breather and went back, knocked the cobwebs off and move forward.” Buehler agreed that his command improved when Bellinger stepped in, offering two reasons. “It’s the competitive aspect and the sightlines are a little better, you’re more used to trying to execute with somebody in there,” he said. WOW!!!! |
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Post by truedodger on Feb 22, 2019 17:53:38 GMT
@pedromoura
Clayton Kershaw won’t throw for a couple days after reporting that he didn’t feel right during his most recent live batting-practice session. “No one’s alarmed or worried about it,” Dave Roberts said. “There’s plenty of time for him to get his bullpens in and get built up.”
“Is it dead arm? It could be,” Roberts said. “We’ll see about that as we get moving forward.”
-----------------------
Already?!
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Post by Blunashun on Feb 22, 2019 19:29:37 GMT
@pedromoura Clayton Kershaw won’t throw for a couple days after reporting that he didn’t feel right during his most recent live batting-practice session. “No one’s alarmed or worried about it,” Dave Roberts said. “There’s plenty of time for him to get his bullpens in and get built up.” “Is it dead arm? It could be,” Roberts said. “We’ll see about that as we get moving forward.” ----------------------- Already?! A dead arm in February? Not good... |
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Post by truedodger on Feb 22, 2019 19:59:47 GMT
@pedromoura Clayton Kershaw won’t throw for a couple days after reporting that he didn’t feel right during his most recent live batting-practice session. “No one’s alarmed or worried about it,” Dave Roberts said. “There’s plenty of time for him to get his bullpens in and get built up.” “Is it dead arm? It could be,” Roberts said. “We’ll see about that as we get moving forward.” ----------------------- Already?! A dead arm in February? Not good... Right. I don't know, I hope I'm wrong but I wasn't on board with extending Kershaw. I caught flak for it but I hate being the realist. |
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Post by Blunashun on Feb 22, 2019 20:16:25 GMT
A dead arm in February? Not good... Right. I don't know, I hope I'm wrong but I wasn't on board with extending Kershaw. I caught flak for it but I hate being the realist. This is where Clayton's competitive nature sometimes goes haywire. He was working this winter on his mechanics. Maybe he should have been resting. |
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Post by Blunashun on Feb 23, 2019 21:36:34 GMT
10 pitches that could dominate hitters in 2019
Caleb Ferguson, Dodgers LHP: Curveball
Ferguson has drawn some comparisons to Clayton Kershaw on his way up the Dodgers' system, and his curveball only feeds into that. Ferguson's big looper has the rotation -- its 2,824 rpm average spin rate ranked 24th of 169 qualifiers -- and it got the results during his first cup of coffee; opponents hit .216 against the hook with an 83.3 mph average exit velocity. In January, Ferguson told MLB Network's Hot Stove program that he got curveball tips from none other than Sandy Koufax, so needless to say we're excited to see this pitch a little more.
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