True Blue LA

Welcome to Big League Camp, Chris Withrow

2010-03-14T22:53:52Z

Chris Withrow, seen here from last June at Class A Inland Empire, struck out three batters in his first career inning in big league camp.

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Today's Dodgers 6-4 win over the Rangers at Camelback Ranch had it's moments, notably a booming Matt Kemp home run and three solid innings from Hiroki Kuroda, allowing just two unearned runs in his second start of the spring. But the star of the day was Chris Withrow, making his first career appearance in big league camp.

Withrow, who was voted by True Blue LA readers as the top Dodger prospect this winter, entered the game in the eighth inning, and proceeded to record all three outs via strikeout. Mitch Moreland, Kevin Richardson, and Max Ramirez all went down swinging against the fire-balling right-hander. "The kid's got a good arm," said manager Don Mattingly, "you like to see that." The only runner allowed by Withrow was a bad-grip curve ball that hit Chad "son of Jim" Tracy.

The youthful infusion inspired by Withrow extended to the offense, as fellow minor leaguer Brian Cavazos-Galvez crushed a home run over the bullpen in left field to start the bottom of the eighth.

Speaking of youth, Charley Steiner mentioned during the Prime Ticket broadcast that fellow highly-regarded pitching prospect Ethan Martin would likely pitch an inning on Monday in Tempe against the Angels.

Garret Anderson made his Dodger debut at designated hitter, collecting a hit in his three at-bats as the designated hitter. "I wanted to get him an extra at bat today so that why he was the DH," said Mattingly, "Garret looked OK. We're just getting him going. We'll talk to him in the morning about playing the field tomorrow. "

Regarding the battle for the second base job, Jim Bowden of XM and Fox Sports tweeted this (hat tip to Tripon for the link):

Larry Bowa told me that Blake DeWitt is in lead for Dodgers 2B opening

The Dodger plane from Taiwan is scheduled to touch down in Phoenix at roughly 5:45pm. Joe Torre is expected in camp tomorrow, but Mattingly said he wasn't sure if he or Torre would manage the next few games.

UPDATE: Rangers' pitcher Michael Kirkman, who was hit in the face by a grounder late in the game, narrowly avoided serious injury. From Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

Left-hander Michael Kirkman was grazed in the left ear by a one-hopper hit back at him in the seventh inning and is OK. But both pitching coach Mike Maddux and trainer Jamie Reed said Kirkman was one inch from a "disaster."

Kirkman went down as the ball bounded into right field, but he was back on his feet before the play had ended.

Box Score

Kuroda to Make Second Spring Start; First Roster Cuts Announced

2010-03-14T19:26:49Z

More photos » Mark Duncan - AP

Under the watchful eye of Rick Honeycutt, Hiroki Kuroda will make his second start of the spring today against Texas

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Rangers (ss) (4-4-1) at Dodgers (ss) (2-5-1)

1:05pm, Camelback Ranch, Glendale, AZ

Hiroki Kuroda will make his second start of the spring today, and if the likely rest of the rotation is any indication, Kuroda will have a good outing:

Dodger Pitchers Making Second Start This Spring
Pitcher	Date	Opp	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
Vicente Padilla	Mar 10	Arizona	3.0	4	1	1	1	4
Eric Stults	Mar 12	CPBL	3.0	0	0	0	1	4
Clayton Kershaw	Mar 12	Cincinnati	3.0	2	0	0	2	3
Chad Billingsley	Mar 13	Arizona	3.0	3	0	0	1	4

After last night's game in Taiwan, the Dodgers reassigned pitcher Francisco Felix, catcher Gabe Gutierrez, and outfielder Brian Barton to minor league camp. Joining them was catcher-turned-pitcher Kenley Jansen, who was optioned. The number of players in major league camp now stands at 61.

You can check out Jon SooHoo's photo galleries from yesterday's action in Taiwan here and here.

Here are the lineups, which include Garret Anderson, making his Dodger debut, at designated hitter::

Rangers		Dodgers
CF	Borbon	SS	Furcal
SS	Andrus	2B	DeWitt
LF	Murphy	RF	Ethier
RF	Cruz	CF	Kemp
1B	Davis	DH	Anderson
C	Saltalamacchia	3B	Blake
DH	Ramirez	LF	Johnson
2B	Arias	1B	Mientkiewicz
3B	German	C	Ausmus
P	Holland	P	Kuroda

Dodger pitchers scheduled to follow Kuroda are Jeff Weaver, Jonathan Broxton, George Sherrill, and Ramon Troncoso.

The scheduled pitchers for the Rangers today are Derek Holland, Geoff Geary, Clay Rapada, Pedro Strop, Michael Kirkman, and Willie Eyre. Texas has a split squad, with the rest of their team back home in Surprise to face the Diamondbacks.

Tomorrow, the Dodgers travel to Tempe, for Diablo Stadium and a Dr. Pepper! Probable pitchers for Monday are Padilla, Ramon Ortiz, and Luis Ayala. I am guessing the plan is for pitchers on the starter's program -- including Padilla and Ortiz -- to pitch four innings in their third appearance (up from two and three, respectively, in the first two outings).

The Dodgers have quite a few players from minor league camp in uniform for today's game:

No	Pos	Player
83	P	Tim Corcoran
89	P	Chris Withrow
95	P	Ethan Martin
90	C	Ryan Arp
90	C	Gorman Erickson
69	SS	Christian Lara
94	2B/3B	Cesar Suarez
96	1B	Steve Caseres
97	3B	Pedro Baez
84	OF	Timo Perez
91	OF	Andrew Lambo
92	OF	Brian Cavazos-Galvez
93	OF	Preston Mattingly

TV: Prime Ticket (the next four games are on TV; tomorrow, we get the Angels' broadcast on Fox Sports West, Tuesday is an off day, then both Wednesday and Thursday back on Prime Ticket)

Radio: KABC 790 and the Dodger Radio Network.

Gameday

2010 Player Profile: Andre Ethier- It's a walkoff

2010-03-14T14:24:30Z

More photos » Morry Gash - AP

(AP Photo/Morry Gash)

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2009 was a breakout year for Andre Ethier, right? Actually, no. I approached this profile with the opinion that Ethier's 2009 season was the best of his career (and I assumed it was by a large margin) but then I checked his stats and found that's not quite the case at all. As for my perception of him having his best year as a pro, he certainly did when it comes to counting stats. He had career bests in home runs, runs and RBI's. Plus he racked up some accolades with the voters, finishing 6th in the MVP voting and coming away with a silver slugger award. Plus there were those 6 walk off hits during the year, which earned Ethier a Clutch Performer of the Year Award. As for the rate stats, Ethier actually posted better numbers in 2008. 2009 saw a dip in Ethier's batting average, on base percentage, slugging percentage and wOBA compared to the prior year. Not that I'm complaining. The numbers Ethier posted in 2009, while slightly lower than 2008, are still excellent. This exercise actually serves to frustrate me more with the Dodgers and their insistence of blocking Ethier with mediocre to bad veterans in the past. The only thing that kept Andre from hitting 30+ home runs in 2008 was plate appearances; fortunately for Dodger fans that no longer appears to be a problem.

Despite Ethier's excellent year at the plate, it's not to suggest that Ethier's game is without flaws. Defensive metrics such as UZR grade Ethier rather poorly. Ethier appears to have a solid throwing arm in RF, however his range is lacking as his UZR was -16.2 which was good for 16th out of 19 right fielders who qualify . Additionally, Ethier still struggles against left handed pitching, as Ethier had a batting line of .302/.390/.571 against RHP but only a line of .194/.283/.345 against LHP. I'm pretty sure Jamie Hoffmann, Xavier Paul or Jason Repko can give you that, and those guys are all considered better defensive outfielders. Despite his struggles against left handed pitching, the Dodgers did not bring in a platoon partner for Andre in the offseason, so Ethier will have to improve when facing left handed opponents as Torre has no other options (assuming the in-house options are not utilized) when facing "tough lefties."

Year	Age	2B	HR	Runs	RBI	BA	OBP	SLG	wOBA
2006	24	20	11	50	55	.308	.365	.474	.357
2007	25	32	13	50	64	.284	.350	.452	.336
2008	26	38	20	90	77	.305	.375	.510	.382
2009	27	42	31	92	106	.272	.361	.508	.370
2010 Projections - Age 28 Season
Bill James		39	24	85	89	.288	.368	.500	.372
CHONE		34	21	72	79	.281	.356	.488	.365
Marcel		36	22	79	83	.283	.361	.488	.363
Baseball HQ		40	30	88	103	.285	.357	.521

2010 Outlook

Despite my nitpicking above, I do believe Andre Ethier is a legitimate star in the league. I'm not terribly concerned with his range is right field, considering his outfield partner Matt Kemp has excellent range to cover for his teammate. I'm a little bit more concerned with Ethier's struggles against LHP, and absent improvement in this area, opposing teams will make sure that Ethier has a difficult time getting any walk offs this year as he will face a LOOGY whenever possible. No matter what, I expect Joe Torre to ride Ethier hard. As I said during the Manny Ramirez preview, Torre will be hard pressed to give any of his 3 star outfielder much of a rest this season. Consider that other than the outfield, the other traditional power hitting positions of first base, catcher and third base are occupied with two guys who slugged .399 and .329 last season and a guy entering his age 36 season. It's one thing to hope Russell Martin and James Loney find their power stroke next season, but Torre will rely upon Andre Ethier to supply the power on a daily basis. After all, Ethier has had a slugging percentage of greater than .500 the past two seasons, and I see no reason to believe that he can't perform at that level again in his age 28 season. Ethier is in his prime, and I expect big things this season.

.285 / .360 / .515 in 615 plate appearances.

What are your community projections for Andre Ethier?

Late Night Dodger Notes: Team Takes Train, Triumphs in Taiwan

2010-03-14T09:09:20Z

More photos » Wally Santana - AP

Manny Ramirez, fully stretched for the finale in Taiwan, added three hits, including a double.

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The Dodgers ended their Taiwan trip with a 11-1 win over the CPBL All-Stars at Kaohsiung County Stadium. Among the highlights:

Manny Ramirez hit the ball hard all night (or day, if you prefer), finishing with three hits, a double, and three runs scored. His best hit ball was probably the long out to right field in his final at-bat
Taiwanese native Chin-Lung Hu collected three hits, including a double
James Loney has a pair of hits, including an RBI triple in the first inning
Josh Towers started, and allowed one run in his three innings of work, allowing four hits while striking out two
Josh Lindblom, who along with Towers and Jon Link were called "candidates to make the team," per Ramona Shelburne of ESPN L.A., pitched even better, allowing but two baserunners in his three scoreless innings while striking out four
Trayvon Robinson hit an absolute bomb of a home run to center field, a two-run shot to close out the scoring in the top of the ninth
Xavier Paul had a pair of RBI singles, before leaving the game with a ~~broken~~ bloody nose. He also appeared to hit his head on the dugout while leaving the field.
Apparently the seventh inning stretch at Kaohsiung County Stadium featured a singer reading the lyrics off his hand
Before the game, Josh Rawitch of Inside the Dodgers wrote of the club's experience on the bullet train to Kaohsiung

Many thanks to the 18 of you that participated in a weekend overnight game thread for a game halfway around the world. You, along with the folks at Dodger Thoughts, Dodgerfan.net, and the like, made this a fun night.

**********

Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, in Taiwan with the team, has a nice profile of Brian Barton, who just might be the most interesting man in the world:

Barton's statistical goals can be measured in hundreds, but it's not about home runs or RBIs.

"I want to visit a couple hundred countries eventually. That's a lifetime goal," he said.

Barton wants to take his family on one of these trips, so they can learn about life in other parts of the world as he has.

"I guess this passion is really from, when I was growing up, I wanted to be an astronaut," he said. "I always wanted to go into space, wondering what's out there, seeing the stars and the moon and thinking about life on other planets.

**********

Gurnick also reported that, aside from the reported $170,000 appearance fee received by Manny Ramirez, the players on the trip will get paid a few thousand dollars each:

All of the players will receive a fee from gate proceeds that will probably be about double the $3,000 each received from the China trip

**********

Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times wrote about Blake DeWitt's hot hitting and Chad Billingsley's developing changeup

**********

Tom Singer of MLB.com had a nice profile on many of the 10 players from minor league camp that played in Saturday's Cactus League game in Tucson, including Andrew Lambo, Preston Mattingly, Scott Van Slyke, and Dee Gordon.

**********

For the traveling Dodgers, they will head home today on another 15+ hour flight. Meanwhile, at Camelback Ranch, the rest of the Dodgers will play the Rangers later today at 1:05pm (not noon, remember daylight savings!), on Prime Ticket.

Box Score

Dodgers Lead Finale in Taiwan, 3-1 (...In Progress Game Thread)

2010-03-14T06:43:14Z

More photos » Wally Santana - AP

2 days ago: Los Angeles Dodgers' second baseman Jamey Carroll, left runs after Taiwan all-star S.W. Wang, during the first of three exhibition games against Taiwan all-star players in Taipei, Taiwan, Friday, March 12, 2010. Taiwan beat the Dodgers 5 to 2. (AP Photo/Wally Santana)

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Dodgers at Chinese Professional Baseball League All-Stars

10:07pm, Kaohsiung County Stadium, Fongshan City, Taiwan

We join this game, the finale in the series, already in progress. For more on-site details throughout the game, be sure to follow Ramona Shelburne (of ESPN L.A.) and the official Dodgers Twitter feed.

The Dodgers are expected to fly back to Phoenix after the game.

Here is the Dodgers' lineup:

Dodgers
RF	Robinson
SS	Carroll
DH	Manny
1B	Loney
3B	Belliard
CF	Paul
C	May
LF	Restovich
2B	Hu
P	Towers

Box Score

Dodger Notes: Game Over For Eric Gagne?

2010-03-14T00:01:06Z

Eric Gagne has not looked good so far this spring (Photo by Jon SooHoo / LA Dodgers)

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Sure, Eric Gagne was the longest of long shots to make it this spring, and the spring itself still has three more weeks to it, but it is painful to watch the now-goggle-less Gagne struggle on the mound. Gagne gave up three more runs today, on four hits, including a rocket home run to Brandon Allen, as the Diamondbacks beat the Dodgers 7-3. Gagne has been scored upon in all three outings this spring, and even though the sample size is small, he has not looked the part of a major league pitcher out there on the mound.

Arizona announcer Jeff Munn, on the KTAR broadcast, summed up Gagne's day pretty well:

If Gagne is auditioning for a spot on the roster, he better burn the tape from today.

Not that there was much doubt before, but I think it's safe to say Ramon Troncoso will be able to claim his old number 38 back come opening day.

In other news...

Chad Billingsley pitched three scoreless innings, allowing three hits, a walk, a hit batsman, and had four strikeouts
Scott Elbert did not fare so well, walking four hitters en route to giving up three runs in 1.2 innings in his first "A" game action this spring
Blake DeWitt clubbed a three-run home run in the third inning which at the time gave the Dodgers a 3-0 lead
Pedro Baez, up from minor league camp, got the start at third base, and was the only player on either team to play all nine innings
The Dodgers used ten players from minor league camp in today's game in Tucson: Baez, Andrew Lambo, Dee Gordon, Scott Van Slyke, Jaime Pedroza, Jay Gibbons, Brandon Watson, Steven Caseres, Preston Mattingly, and pitcher Matthew Sartor

The Dodgers play the final game of their Taiwan series tonight at 10pm, and play tomorrow at Camelback Ranch against the Rangers at 1pm. Tomorrow's game will be on Prime Ticket, and will feature the Dodger debut of Garret Anderson.

Today's Box Score

Dodgers (Well, Some of Them) Make the Long Trip to Tucson

2010-03-13T19:32:51Z

More photos » Eric Risberg - AP

Andrew Lambo, voted by True Blue LA readers is the 6th best Dodger prospect this winter, gets a start in left field today in Tucson against the Diamondbacks.

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Dodgers (2-4-1) at Diamondbacks (4-5-1)

12:05pm, Tucson Electric Park, Tucson, AZ

Today marks the second-to-last trip to Tucson for the Dodgers (they also go to Hi Corbett Field -- where the spring training scenes of Major League were filmed!! -- on March 30 to play the Rockies), to face the Diamondbacks for the final time at Tucson Electric Park. Next season, the D-Backs and Rockies will begin play in their new spring training facility in Scottsdale, a field roughly 36 miles away instead of the current distance of 135 miles away, by far the longest trip of the spring.

As a result, today's travel roster is devoid of most veterans. There are lots of players from minor league camp making the trip, including a pair in the starting lineup, in Andrew Lambo and Pedro Baez.

Speaking of minor leaguers, the indispensable Spring Training Online has posted the Dodgers' schedule for their minor league games, which run from March 19 through April 3. Typically, the two A teams are at home when the Double A and Triple A teams are on the road, and vice versa. If you are making a journey out to Camelback Ranch this spring, I highly recommend checking out these minor league games. Get up close and personal with the next generation of Dodgers.

Larry Bowa, who was taken to the hospital yesterday with stomach cramps, is fine today, but did not make the trip to Tucson. Mariano Duncan will coach third base in his place, while Albuquerque hitting coach John Moses coaches first base for the Dodgers today.

The Dodgers' trip to Taiwan is an attempt to restore faith in Taiwanese baseball, rocked by game-fixing scandals, writes Steve Henson of Yahoo Sports:

The current game-fixing scandal is the fifth such occurrence in recent years. Officials from Taiwan’s China Professional Baseball League have asked MLB for guidance on how to prevent game-fixing. Unlike MLB, most players aren’t paid enough to eliminate the temptation to risk their careers for an envelope stuffed with cash or a few nights with prostitutes. Taiwanese players earn between $40,000 and $200,000 a year.

Acey Kohrogi, the Dodgers head of operations in Asia, has been scouting in Taiwan since 1996. He said players are offered two to three times their annual salaries to throw games. "Then they are trapped," Kohrogi said. "These are gangster types. It’s organized crime but not like the gangsters on the streets of L.A. This is really organized, and by college graduates. It’s very discreet but can be very dangerous."

In Diamondbacks' news, Brandon Webb is likely to begin the season on the disabled list, per the Associated Press.

Here are the lineups:

Dodgers		D-Backs
SS	DeJesus	2B	Johnson
2B	DeWitt	SS	Abreu
CF	Johnson	1B	Jackson
DH	Mientkiewicz	DH	Reynolds
C	Ellis	RF	Parra
1B	Gibbons	CF	Young
RF	Repko	C	Snyder
LF	Lambo	LF	Macias
3B	Baez	3B	Ojeda
P	Billingsley	P	Mulvey

After Chad Billingsley, scheduled to pitch for the Dodgers are Scott Elbert, Eric Gagne, Justin Miller, and Brent Leach.

Other players from major league camp on the travel roster today are Justin Knoedler, Nick Green, Argenis Reyes, and pitchers Armando Zerpa and Javy Guerra.

Scheduled pitchers to follow Kevin Mulvey for Arizona are Chad Qualls, Zach Kroenke, Blaine Boyer, Leyson Septimo, Bob Howry, and Roque Mercedes.

Daylight savings time is tonight, so starting tomorrow the day games start a little later, at 1pm Pacific time instead of noon, because most of Arizona, including the Phoenix area, does not recognize daylight savings time.

No TV today (tomorrow is on Prime Ticket), but you can listen on 790 KABC or the Dodger Radio Network.

Gameday

2010 Player Profile: Ronald Belisario, International Man Of Mystery

2010-03-13T17:30:47Z

More photos » David Zalubowski - ASSOCIATED PRESS

Ronald Belisario is still missing from the Los Angeles Dodgers spring training camp. If you have any information regarding his whereabouts, please contract Ned Colletti, general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

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Ronald Belisario seemed to come out of nowhere to win a bullpen job for the 2009 Los Angeles Dodgers, but in fact he did come from somewhere, namely the nation of Venezuela, and the organizations of the Florida Marlins and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Florida signed Belisario at the age of 16 and he toiled in their minor league system, reaching the AA level and being placed onto their 40-man roster by the end of the 2004 season. Unfortunately, the foe of pitchers world-wide, a torn ulnar colateral ligament, paid Belisario a visit, resulting in Tommy John surgery and a lost 2005 season.

Compounding injury with unspecified poor judgment, Belisario also did not pitch in 2006 because the Marlins suspended him for the season and ultimately released him at the end of the year. Pittsburgh signed him and he pitched mostly in Double-A for the Pirates over two seasons, but apparently unimpressed with a WHIP of about 1.5, K/9 of 6.28, and a BB/9 of 4.30 at that level, the Pirates also released Belisario. After all, how long do you stick with an unimpressive relief pitcher who managed to get suspended while he should be trying to finish his Tommy John rehab?

That off-season, Belisario played winter ball in his native Venezuela, and his manager just happened to be Carlos Subera, who had been named manager of the Dodgers’ Inland Empire high-A minor league affiliate for the upcoming 2009 season. On a recommendation from Subera and scout Ron Rizzi, the Dodgers signed Belisario to a minor-league deal.

Belisario was a late arrival to spring training due to issues with obtaining his visa, and was assigned to minor league camp before he could throw a single pitch in front of the Joe Torre's staff. When he impressed the minor-league coaching staff with good movement and a "heavy" fastball, he was brought to the major league camp at the very end of camp, and won an opening day roster spot with his performance in the last exhibition games.

Joe Torre had this to say about Belisario pitching against the Angels, "I watched Chone Figgins swing and miss twice. That doesn’t happen very much when he’s looking for fastballs to hit. That was impressive — what that means is there’s late life on the fastball."

Belisario had a very successful rookie season as a middle reliever with the Dodgers, throwing 70 2/3 innings and posting a 2.04 ERA (194 ERA+), with a 8.2 K/9 ratio to accompany a fine 56% ground-ball percentage that allowed him to hold opposing batters to a line of.201 / .294 / .286 / .580. He did have one stay on the 15-day disabled list during the season with a sore elbow, but returned without seeming to have suffered any longer term ill effects, remaining a key component of a strong Dodger bullpen. At different times during the season, he filled the role of 6th inning man, 7th inning man, and setup man.

His rookie season was also marred with an arrest in Pasadena in the early morning hours of June 27, 2009 for driving under the influence. From the arrest report:

On 6-27-2009 Ronald Belisario was stopped on Fair Oaks Ave just south of Colorado Blvd in Pasadena for talking on his cell phone while driving. An investigation was conducted and Belisario was 0227 hours for suspicion of D.U.I. Belisario was then transported to Pasadena P.D. and booked without further incident.

The suspension earlier in Belisario's career, his visa problems last spring, the DUI arrest, and now his missing three appointments at the American embassy in Caracas have to call into question his make up. He may be the proverbial million-dollar arm with a ten-cent head. UPDATE: Ignacio Serrano of ESPN Deportes reports that Belisario denies missing any appointments and that the holdup is entirely due to the DUI.

Contract Status:

If Belisario remains successful enough to stay at the major-league level for two more full seasons, he would become eligible for arbitration after the 2011 season. For the 2010 season, the Dodgers can simply renew his contract, which they will likely do at a figure in the low $400,000s. As his inability to report to camp drags on, one has to wonder if by the time he does report, he may be facing extended spring training and perhaps a minor-league option to get game-ready before he gets back into the majors. If that all drags on long enough, perhaps into mid-May or later, he may not qualify for "Super-two" status and may make arbitration eligibility a year later, effectively postponing himself a potential seven-digit salary, with the caveat that his arm actually holds up that long.

2010 Outlook:

Assuming Belisario makes it to camp sometime soon and doesn't blow out his arm trying to get into game shape, he would seem to be in line to share the 7th inning duties with Hong-Chih Kuo. You can view complete statistical reports on Belisario at baseball-reference.com and fangraphs.com.

Year	Age	IP	BB/9	K/9	ERA	WHIP	FIP	x-FIP	tRA	ERA+
2009- MLB	26	70.2	3.69	8.15	2.04	1.15	3.51	3.47	3.80	194
2010 Projections - Age 27 Season
Bill James		69	4.17	7.17	4.04	1.41	4.20
CHONE		60	4.05	7.50	4.35	1.42	4.50
Marcel		60	3.60	7.65	3.60	1.28	3.93
Baseball HQ		65	4.15	7.06	3.88	1.48

The various projection systems all seem to agree to varying degrees that Belisario's performance will take a downturn in 2010. I suppose it will be difficult to replicate the stellar rookie season he had. Because his pitches have such tremendous movement, it is also difficult to believe he will improve on his walk rates. There is also some risk that a guy who's already had Tommy John surgery, spent time on the DL last year with a sore elbow, and is very late reporting to spring training, will do something aggravating to his arm, perhaps rushing to get ready for the season. (On the other hand, Serrano also reported that "Ronald Belisario said he's in good shape. He said he'll need two bullpen sessions in order to be ready to pitch in a real game.") I'm going to predict that all these factors will have something to do with limiting the time Belisario actually gets to pitch for the Dodgers: 3.76 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 45 IP in 2010.

What are your predictions for Ronald Belisario (ERA / WHIP / IP)?

2010 Player Profile: Ronald Belisario

2010-03-13T15:10:10Z

The article has not yet arrived at TBLA headquarters, reportedly due to visa issues. Blog co-manager Phil Gurnee sounds a bit peeved about it.

"You would think that when you have the opportunity to write for a prestigious blog, and the opportunity presents itself to write for a prestigious blog, support your ego and build a portfolio, that would be something you would pursue to the fullest,'' Gurnee said.

Eric Stephen, manager of TBLA, reiterated his stance that TBLA is moving on without Belisario.

"I can't worry about things that I have zero control over or people I have zero control over,'' Stephen said. "If [the article] shows, it shows. If it doesn't, it doesn't.''

Rumors were swirling that the article may appear from bureaucratic limbo at any moment.

Sore Elbow Sidelines Hong-Chih Kuo

2010-03-13T14:19:20Z

More photos » Mark Duncan - AP

Hong-Chih Kuo will miss his scheduled start in Taiwan Sunday, with a sore elbow

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Last night's game in Taiwan was rained out, but the biggest news involved Taiwanese pitcher Hong-Chih Kuo. Kuo was scratched from his scheduled Sunday start with a sore elbow, not exactly the kind of homecoming Kuo wished for. Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com said Kuo was very emotional when he told the Taiwanese press that he wouldn't pitch Sunday.

With Kuo's history, any type of injury always seems just around the corner, but this news is still troubling. After Tuesday's outing in Arizona, Joe Torre was practically beaming about Kuo, even going so far to say, "It's nice to have him in a situation where you're not giving him special care." Just four days later, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com used the words "shut down indefinitely" in his report of Kuo's injury, which is not exactly the type of phrase you would like to see.

Kuo experienced the elbow soreness Tuesday and Friday, and told the trainers after Friday. The real question is, did Kuo report anything to the trainers Tuesday? Nope. Per Gurnick:

Only four days earlier, Kuo was unhittable in his exhibition debut against Colorado with a pair of strikeouts in one perfect inning. But he said he felt soreness in that appearance and it bothered him again Friday during a bullpen session at Tienmu Stadium, after which he first reported it to the team trainers.

"I just found out today," said Torre.

Kuo downplayed the severity of his discomfort.

Shelburne reported "Torre and Kuo say they don't think it's anything major, just normal spring training soreness," but I find it hard to feel comforted with that news since Russell Martin said the same thing of his injury a week ago, a few days before it was announced Martin was out four to six weeks.

The final game in Taiwan is scheduled for Saturday night at 10pm at Kaohsiung County Stadium. Josh Towers, who was scheduled to pitch in last night's rained out game, will start in place of Kuo.

Dodgers in Taiwan, Take Two

2010-03-13T05:45:10Z

Dodgers at Chinese Professional Baseball League All-Stars

10:07pm, Tien Mou Stadium, Taipei, Taiwan

Who's up for some late night baseball? Game two of the Taiwan Series starts at 10:07pm Pacific time (2:07 local time in Taipei). Josh Towers starts for the Dodgers, and Chien-Fu Yang starts for the CPBL All-Stars.

The start of the game might be a bit delayed, as rain has delayed the start of warmups, per Ramona Shelburne of ESPN L.A.

Joe Torre held a managerial forum in Taipei earlier today. Ken Gurnick of MLB.com has the details:

He opened his presentation with what he called simple, basic principles of managing people.

"I try to deal with players the way I wanted to be managed as a player," he said. "There's no magic formula. Manage with common sense. Don't ever forget what it was like as a player. They are all different people with one goal. You can treat them differently, but fairly."

Click here for Jon SooHoo's latest photo gallery from Dodgers.com

Here is the Dodgers' lineup, including the $170,000 man(ny):

Dodgers
RF	Robinson
SS	Carroll
DH	Manny
1B	Loney
3B	Belliard
CF	Paul
LF	Restovich
2B	Hu
C	Closser
P	Towers

No TV, but you can watch online here.

Box Score | Gameday

Announcing the 2010 True Blue LA Fantasy League

2010-03-13T03:48:36Z

More photos » Al Behrman - AP

I'm thinking of naming my fantasy baseball team "Oh Beli, Where Art Thou?"

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If you would like to join the 2010 True Blue LA Fantasy League, now is your chance. SB Nation has partnered up with CBSSports.com and as a result we get one free Commissioner League, which is normally $179.99.

The True Blue LA league will have 12 teams, and use a rotisserie style 5x5 scoring system. I haven't yet decided on the categories, but I'm leaning toward SLG, OBP, runs, RBI, SB and ERA, WHIP, wins, saves, and strikeouts. We can iron out the details over the next week or so.

We have limited space in the league, so if you are interested please indicate in the comments below.

Tentatively, I'm shooting for Sunday, March 28 for the draft.

As part of the partnership between SB Nation and CBSSports.com, as you may have noticed with some of the ads on the site this week, you can sign up for your own Commissioner League for half price ($89.99). If you are interested in signing up for your own league, be sure to click here. Here are some key features of the Commissioner League:

Customize entire league the way you want...rules, scores, teams + more
LIVE scoring & stats so you can follow along as your teams rack up points
Keeper league capability to carry on the tradition for many seasons to come
Expert analysis provides up-to-date information on all players & teams
Live chat/league messenger to trash talk with your competition
14-Day Free Trial included

So, if you want to join the True Blue LA league, please note in the comments below. If you would like to start your own Commissioner League, click here.

CBSSports.com is an SB Nation partner and paying sponsor of the SB Nation baseball communities. This post is one of a series of sponsor endorsed posts related to the CBSSports.com Fantasy Baseball Commissioner League.

Friday Dodger Notes: Kershaw Solid, Chapman the Real Deal

2010-03-12T23:13:22Z

More photos » Eric Risberg - AP

When Clayton Kershaw exhales, fastballs are known to have 3-5 mph more velocity

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Here are some notes from Dodgertown, after today's game, a 3-2 loss to Cincinnati:

Clayton Kershaw gave up a pair of hits and a pair of walks in his three scoreless innings of work, striking out three
Aroldis Chapman gave up only two infield singles in his two innings of work, striking out two batters. Jon Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer reported that Chapman had this pitch speed sequence to Matt Kemp, which resulted in a strikeout on a slider: 100, 85, 99, 87, 83, 97, 90. I can't wait to watch the video later tonight.
Angelo Songco, the Dodgers' fourth round pick last year out of Loyola Marymount, had an RBI double in the ninth inning which produced the Dodgers' first run of the game
Ivan DeJesus, making his first "A" game start of the spring, had two hits in his two at-bats (though he was also caught stealing in what looked to be a missed sign)
Jason Repko made a great throw from left field, on the fly to catcher Brad Ausmus, to nail Jay Bruce, who was trying to score from second base on a single in the first inning
Third base coach Larry Bowa left in the middle of the game and was taken to the emergency room because of stomach cramps, says Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times.
Don Mattingly, on Doug Mientkiewicz, who made his third straight start at first base: "He was fine. We were worried about him throwing, it looks like he can make that throw ok. He loves being out there."
Tom Singer of MLB.com profiled Garret Anderson, set to make his spring debut Sunday. Anderson sounds happy to be near home:

"There are 30 teams out there, and to get a chance to play at home is definitely a blessing. I grew up in a community 20 minutes away from Dodger Stadium. I watched games there growing up. When you get to a place like that, it's special; it takes you back to your childhood."

Of Anderson, Mattingly said the Dodgers "first priority will be getting him in the outfield and getting at-bats. If he wants to work out at first, we'll take a look."
The Dodgers signed 27-year old left-handed pitcher Sean Thompson to a minor league contract, per Our Sports Central. Thompson pitched independent league baseball the past two years after six year in the minor league systems of the Padres, Royals, and Rockies.
Charley Steiner still can't pronounce the last name of Carlos Monasterios, adding an extra t to make it "Montasterios."
Follow Ramona Shelburne's travelogue of the Dodgers' trip to Taiwan on ESPN L.A.
We will have a game thread for the second game of the Taiwan series, which starts tonight at 10pm.

Box Score

Kershaw, Chapman Highlight Today's Action at Camelback Ranch

2010-03-12T19:30:16Z

More photos » Tony Dejak - AP

$30.25 million man Aroldis Chapman is scheduled to pitch two innings today.

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Reds (3-3) at Dodgers (ss) (2-3-1)

12:05pm, Camelback Ranch, Glendale, AZ

Two of the best young arms in all of baseball are scheduled to pitch today at Camelback Ranch, as the Dodgers face the Reds. Clayton Kershaw, who turns 22 next Friday, will start for the Dodgers, while 22-year old Cuban phenom Aroldis Chapman is also expected to pitch for the Reds. Bronson Arroyo will start for Cincinnati, but Chapman is slated to pitch two innings behind him, per Mister Redlegs of Red Letter Daze.

In a state with numerous speed cameras on the freeways (beware if you are headed out for spring training), the most eye-popping numbers came from Chapman's last appearance, when he cracked the 100 mph barrier a few times. Slyde, over at Red Reporter, analyzed Chapman's performance, as well as the meaning of the magical 100 mph plateau.

Garret Anderson's spring Dodger debut will be Sunday, and won't be at designated hitter, says ESPN L.A.'s Tony Jackson. Anderson will either play first base, where he has been taking ground balls, or in the outfield.

Here are the lineups, which include the first start of the spring (in an "A" game, at least) for Ivan DeJesus::

Reds		Dodgers
CF	Stubbs	SS	Furcal
SS	Cabrera	C	Ausmus
DH	Votto	RF	Ethier
2B	Phillips	CF	Kemp
3B	Rolen	3B	Blake
RF	Bruce	1B	Mientkiewicz
LF	Gomes	DH	Ellis
C	Hernandez	LF	Repko
1B	Frazier	2B	DeJesus
P	Arroyo	P	Kershaw

Todd Frazier is batting ninth and playing first base for the Reds today. In the regular season, the only Red since 1954 (the Retrosheet Era) to bat ninth in a regular season game was Sean Casey, on June 24, 1998. Of course, with no designated hitter it's hard to find many non-pitchers hitting ninth for the vast majority of that time. However, the Reds did only have a first baseman bat eighth just 69 times in the last 56 seasons.

Scheduled to pitch for the Dodgers today behind Kershaw are Carlos Monasterios, Jonathan Broxton, George Sherrill, and Luis Ayala. Monasterios, like Armando Zerpa, is a Rule 5 pick trying to make the club. From the game notes:

Since 1981, the Dodgers have selected 11 players in the Rule 5 draft and only three players have made the Opening Day roster, including D.J. Houlton, who remained with the club for the entire 2005 season. Both Frank Lankford (1998) and Jose Antonio Nuñez (2001) were offered back to their original clubs before the All-Star break.

The Dodger minor leaguers on today's roster are Angelo Songco, Pedro Baez, and Scott Van Slyke.

The scheduled pitchers for the Reds today are Arroyo, Chapman, Francisco Cordero, Carlos Fisher, Ramon Geronimo, Micah Owings, Jordan Smith, and Philippe Valiquette.

Tomorrow in Tucson to face the Diamondbacks, the Dodger pitchers scheduled to throw are Chad Billingsley, Scott Elbert, Eric Gagne, Justin Miller, and Brent Leach. Kevin Mulvey will get the start for Arizona.

Here is the box score from this morning's game in Taiwan.

Bus service between Union Station and Dodger Stadium is back on for 2010, writes Zach Behrens of LAist.

TV: Prime Ticket

Gameday

2010 Player Profile: Jamey Carroll, the Multi-Year Man

2010-03-12T16:30:22Z

More photos » Tony Dejak - AP

Jamey Carroll figures to see time all over the infield this season.

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Jamey Carroll can be a useful player off the bench, with his ability to hold his own defensively at both second and third, and also has mixed in some time here and there at shortstop and the corner outfield spots. In a pinch, that kind of versatility is an asset. Throw in the fact that he has posted on-base percentages of .355 in each of the past two years and you have a good player on your hands.

The curious part of signing Carroll was that he got a two-year contract (albeit at a relatively modest $3.85 million guaranteed) when so many middle infielders signed one-year pacts this offseason, including Orlando Hudson, Felipe Lopez, Orlando Cabrera, Alex Gonzalez, and our own Ronnie Belliard, to name a few.

As I wrote back in December, I like Jamey Carroll, but he reminds me of a signing last winter:

Still, I can't shake the feeling that if you squint hard enough, Carroll looks an awful lot like Mark Loretta, signed by the Dodgers last season:

Player Years Ages BA/OBP/SLG OPS+

Jamey Carroll
2008-09 34-35 .276/.355/.343 89

Mark Loretta 2007-08 .35-36 .284/.352/.376 91

Loretta, you may remember, struggled to the tune of .232/.309/.276 last season (but had a great final act). Carroll figures to see time backing up second and third base, and perhaps even shortstop, which would alleviate the need to carry a designated (no-hit) backup shortstop.

Fun Stat

Carroll is one of two active major leaguers with a career OBP of .350 or higher and a slugging percentage lower than his OBP (minimum 1,000 PA), along with Luis Castillo

Contract Status

Under contract through 2011:
2010: $1.35 million
2011: $2.5 million

Carroll can earn up to $525,000 annually in incentives based on plate appearances from 275 to 550.

2010 Outlook

Year	Age	PA	BB%	Runs	RBI	BA	OBP	SLG	wOBA
2006	32	534	10.5%	84	36	.300	.377	.404	.339
2007	33	268	10.4%	45	22	.225	.317	.300	.284
2008	34	402	8.5%	60	36	.277	.355	.346	.319
2009	35	358	10.1%	53	26	.276	.355	.340	.317
2010 Projections - Age 36 Season
Bill James		250	9.6%	36	18	.261	.343	.323	.298
CHONE		349	10.6%	53	26	.250	.338	.334	.306
Marcel		419	9.3%	59	36	.259	.337	.346	.309
Baseball HQ		374	9.6%	52	27	.250	.323	.313
ZiPS		328	8.8%	48	29	.261	.332	.334

Thanks to Fangraphs for much of the data. Carroll is projected to have a drop off after back-to-back years with a .355 on-base percentage, which is understandable since most projection systems aren't kind to players entering their age 36 season (just ask Casey Blake). However, Carroll's predicted OPS, or prOPS (available at The Hardball Times) , the last two years was better than his actual OPS (.293/.369/.379 in 2008, .279/.356/.371 in 2009). For 2010, I expect something near that range from Carroll. I'll guess .281/.358/.372, with 26 starts at second base.

What are your predictions for Jamey Carroll (BA/OBP/SLG)? Be sure to also guess the number of starts at second base for Carroll, too.

Dodgers Drop Opener in Taiwan

2010-03-12T14:25:38Z

More photos » Wally Santana - AP

2 days ago: Taiwan all-star's C.K. Kao, background slides home behind Dodgers catcher Lucas May, to score against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first of three exhibition games against Taiwan all-star players in Taipei, Taiwan, Friday, March 12, 2010. Taiwan won 5 to 2. (AP Photo/Wally Santana)

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The Dodgers dropped their opener in Taiwan, losing 5-2 to the Chinese Professional Baseball League All-Stars. Some notes from the game:

Lucas May was hit by a pitch in the left ankle, and left the game early, per Ken Gurnick of MLB.com
Eric Stults threw two scoreless and hitless innings...as a part of his three total shutout innings, per Tony Jackson of ESPN L.A.
Chin-Lung Hu had a two-run single, driving in the Dodgers' only two runs
Tien Mou Stadium even played "Don't Stop Believin'" in the ninth inning
VP of MLB Asia Jim Small told Gurnick that this series could lead to an eventual opening day series in Taiwan
The second game of the Taiwan series is tonight at 10pm, with Josh Towers starting against RHP Chien-Fu Yang

Here are a few photos from baseball clinic for 100 little leaguers, led by Chin-lung Hu and Hong-Chi Kuo at Taipei Municipal Tienmu Stadium in Taipei on Friday night:

Credit: Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers

Before the game, the Dodgers toured Tapei 101, the world's second largest building. Dodger Vice President of Communications Josh Rawitch described traversing the world's fastest elevator:

It was insanely high and just shooting up 89 floors in about 30 seconds made our ears pop. Joining the group at that point was James Loney, Prentice Redman and Kenley Jansen and while we were there, we found out that Manny Ramirez was having lunch at a restaurant just 14 floors below.

From the fastest moving elevator to the world's slowest moving reliever: Ned Colletti yesterday addressed the reports that Ronald Belisario missed three appointments at the U.S. Embassy to acquire his work visa. Tony Jackson of ESPN L.A. has the details:

Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said he has been given no indication of when Belisario might show up or why he has missed the appointments.

"You would think that when you have the opportunity to make a living throwing a baseball, and the opportunity presents itself to pitch in the big leagues, support your family and build a career, that would be something you would pursue to the fullest,'' Colletti said.

"I can't worry about things that I have zero control over or people I have zero control over,'' Colletti said. "If he shows, he shows. If he doesn't, he doesn't.''

Belisario's agent didn't have an update from his client yesterday. Per the Associated Press:

Paul Kinzer, Belisario’s agent, said Thursday that he didn’t have an update on his client’s status.

“I’m waiting to hear from him today,” Kinzer said. “He’s supposed to be at the consulate now.”

Belisario has lost any benefit of the doubt in this situation. The Dodgers are mad, and rightfully so.

Dodgers Arrive In Taiwan; Belisario Not There, Either

2010-03-11T19:30:39Z

Wally Santana - AP

As part of their trip to Taiwan, several Dodgers take part in the 3rd annual International Thumb Wrestling Championships

View full size photo »

Dodgers (1-3-1) at Royals (4-2)

12:05pm, Surprise Stadium, Surprise, AZ

As the crowded Dodger non-roster invitee list gets a little less crowded with the retirement of Brian Giles (per Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times)...

The Dodgers arrived in Taiwan this morning, and begin their three-game series early Friday morning, at 2:37am. Here are a few shots from their welcoming press conference (both courtesy of Jon SooHoo / LA Dodgers):

The Los Angeles Dodgers, including Manager Joe Torre, Pitcher Hong-Chih Kuo and infielders James Loney and Chin-lung Hu, address the crowd at their welcoming press conference in Taiwan

James Loney addresses the crowd at the Dodgers’ welcoming press conference in Taiwan

In other news, Roberto Baly of Vin Scully Is My Homeboy translated a report from Venezuelan newspaper El Universal on Ronald Belisario:

Belisario has missed three dates with the U.S. embassy for paperwork, which is the reason he has yet to report to Camelback Ranch.

The benefit of the doubt is slowly slipping away from Belisario's grasp.

Earlier this offseason, there were reports that the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Japanese Pacific League were interested in Eric Stults. Per NPB Tracker, that interest is apparently gone, given the relatively high cost of a potential transaction:

Sanspo said that Lotte gave up on him because his salary + transfer fee would be over $1m

(Here's a Babelfish translated versionof that link.) Stults is currently battling for the fifth starter spot in the Dodger rotation and, because he is out of options, is likely to get a longer look than pitchers with options, like Scott Elbert or James McDonald.

Here are the lineups, the order of which hopefully will stay the same today:

Dodgers		Royals
SS	Furcal	LF	Podsednik
DH	Johnson	C	Kendall
RF	Ethier	RF	DeJesus
CF	Kemp	1B	Butler
3B	Blake	CF	Ankiel
2B	DeWitt	DH	Guillen
1B	Mientkiewicz	3B	Fields
C	Ausmus	SS	Betancourt
LF	Repko	2B	Bloomquist
P	McDonald	P	Meche

After McDonald, scheduled to pitch for the Dodgers are Russ Ortiz, Ramon Troncoso, Travis Schlichting, Javy Guerra, and Armando Zerpa.

Minor Leaguers on the Dodgers' roster today are Dee Gordon, Brandon Watson, Andrew "Adam" Lambo, Kyle "Sticks" Russell, Jaime Pedroza, Brian Cavazos-Galvez, and Austin Yount (son of Robin).

Among the scheduled pitchers today for Royals are Aaron Crow, Edgar Osuna, and former Dodgers Matt Herges and Joakim Soria.

Among Royals we won't see today are Mike Moustakas, David Lough, Danny Duffy, Derrick Robinson, Ernesto Mejia, Mario Lisson, and Steven Lerud, as they were assigned to minor league camp.

Tomorrow, scheduled to play at Camelback Ranch against the Reds, Clayton Kershaw is scheduled to start, followed by Carlos Monasterios, Jonathan Broxton, George Sherrill, Luis Ayala, and Brent Leach. Cuban phenom Aroldis Chapman is among the Reds scheduled to pitch in that game.

No TV today (tomorrow is on Prime Ticket), but you can listen online here.

Gameday

Delectable Dodger Delight at CBR

2010-03-11T17:50:28Z

Random Rantings from RawhideBlue. My tour of Camelback Ranch Glendale AZ.

CBR 3/10/10 10AM. My mission soon began upon arrival at the hallowed path the ’08-’09 NL West Champions would stroll down towards another day of Spring Training. Now less than four weeks till Opening Day! Sweet. As advertised, Camelback Ranch is beautiful. I waited with the 20-30 early birds to watch the team stroll out. Sometimes one by one. Sometimes a group of several. There goes Manny Mota on his three-wheel bike! I found myself not even being able to say, "Hey!" Just kind of stunned by being right in the action. A lady next to me spoke Spanish to Raffy, Padilla, Mota and De Jesus. They all acknowledged the native tongue and made a point to respond. I guess I better learn more Spanish.

"Good Morning Matt Kemp!" I say to the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger ’09 winner, "Good morning y’all," says Kemp. Yes, Baseball Heaven. Watching the infield run drills was wonderful. I don’t guess I’ve ever seen MLB practice except batting practice at Dodger Stadium. Being up close watching through the fence- no comparison to what a great experience that is.

via farm5.static.flickr.com

Watching Bills and Kershaw throw in the bullpen was sweet. Pitchers running drills... Cool. How many pitchers can you name below?

via farm5.static.flickr.com

Watching Kemp and Ethier take batting practice was impressive. BTW Ethier was "on" the most. By on I mean he took most pitches to the wall. I know it’s BP but few others were able to hit like that. Kemp was almost in the zone but not like Ethier.

Garrett Anderson was impressive in BP. Wow! Giles not so much. He looked like he was struggling. Blake and Ausmus stayed longer with Donny for BP. I guess it was more because they didn't play today. I waited with the autograph vultures and got Troncoso to sign a ball and Casey to sign a hat for my daughter. I felt kind of let down that I didn’t run from one Dodger to the next shoving my pen in their face but thought I’ll just enjoy them walking by and make a plan for next year. Next was the game we tied against the Diamondbacks. I almost pinched myself because Tommy was there in uniform. Seriously, I know. Holy Lasorda! Tommy and Andre had a lengthy conversation right in from of me(I was sitting behind the dugout) I got some pictures- ok a lot! Wonder what they talked about? Practice? Hitting? Strategy? Pasta?

via farm3.static.flickr.com

There was a moment of silence for Willie Davis. Nice. So, I set behind the Dodgers dugout next to two gentlemen who grew up on the East Coast. One of them said he went to one of the last games at Ebbetts field before the Dodgers moved! What? First Lasorda is in uniform in front of me then these guys are telling me about Ebbetts Field? Pinch me! Of course this gentlemen still isn't over the move from Brooklyn and is now relegated to being a Mets fan. Sorry Joe. On both accounts… I was witness to Ethier’s 1st Spring Training Home Run and Kemp’s triple. I found out later there was some mixup with the batting order.. ummm… who cares. Padilla pitched well. Ortiz was good. Weaver and Gagne were mediocre and Miller well, it’s Spring training. I still couldn’t help take too many pictures of Cagne on the mound. Camelback was a great experience. Eric Stephen already wrote a great article on Camelback and it was a great resource for this adventure. I just wanted to add some other tidbits and hope somehow you appreciate this fans feelings that it is indescribable to be so close and sometimes personal with the players. Standing next to Casey while he autographed my daughter’s pink Dodger hat, saying hello to Casey’s dad as they strolled by(they were there visiting their boy). "I don’t look anything like him do I" Casey’s dad says. Of course he does, and without the beard there is no doubt. Saying "Good Morning" to Matt Kemp. Seeing Tommy in uniform. Numerous small moments that all roll into one grand experience.

By the way, I did go to the game the day before against the Rockies. But talking about a 12-0 shutout would just tend to be a downer on an otherwise great experience. I did get to see Loney play just about the entire game and several at-bats for Manny. For that game I was about 9 rows behind the on deck area. It was also cool seeing Kuroda, Broxton, Sherril pitching. Haeger? Sorry Charlie. Doesn’t look good. I was impressed with Jamey and Reed. I know.

"Excuse me gents! Bison Crossing!!

via farm5.static.flickr.com

I would say CBR is a must for a Dodger fan. I’m going back next year and taking my family. I figure my wife can speak Spanish to the latin players and get their attention then both my daughter and I can split up with the rest of the autograph vultures and double our chances of getting a plethora of signatures.

One last highlight(for me anyways). On my 8 hour trip home I had to stop on I-10 at the inspection station. The lady asked , "Did you come from a game?" I still had my Dodgers windbreaker and hat on. "Of course," I said I was at Spring Training in Phoenix for the Dodgers. "Were you playing?" she asked. "No, but at least I look like I do right?" "Yes." Well at least I could dream… My experience was then complete. Ticket Price $40.00. Parking Free. Watching the Bison slide head first into Third Base a few feet in front of me... Priceless.

"Hey Manny? Ronnie? Where are you? You told me you weren't getting on the plane! Es no muy bien!"

via farm3.static.flickr.com

2010 Dodger Profiles - Vicente Padilla

2010-03-11T16:21:24Z

More photos » David Zalubowski - AP

Can Vicente Padilla replicate his 2009 Dodger success? (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

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Eric pretty much covered Vicente Padilla when we signed him on Jan 21st, along with the warning back in December, that signing Padilla might not be the best move.

As a Dodger in 2009 Padilla went 4-0 with a 3.20 ERA in eight regular season games and then pitched two memorable post season games before falling to the Phillies in game five. His shutout seven inning series clinching performance against the Cardinals on enemy territory already ranked as one of the best postseason performances of the last 22 years, but he followed that up with an even more vaunted performance when he shut down the loaded Phillie offense in game 2. Through it all Padilla was a model citizen in the Dodger clubhouse but was still looking for work when the Dodgers nabbed on a one year deal in January to flush out the rotation. Can Vicente Padilla replicate his 2009 Dodger success? Let us take a look

From Baseball HQ

Year   IP   ERA   xERA  WHIP  CTL  DOM  CMD  BPV  
====   ===  ====  ====  ====  ===  ===  ===  === 
2005   147  4.71  4.47  1.50  4.5  6.3  1.4   15
2006   200  4.50  4.05  1.38  3.2  7.0  2.2   63
2007   120  5.76  4.84  1.63  3.7  5.3  1.4   18
2008   171  4.74  4.35  1.46  3.4  6.7  2.0   49
2009   147  4.46  4.22  1.43  3.3  5.9  1.8   44

1H 09   83  4.77  4.70  1.52  4.1  4.9  1.2    4
2H 09   64  4.07  3.65  1.31  2.2  7.3  3.3   95

Despite having a bullet pass completely through his thigh on November 3rd he is completely healthy and has proven it with a solid spring so far.

Ex Dodger fan favorite Nomar Garciaparra Retires

2010-03-11T02:25:25Z

More photos » Steven Senne - AP

Former Dodger, Nomar Garciaparra, who signed a Red Sox one-day minor league baseball contract, waves to the crowd as he takes the field to throw out a ceremonial first pitch at City of Palms Park, in Fort Myers, Fla., Wednesday, March 10, 2010. Garciaparra signed the contract to retire as a member of the team. The Red Sox played the Tampa Bay Rays Wednesday. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

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Nomar wasn't a Dodger very long but he had a huge impact on the team in the three years he spent with us. In 2006 he was one of Ned's first FA signings, and at the time it looked like a huge risk. Nomar was coming off of multiple injuries and had barely totaled 100 games combined in 2004/2005. Even stranger Ned signed him to play 1st base a position he had never played before.

Prior to 2004 Nomar had been one of the most deadly hitters in the game but his game seem long removed from those glory days. Things did not start out well. In Nomar's first opening day, he hurt himself in the batting cage, and missed the first 17 games. All the cynics of the signing were doing plenty of "I told you so's" but once Nomar got healthy he shut the cynics down in fast order. From April 22nd to July 13th Nomar maintained an OPS over 1.000 and quickly became the fan favorite at The Ravine. Things went south for Nomar after that as his OPS fell from over 1.000 to .872 by the end of the year. However that trajectory does not tell the entire story. Nomar was the + 1 in the most famous regular season game in LA Dodger History , and he followed up those dramatics with a walk off grand slam six days later. He wasn't done yet, hitting a three run home the following day. In the heat of the pennant race Nomar drove in 9 runs in three games helping the Dodgers win two key games very late in the season.

In 2007 Nomar was brought back to play 1st base and the blogging crowd howled with the horror of keeping James Loney in AAA. The same crowd by the way who would replace James Loney in the blink of an eye today. The daily Dodger fan however was thrilled to see their favorite player coming back. The Dodgers even built a marketing campaign around Nomar featuring him in a super hero like Van Mural. Luckily for the Dodgers they didn't have faith in Wilson Betemit as the 3rd baseman, and after Nomar had started at first base from opening day until June 21st they moved Nomar from 1st base to make room for James Loney. We have talked about Loney's road/home splits but in 2007 Loney had nothing on Nomar. Nomar had some of the largest Home/Road splits I'd ever seen. No wonder the Dodger fans liked him, when he was home he hit, on the road he may have been the worst hitter in baseball. Home - .325/.385/450 Road - .243/.272/297

The naysayers of course focused on his dismal road numbers and said he was done, others pointed to his home numbers and said he still had something in the tank. Either way his 2007 season was a huge disappointment but he had signed a two year deal in the winter of 2007 so he was coming back in 2008 no matter what.

In the spring of 2008 Nomar was the de facto 3rd baseman getting nominal competition from Andy LaRoche the highly touted minor league prospect. Just like Loney the Nomar detractors felt that Nomar was holding back Andy LaRoche. No one was a bigger Andy LaRoche supporter than the prior manager of TBLA. He hung his hat on the wrong guy. He may have been right about Nomar being done, but he turned out to be dead wrong on the capabilities of Andy LaRoche. However to the dismay of Dodger fans neither one was the Dodger 3rd baseman to start the year due to a freak accident that saw both Nomar and LaRoche get sidelined in the same spring training game. This game had huge future ramifications for the Dodgers. With the veteran sideline, and the hot prospect sidelined the Dodgers turned to Blake DeWitt to play 3rd base. Nomar was only sideline for the first two weeks of the year and came back by April 18th. Of course this was the brittle Nomar and he only lasted a week before going down for 10 weeks. In those 10 weeks he was gone DeWitt had some ups and downs and ultimately was sent back to AAA when LaRoche was ready on June 11th. Nomar was activated on July 4th and instead of playing 3rd base actually saw time at SS. LaRoche did nothing to impress and with Nomar being so brittle the Dodger felt they needed a real 3rd baseman. Thus they traded Carlos Santana for Casey Blake and parlayed Andy LaRoche into Manny Ramirez. Nomar saw alot of time at SS in Aug but with injuries plaguing him became a part timer in Sept. In the 2008 playoffs he had three singles in seven at bats and that was the end of the Nomar era here in Los Angeles.

He was never as bad as his critics claimed, he was never as good as the Dodger faithful thought. He was however a good Dodger, and if only he had been able to stay healthy just a bit longer in 2008 we might still have the one player we have traded who I miss everyday even though he has yet to play one single major league game. I just wanted to write about the Guitar.

Thanks for 2006 Nomar, it was a hell of a ride. We might have been off letting you walk after that and who knows what the future would have been if we had done so but for that one year, you gave us our money's worth.

Year	IP	ERA	FIP	BB/9	K/9
2009 actual	147.1	4.46	4.51	3.30	5.93
2010 HQ	160	4.39		3.35	6.3
2010 Bill James	141	4.66	4.73	3.26	6.19
2010 CHONE	155	4.70	4.74	3.60	6.27

Player	Years	Ages	BA/OBP/SLG	OPS+
Jamey Carroll	2008-09	34-35	.276/.355/.343	89
Mark Loretta	2007-08	.35-36	.284/.352/.376	91