Day 22 Spring Training Report

Here is this afternoon's lineup for the Dodgers against the Padres: Furcal SS; Blake 3rd; Ethier RF; Uribe 2nd; Loney 1st; Thames LF; Navarro C; Barajas DH; Robinson CF.

Yesterday's best tweet came from Bill Shaikin of the LA Times.

Below are Day 22 Spring Training notes from the Dodgers.

• THE FRIARS: The Dodgers and Padres will square off this afternoon for the first of two Cactus League matchups with Los Angeles making a return trip to Peoria on March 26. San Diego narrowly won the 2010 season series, edging the Dodgers with 10 wins in 18 matchups, and will host Los Angeles on April 8 at PETCO Park for the first of their 18 regular season contests. San Diego left-hander Wade LeBlanc will get the start today and has gone just 1-4 with a 5.06 ERA in six career starts against Los Angeles.

• KERSH-AWESOME: Clayton Kershaw takes a 1-0 record and a 0.00 ERA into his third Spring Training start today against the Padres. The left-hander has allowed only one unearned run and has limited opposing hitters to a .136 batting average (3-for-22) with six strikeouts in 7.0 innings this spring. Kershaw will look continue his success against the Friars from 2010, when he went 2-1 with a 1.69 ERA (4 ER/21.1 IP) and limited San Diego hitters to a .205 batting average in three starts. Following Kershaw to the hill today will be RHP Jonathan Broxton, RHP Matt Guerrier, RHP Mike MacDougal, RHP Carlos Monasterios and LHP Scott Elbert.

• HOT ROD: Rod Bajaras blasted his second Spring Training home run yesterday and went 2-for-2 on the day to raise his Cactus League batting average to .400 (6-for-15). The Ontario, CA native and lifelong Dodger fan hit .297 with five home runs in just 64 at-bats after he was claimed off waivers from the Mets on Aug. 22, 2010.
  

(Pic Link: TwitPic Tommy Lasorda)

(Pitching is an art & the art of pitching is control. That's what I'm teaching these young Dodgers)

• TRON: LEGACY: Ramon Troncoso fired 1.1 scoreless innings of relief yesterday and has not allowed a run in 4.2 innings over four appearances this spring. The right-hander has limited opponents to a .188 batting average (3-for-16) with four strikeouts this spring after an up-and-down 2010. In other bullpen news, All-Star left-hander Hong-Chih Kuo made his spring debut yesterday, allowing a solo home run to Seattle’s Jack Wilson in 1.0 inning of relief.

• START ME UP: Through 13 Cactus League games, Dodger starters have posted a miniscule 1.04 ERA (4 ER/34.2 IP). The Dodgers’ established four starters of Clayton Kershaw (0.00 ERA, 7.0 IP), Chad Billingsley (1.35 ERA, 6.2 IP), Ted Lilly (2.70 ERA, 3.1 IP) and Hiroki Kuroda (4.15 ERA, 4.1 IP) have posted solid springs. John Ely has also made the most of his three appearances (two starts), tossing 6.0 scoreless frames and holding the opposition to a .095 batting average (2-for-21) with seven punchouts. Non-roster hopeful Tim Redding has made the most of his spring opportunities and has yet to allow a run in 8.0 innings over three games (two starts) this spring.

• A THORN IN MY SIDE: Dodger right-hander Jon Garland was removed from yesterday’s game after 1.2 innings with what was diagnosed to be a left oblique strain. Garland had an MRI yesterday afternoon and will be shut down for the next 4-5 days. In other injury news, James Loney returned to action yesterday after missing four games due to a non-painful swollen knee. Loney played four innings in the field yesterday and is back in the starting lineup today.
• TANJOUBI OMEDETOU: The Dodgers would like to wish a very happy birthday to the club’s Executive Director, Asian Operations Acey Kohrogi, who is entering his 17^th season with the organization. Today is also Ticketing Manager Aaron Dubner’s special day.

(Pic Link: Plixi LosAngelesDodgers)

(A mariachi band provided by Andre Ethier and Juan Castro entertains during batting practice yesterday)

• RUNNING DOWN A DREAM: The Los Angeles Marathon is just 10 days away and yesterday fundraising became a little bit more fun. ThinkCure! has launched the “Sprint Challenge” in which the first eight runners in either the Marathon or the LA5K to raise $1,000 on their fundraising page will have the opportunity to take the field with the Dodgers on Saturday, June 25 vs. the Angels. To set up your personal fundraising page, go to crowdrise.com or thinkcure.org and get ready to take the field with the Boys in Blue.

• PRIMETIME: This afternoon’s game will be broadcast live on PRIME TICKET by the hosts of KABC’s “Dodgertalk,” Joe Block and Josh Suchon. This season will be Block’s first with KABC and Suchon is entering his fourth year as the co-host of “Dodgertalk.” Following the game, you can call the dynamic duo at 1-800-222-KABC to talk all things Dodgers. The show will air tonight from 6:30-7 p.m. PT.

eBay: Pee Wee Wrestles a Giant

Here is a great vintage press photo originally from the The Sporting News Collection Archives. It is from 1958. I don't know exactly what Pee Wee Reese is trying to do here, but I think it'll be a losing cause. That guy is absolutely huge. I bet he could crush a car with his bare hands. Unfortunately, there isn't a more thorough explanation of this event attached to the photo, so we may never know what this is all about.

(eBay Auction Link)

Blog Kiosk: 3/10/2011

• The Dodgertown Classic presented by the Automobile Club of Southern California takes place this Sunday, March 13. The University of Georgia and Saint Mary’s College baseball teams will play at Dodger Stadium at 10:00 a.m., followed by USC and UCLA at 2:30 p.m. Dodger Stadium gates open at 9 a.m. and parking is free. Tickets are $7 purchased in advance and $12 day of game. Each ticket will permit access to both of the day’s games. Concessions will be offered at a half-price discount.

• ESPN previews the 2011 Los Angeles Dodgers fantasy baseball season, here.
  
• Business Insider says the Dodgers (along with the Mets) will be forced to sell. I know. Old news, right? I think we all get the feeling the McCourt's are not long for LA. Below is an excerpt:

  We are also hearing that the McCourts will "have to sell." However, their situation may be more attractive to potential buyers, with an operating profit and a new deal pending with Fox for the rights to broadcast games. The problem is that as long as the McCourt divorce is tied up in, well, the courts, it's not clear who can sell them.

• Check out DodgerFilms Spring Training posts here, here and here.
  
• I don't know if any of you are interested in this at all, but here is a link to Baseball America's Bat Guide 2.0- for the non-wood kind.
  
• An El Paso, Texas collector has won the signed Babe Ruth Baseball in a pack of 2008 TriStar Futures. It was a Christmas gift from his wife. From Beckett.com
  

  Chavez also plans on letting his wife pick all the boxes from now on.

  He also received an Alfonso Soriano printing plate and a Jason Heyward autographed minor league jersey in his Christmas stash.

  “Guess my wife really knows how to pick them,” he said.

• Yes, I agree. Zero Hedge is right about this, and Naked Capitalism is very wrong. The financial mess that brought us the credit bubble was not caused by those who saw the forest from the trees and invested accordingly.

  They claim "the shorts" drove the demand for creating all of the "toxic" CDO's that almost brought down the Financial System down because after all, the Investment Banks couldn't sell a CDO to lazy/ignorant institutional investors and CDO managers if there was no one to take the short side of each trade.

• This is great. Way to represent guys!

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