Welcome to the Blue, Kevin Correia!

The Dodgers just added another veteran right-handed arm.  They have just announced that Minnesota Twins starting pitcher and Southern California native Kevin Correia is now a Dodger.  In return we gave the Twins a "Player to be Named Later" or cash.  Per a Dodger press release:

“Kevin gives us an additional option as a starter or long reliever,” said Colleti. “He also supplies us with more veteran pitching depth for the stretch drive.”

Correia, who will turn 34 on August 24, has won at least nine games while making 26 or more starts in each of the last five seasons since 2009, during which time he’s struck out more than twice as many as he’s walked with 585 strikeouts and only 290 walks. He was selected to the 2011 National League All-Star team as a member of the Pirates and has appeared in 344 games (213 starts) in 12 Major League seasons.

In 2014, Correia has gone 5-13 with a 4.94 ERA in 23 starts for Minnesota, including 13 quality starts and 16 starts of 6.0 or more innings. He has pitched well away from Target Field this season, posting a 3.17 ERA (23 ER/65.1 IP) in 11 road starts, and has gone 2-0 with a 3.50 ERA (7 ER/18.0 IP) in three starts against the National League West, with victories at Colorado and vs. San Diego.   

In other words, Correia takes over the role once held by Paul Maholm; as our long reliever and spot starter.  BTW, he currently leads the league in loses with 13.  Oy Vie!

Kevin Correia is a groundball pitcher who mainly throws a cutter, sinker and four-seam fastball.  When he is ahead of the count he will use his cutter to get batters out, but will from time to time use a curveball to fool batters. 

Since the beginning of July he has had 7 starts and a feeble 1-6 record in those games, but that may be deceiving.  In five of those starts he given up less than three runs, and has only walked a total of 12 batters in 39 innings.  Since it is unlikely any prospects of consequence was exchanged for Correia this is a low-risk move to provide some depth and veteran leadership.  Whether he can provide some outs will be another issue. From my understanding, the Dodgers will be on the hook for about $1.5Million in his salary.  I would say that this is a underwhelming trade for the Dodgers. 

In celebration of Kevin Correia officially becoming a Dodger, I made the above fantasy card for him.  I used an AP photo taken by Elise Amendola grabbed from an StarTribune.com story and the 1959 Topps Baseball card design.

Below are his career statistics, via Baseball Reference:

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Blog Kiosk: 8/9/2014 - Dodger Links - Some Odds and Ends

Newest Dodger Roberto Hernandez was better than described.  After a shaky first inning that saw him give up two early runs, he got out the next 17 straight batters.   Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, Roberto said,

"I was a little bit nervous today. The first inning, I tried too much, but I forget about that. After that I kept the ball down, got ahead in the count."

Overall, he pitched six innings, struck out five, gave up three hits and walked none.  Unfortunately, the team couldn't preserve the small lead entrusted to them.  A comedy of errors, typical of a Baseball, ruined that.  Justin Turner, who had just gotten into the game in the 7th inning, made a spectacular play on a rising liner off the bat of Aramis Ramirez.  Then, the proverbial bubble popped.

A certain double play ball skipped past the glove of Justin Turner, then a little nubber, two errors by Turner and a 2-run single sealed the door.  The Brewers took a commanding 6 to 3 lead over the Dodgers and never looked back. 

Oy Vie!  Baseball sure is a funny game.  Just when you thought you had it beat, it decides to throw you a curve to keep you humble.  This is just one of those games you just have to forget.  Photo at the very top via @Dodgers on twitter.

• At least this highlight from last nights game exist, via the Dodgers on tumblr.  Watch Puig's check-swing broken bat.

• Via Bill Plunkett at the OC Register, "Dodgers' bubble machine creates an MLB soap opera."

“Does that thing bother me? No, it doesn’t bother me,” Mattingly said. “I’m not saying I like it. But other teams are allowed to ride a stick horse down their dugout. Ours is no different. Really – Tampa rides a stick horse down the dugout. What’s the difference?

“Everybody’s got something.”

• Via Tom Bartsch at Sports Collectors Digest, "Yasiel Puig Signs Exclusive Deal With Fanatics Authentic."
• Via Eric Nusbaum of Vice Sports, "Of Anaheim: Why the Angels will always be an afterthought."

Perhaps this is the Angels' problem, and the root of their repeated identity crises: They are too suburban for their own good, ruined as it were, by their location among a thousand neighborhoods with names that start with Rancho and Laguna. The Dodgers have been shaped by the city around them. They have become a cosmopolitan enterprise, headlined over the years by a diverse cast of base-stealers and left-handed starters and international phenoms. But the Angels have no city to shape them. Orange County is contrived, nothing more than a nice place to live, a successful real estate deal. But comfortable living does not necessarily make for compelling local culture.

• Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "Rojas impressing Mattingly with defense."

"What about Rojas?" Mattingly asked. "Nobody asked me about Rojas. He saved four or five hits."

• Bob Timmermann at the Portable Griddle is putting together a list of Dodger players who had a different name than what they had with the Dodgers.

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