Blog Kiosk: 5/7/2016 - Dodgers Links - Maeda, Puig and Russell on Clayton Kershaw

Yasiel Puig has been having an amazing adventure this season, and I don't mean his exploits on the field.  Rather, he's taken every opportunity to soak in the sights and sounds of every city he's visited this season. Thankfully, social media has allowed him to shared every minute.

Before the start of yesterdays game, Puig visited Toronto's CN Tower and headed to the top.  He found himself 1,168' above the ground, strapped himself to some wires and cords and walked around the perimeter of the landmark.  Check out a group of photos at the very top, via his Instagram.

I don't know about you, but I would do this in a heartbeat.  That looks like a bunch of fun.

Then later that night, Yasiel made a perfect throw on a lined double along the right field line to get Darwin Barney at second base.  Go here to check it out.  Puig, quite literally, threw a strike to shortstop Corey Seager.  As for the rest of the evening, things did not go as well.  Sure, Maeda was fantastic, once again.  Unfortunately, a lackluster offense and an even worse bullpen gave it away.  The Dodgers lost the first game of the series against the Blue Jays 5-2.

Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1959, the Roy Campanella benefit game is played at the Coliseum in front of 93,103 fans.  In 2009, Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez is suspended 50-games for a PED violation.
• Happy Birthday, James Loney!
• Video:  Watch a bit of Tom Verducci's exclusive SI Now interview with Vin Scully on twitter (Link Here)  The rest of the interview, as well as, a feature story in their magazine will come out next week.
• Audio: This is definitely worth a listen.  Two Dodgers front office employees (Baseball Operations Coordinator Emilee Fragapane and Senior R&D Analyst Megan Schroeder) speak with Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller on Baseball Prospectus' "Effectively Wild" podcast to talk about their jobs with the team.  (Link Here)
• Eric Stephen at True Blue LA lets us know about a couple new additions to the Dodgers.  We recently added Taiwanese outfielder Pin-Chieh Chen from the Reds in exchange for cash.  They also signed 24-year old right-handed relief pitcher Cody Buckel.
• Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "Three Dodgers starters nearing rehab outings: Bolsinger, Ryu, McCarthy all could make Minor League starts soon."
• After having had Tommy John surgery just this past August, Walker Buehler, the Dodgers 2015 first round pick, is now throwing off the mound.  Check out a short video via a tweet from Walker here.
• Via Tony Blengino at FanGraphs, "Kenta Maeda: One Month In."

Put it all together, and you have stellar overall Unadjusted and Adjusted Contact Scores of 60 and 66, respectively. That’s the kind of number that can lead the major leagues. He’s been a bit lucky on liners, but all else is real. Add back the K and BB, and he “tru” ERA of 2.35, and a “tru” ERA- of 59. That’s obviously higher than his actual ERA to data, but is better than his 2.78 FIP, which doesn’t give him credit for his suppression of contact authority. 

• Russell Martin recalls catching a young Clayton Kershaw during his Dodger days, via an article by, via Mark Zwolinski at The Star.

“What I noticed right away was that at a young age, just how mature he was, you just noticed it immediately,” Martin said of Kershaw, who will get the ball for the Dodgers on Saturday, the middle game of a three-game series in Toronto that opens Friday at the Rogers Centre.

“He was (20 years old) and it was one of my first big-league camps, and I think it was Sean Casey (now a commentator with MLB Network) who sees a 96 m.p.h. fastball, then a breaking ball, and he’s like saying, ‘Who is this kid, Sandy Koufax?’ ”

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