Dodgers Notes from Spring Training: Spring Game 22/Road Game 12

Throughout Spring Training the Dodgers PR department sends out helpful daily notes from Camelback Ranch, and I am happy to pass them along.  See what they've written below.

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LOS ANGELES DODGERS (10-9-2) at Kansas City Royals (10-13)
Tuesday, March 22, 2016 – 6:05 p.m. MT | Surprise Stadium
LHP Alex Wood (0-1, 5.40) vs. RHP Chris Young (1-1, 5.63)
TV: SNLA & MLB Network (no blackout) Radio: None

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(Kenta Maeda, pic via @Dodgers on twitter)

SNAP OUT OF IT!: The Dodgers, who have lost their last six games, look to snap their losing streak as they face the World Champion Kansas City Royals for the second time this spring at Surprise Stadium this evening. Yesterday, the Dodgers fell to the Mariners at Camelback Ranch, 6-3, despite third baseman Justin Turner going 3-for-3 with a homer, two doubles and three RBI. Turner is now 7-for-12 (.583) with four doubles, five runs scored and four RBI in just five Cactus League games this spring. On the mound, starter Kenta Maeda was solid, allowing two runs and four hits in 5.0 innings while striking out five. In four starts this spring, Maeda has posted a 1.32 ERA (2 ER/13.2 IP) and limited opposing hitters to a .216 average with 14 strikeouts. Additionally, Dodger mainstays Chris Hatcher (0.2 IP), J.P. Howell (0.2 IP), Yimi Garcia (1.1) and Kenley Jansen (1.0) all tossed scoreless baseball. 

• The Dodgers are playing the Royals for the second time this spring, following last Thursday’s 5-1 loss at Camelback Ranch. The two clubs last met in the regular season during the 2014 campaign, when Los Angeles took two of three in Kansas City.

GET WELL SOON: Today, the Dodgers announced that outfielder Andre Ethier sustained a right tibia fracture and will miss the next 10-14 weeks.

(Turner and AGON, pic via MLB on twitter)

NO MINOR THING: Several minor leaguers will be suiting up for the Dodgers, including right-handed pitchers Red Patterson (#89), Logan Bawcom (88) and Felipe Gonzalez (91), left-handed pitcher Dustin Richardson (94), catcher Jack Murphy (60), infielders Adam Law (0), Brandon Trinkwon (69) and Willie Calhoun (84) and outfielder Alex Verdugo (90).

MORE ROSTER MOVES: Following yesterday’s game, the Dodgers reassigned infielder Brandon Hicks, catcher Shawn Zarraga, outfielder Corey Brown and infielder/outfielder Cody Bellinger to minor league camp. The Dodgers now have 42 players in big-league camp, excluding Brandon McCarthy and Frankie Montas, who are on the 60-day DL.

TODAY’S PROBABLE PITCHERS:

• LHP Alex Wood will make his third start of the spring, after allowing one run in 3.0 innings Thursday against the Royals. The 25-year-old left-hander posted career numbers last season, winning a career-high 12 games (12-12) in 32 combined starts, while posting a 3.84 ERA.
• RHP Louis Coleman is expected to make his seventh Cactus League outing (0 ER/6.0 IP), last pitching 1.0 scoreless inning of relief against the White Sox. Coleman has given up just two hits and no runs thus far. He enters his first season with the Dodgers after signing with the club on Feb. 19, 2016.
• RHP Pedro Baez will pitch in his seventh game of the spring, after tossing 1.0 scoreless frame against San Diego. He went 4-2 with a 3.35 ERA in 52 relief appearances last season.
• LHP Adam Liberatore will take the mound for the eighth time this spring (2 ER/6.1 IP), after most recently striking out the one and only batter he faced Sunday against Milwaukee. Liberatore saw his first big league action last season with the Dodgers, going 2-2 with a 4.25 ERA in 39 games.
• LHP Luis Avilan will pitch in his seventh Cactus League game, last pitching .1 of an inning against Seattle Monday. He combined to go 2-5 with a 4.05 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP in 73 relief appearances for the Braves and the Dodgers last season.

(Justin Turner, pic via @Dodgers on twitter)

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Check Out Some Vintage Vero Beach Pics on eBay

I recently ran into some fantastic vintage 1950's press photos on eBay and knew I had to share some of them here.  They were all taken by veteran New York Post photographer William N. Jacobellis, and they feature several Dodger players at Vero Beach, Florida in the 1950's.  Unfortunately, an exact date is not provided.  Also, all the photos are actually "contact prints" -- prints made by placing the original negative directly on the photographic paper.  So, the prints are only as large as the negative itself (4" x 5"in this case).  Click on any pic to embiggen.

The photograph at the very top features longtime Dodgers executive Al Campanis as a young coach (auction link here).  He is running calisthenic drills on the field.  Below is a fantastic posed shot of Jim Gentile, Jasper Spears and Dick Gray (auction link here).

On the bottom left is another posed photograph -- this time of Joe Pignatano and a Michael Napoli (auction link here).  BTW, Napoli was a Dodgers catcher within the teams minor league system throughout most of his eight-year professional career.  Unfortunately, he never got a cup of coffee.  I am uncertain if he is of any relation to the former Angels catcher of the same name.  On the bottom right is an action photograph of Don Demeter swingin' 'n missin' (auction link here).

The notable thing about the action photos herein is that they were clearly taken at another ballfield, other than Holman Stadium, at Dodgertown.  It's possible they were from one of the backfields in Vero Beach.  Considering the wire fencing and some of the landmarks in the backgrounds this is likely the case.  In fact, in the photograph on the bottom left of Johnny Roseboro you can clearly see the stadium lights of Holman Stadium in the distance (auction link here).  On the bottom right is Charley Neal at the plate (auction link here).

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Blog Kiosk: 3/22/2016 - Dodgers Links - Bolsinger, Bellinger and Kenta Maeda

Check out this sample platter of some of the good-eats provided by Carl Crawford to his teammates yesterday afternoon, via a pic by Scott Kazmir on twitter.  From what I understand, it was catered by Crawford's family restaurant in Houston called Burns Original BBQ.  You can follow them on twitter here, or check out their Facebook page here. 

Below are more links to check out:

• FYI:  ESPN will be airing the spring game in Cuba between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban National Team at 1:30 PM EST/10:30 AM PST.  ESPN Deportes will also broadcast the game in Spanish, and it'll be live online at WatchESPN. 
• Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Mike Bolsinger says oblique feels better, but Dodgers remain cautious."

"If I was a reliever I wouldn't be as worried. But being a starter you have to build up. If it's something I only have to wait a week, week and a half building myself back up won't be a big deal," Bolsinger said. "The last week and a half, If I get one start in, I think I'll be good to go."

• No real surprises here.  The Dodgers made more cuts in Spring Training, via a tweet by the Dodgers.  Of note, Cody Bellinger really impressed, and looks to be our first baseman of the future.  BTW, that's still a couple years away.:

Today, the #Dodgers reassigned INF Brandon Hicks, C Shawn Zarraga, OF Corey Brown and INF/OF Cody Bellinger to minor league camp.

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) March 21, 2016

• Kenta Maeda continues to impress -- not necessarily with his stuff, but his smarts.  Via Doug Padilla at ESPN:

“He has high acumen; his pitchability is off the charts,” Roberts said. “You know what was encouraging was that he shook (off the pitch selection) a couple of times just to get to a certain pitch. You saw him get into the at-bat and saw hitters swing by making the in-at-bat adjustment."

• Via Phil Rogers at MLB.com: "Brother drives Pederson to give his all."

"You know that he and other people with Down syndrome would do anything to just have a normal day where they could go out there and play," Pederson said. "You can never take this for granted. He's an everyday reminder of how fortunate I am, how blessed I am to play a game every day."

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