Dodgers Blue Heaven: Blog Kiosk: 5/16/2017 - Dodgers Links

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Blog Kiosk: 5/16/2017 - Dodgers Links - Some Odds and Ends

(pic above via Dodger Insider on twitter)

That was a tough hard-luck loss last night, but at least a mighty contingent of rabid Dodger fans, known as Pantone 294, once again took over an opposing stadium. They marched, they cheered and they even unfurled a giant Dodgers flag during the game.

Photo at the very top via Amanda McCarthy on twitter. Below are more links to check out:

This Day in Dodgers History: In 1970 a fourteen year old fan named Alan Fish was struck by a batted baseball at Dodger Stadium and would die four days later. This marked the first fatality of a fan from a batted ball in a Major League game, and it happened off the stick of Manny Mota. Tom Hoffarth provides more detail about the incident here. In 2000 was the infamous fight at Wrigley Field that started when Dodgers catcher Chad Kreuter, sitting in the Wrigley exposed bullpen, was hit in the back of the head and had his hat stolen by a unruly fan. Several players and coaches jumped into the stands during the ensuing melee.
Happy Birthday, Watty Clark, Rube Walker, Rick Rhoden, Mitch Webster & Eugenio Vélez!
Video: Brandon McCarthy comments on his performance after being reinstated on Monday against Giants. (video link)
ICYMI: Alex Wood was named the National League Player of the Week for the period ending May 15.

Wood compiled a 2-0 record without allowing a run over 11.0 innings pitched to claim his first career Player of the Week Award. Wood struck out 21 batters and issued just two free passes along with seven hits in two dominant starts last week. This is the Dodgers’ second consecutive weekly award, following Wood’s teammate Cody Bellinger, and it marks the first time Dodgers have won in consecutive weeks since Yasiel Puig and Josh Beckett in May 2014. Wood is the first Dodgers hurler to take home weekly honors since teammate Clayton Kershaw and then-Dodger Zack Greinke were named Co-Players of the Week for the week ending July 19, 2015.

Per Eric Stephen at True Blue LA; "Dodgers catcher Kyle Farmer named Texas League Player of the Week."
Per Tyler Hansen at the Tucson.com; "Ex-Sahuaro star Alex Verdugo showing why Dodgers are so high on him."
Per Charlie De Biase Jr. at the SILive.com; "Island native Shea Spitzbarth assigned to Dodgers extended spring training."
Today's Baseball America Prospect Report makes note of Dodger pitcher Mitchell White and Wilmer Font:
White: After a couple of rough outings, White has gotten back in stride. On Monday, the Dodgers’ No. 19 prospect tied a career high with eight strikeouts in seven strong innings as high Class A Rancho Cucamonga beat Visalia 2-1. Fifty-five of Mitchell’s 67 pitches went for strikes—an astonishing 82 percent rate—and he walked none after walking six in his past eight innings.

Font: The 6-foot-4, 265-pound Font has a career walk rate of 4.19 batters per nine innings. In the past two years, however Font has found his command. That was on full display Monday when Font took a perfect game into the seventh and set a Triple-A Oklahoma City record with 15 strikeouts in a 6-4 win over Sacramento (Giants). Font ended up allowing just two hits and a run and he walked just one. In his past four starts, Font has struck out 37 and walked just two and for the season he has struck out 63 and walked nine in 42 innings. Font has a fastball he can push to the upper-90s, but an improved splitter has been the key to his success.