Blog Kiosk: 6/1/2018 - Dodgers Links - We Was Robbed

WTF!

Check out the above screengrab from yesterdays game. Shown is Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco scoring on a single in the second inning to score the first run of the game... But, did he really score? Clearly, he is at least a foot away from home plate. (you can watch a GIF of it here) Nevertheless, no replay was requested, the run counted and the Dodgers lost 2-1. Per Liz Roscher at Yahoo Sports:

Umpire Will Little was fooled, too. As the home plate umpire, he was tasked with making those tough plays, and he missed it. After the game, Grandal told The Athletic that he wasn’t amused. 

“I obviously didn’t know if he’d touched it or not,” Grandal said. “The first thing I said was, ‘Did he tag the plate?’ And (Little) said, ‘Yes.’” 

That, Grandal said, left him with no choice. 

“If he calls him safe and is telling me he tagged the plate,” Grandal said, “there’s no reason to go and tag him.”

It's amazing that no one wearing Blue noticed -- not Dave Roberts, not any of the players in the dugout and not any of the fans who had a bird's-eye view of the play. Nobody saw it; therefore, nobody put up a stink. In a game filled with over 40,000 hometown fans, I find this to be amazing. Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1955 the Brooklyn Dodgers set a franchise record when they hit six home runs in a game during their victory over the Milwaukee Braves at Ebbets Field. Duke Snider hit three homers in the contest (becoming the first Dodger to do it twice), to go along with home runs by Jackie Robinson, Pee Wee Reese and Roy Campanella. In 1962 Don Drysdale defeated the Philadelphia Phillies for the 13th consecutive time - a streak that began in 1958. I remember this next incident so well. In 1997 Wilton Guerrero shattered his bat during an at-bat and immediately scrambled to pick up the bat pieces instead of running to first base. Obviously, home plate umpire Steve Ripley got suspicious and subsequently searched the remains. Ripley found cork, ejected Guerrero and then the league suspended for eight games.
• Happy Birthday, Otto Miller, Ty Tyson, Ray Moore, Chuck Templeton, Ken McMullen & Derek Lowe!
• It's All Star Ballot time. Go here to vote for your 2018 All-Stars.
• We are not destined to be 100% healthy. Via Glenn Rabney at MLB.com; "Kershaw set for MRI (back) after return of 5 IP."

Kershaw's line looked decent, considering the layoff: one run on four hits and one walk with five strikeouts, throwing 62 pitches, 42 for strikes. Unfortunately for Kershaw, the final pitching line doesn't tell the entire story.

"Beyond frustrating," he said. "I felt like I was out of the woods. I was feeling good and then to have that crop up." 

The Dodgers are likely to be overly cautious and not take any chances with their star pitcher. 

"Obviously with Clayton's history you want to make sure there is some concern," Roberts said. "You want to make sure that he's well, so we're going to kind of dig into it and see if there is anything too it."

• This mornings Baseball America Prospect Report makes note of Dodger infielder Gavin Lux:

The track record of Wisconsin high school hitters at the top of the draft is quite poor, although it's also few enough players that some explanation can be made that there are too few study subjects to make any sweeping generalizations. Lux is trying to change that, with a strong season at high Class A Rancho Cucamonga. Lux, the Dodgers' 2016 first-round pick, went 3-for-3 with a double and  a home run yesterday. He's now hitting .317/.403/.508 this year. All of that is a minor piece of good news for Jarred Kelenic, likely the next first-round pick from Wisconsin.

• Via Brian W. Carter at the Los Angeles Sentinel; "Vision To Learn and the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation Improve Eyesight in Compton Unified School District."
• Here's an old friend alert. Per Jeff Todd at MLB Trade Rumors; "Edwin Jackson Exercises Opt-Out Clause." He'll likely be a free agent.
• This weeks online exclusive On-Demand Baseball card set features a 35 card base set that includes only one Dodgers - Clayton Kershaw. It is called the "Black & White" set. Go here to check it out and order. Unfortunately, there isn't a pic of Kershaw's card to share.
• Via Ken Gurniock at MLB.com; "Family connection led Dodgers to draft Goldy: LA scout knew D-backs' future All-Star would opt for college."

Goldschmidt wasn't going to sign coming out of high school that year and the Dodgers knew it. But they called his name as a nod to Dodgers scout Chris Smith, whose son, Derek, was another of Goldschmidt's teammates.

"Chris Smith's son and I played high school ball together and his other son played with my brother so he had seen me play for a long time," said Goldschmidt. "That's why I knew there was some interest, because it wasn't just a random guy calling, it was a friend of the family that had seen me play. 

"We were still in playoffs so I was hitting after practice and my dad showed up, and I remember wondering what he was doing there. He said, 'The Dodgers just drafted you.' And I was like, 'Cool, can you throw me batting practice?' So, we just kept hitting.

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