Welcome to the Blue, Travis d'Arnaud!

Something strange happened over the weekend. The Dodgers signed a player at a position that I didn't think we needed help in. For months we've been sold the idea that we are rich at the catcher position, but Sunday's signing appears to beguile that. As you likely know, the Dodgers signed recently released Mets catcher Travis d'Arnaud. Infielder Matt Beaty was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City to make room for him on the active roster. BTW, he will wear #72 and you can follow him on Instagram here: @travisdarnaud. Per Rowan Kavner at Dodger Insider:

D’Arnaud was released by the Mets on Friday after appearing in 10 games in his seventh season in New York. He missed almost all of last season with an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery. 

The former 2007 first-round pick and Southern California native is a career .242/.303/.401 hitter who enjoyed his best season in 2015, posting an .825 OPS with 12 home runs. He hit as many as 16 home runs as recently as 2017. 

D’Arnaud has historically performed better against left-handed pitching, slashing .252/.323/.415/.738 against lefties compared to .239/.297/.396/.693 against righties.

Blog Kiosk: 5/6/2019 - Dodgers Links - Some Odds and Ends

Patience has always been a virtue in Baseball, so it should come as no surprise that Chris Taylor's early season slump appears to have reversed. Over the past five games he is slashing .381/.381/.762/1.143 with eight hits (two of which were homers) and six RBI's in 21 at-bats. Per Jorge Castillo at the LA Times:

“I think he’s just getting opportunities to go out there and play,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after the Dodgers’ 8-5 loss Sunday. “I think he’s taking better swings. When he does get a ball in the strike zone, he’s getting it going forward and not fouling it off or swinging through it. And when you start to get some hits, it breeds confidence.”
...
“It hasn’t really shown much, but I’ve actually felt pretty good the last week or two,” Taylor said. “And I’m just trying to go up there and I’ve been working on things in the cage and I felt like I’ve been really close.”

Photo above via Raymond Gorospe/MLB.com at Dodger Insider. Go here to check out more pics from yesterdays game. Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1937 Baseball fans at both the Polo Grounds and Ebbets Field see the Hindenberg zeppelin fly overhead - just a few hours before it infamously exploded into a fireball in Lakehurst, New Jersey. In 1947 NL President Ford Frick threatens seven Cardinals players at Ebbets Field with banishment from the league should they follow through with their planned boycott to protest Jackie Robinson. In 1978 Dodger super-utilityman Lee Lacy becomes the first Major Leaguer to hit pinch-hit home runs in consecutive at-bats. On May 17th he would make it three-in-a-row.
• Happy Birthday, Les Webber, Mike McCormick & Mike Kincade!