The Dodgers lost last night, 7-3, so let's not dwell on that. Instead, we should accentuate the positive... like, Will Smith's fantastic debut. He singled in his first at-bat, recorded a double in the seventh and threw out a baserunner in the sixth. Best yet, his at-bat walk-up song was exactly what you would guess it would be (watch it here). Per Rowan Kavner at Dodger Insider:
“Just looked composed,” manager Dave Roberts said. “It was exciting to see him get his first Major League hit … legs out a double, just squared up the ball all night. and he was taking some tough pitches to get in hitter’s counts. … You would never have guessed watching him tonight that it was his first Major League game.”Photo above via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2019. Go here to check out more pics from yesterdays game. Below are more links to check out:
- This Day in Dodgers History: In 1905, according to legend, Dodger hurler Elmer Stricklett introduces Baseball to the spitball -- beating the Giants, 4-3. Of course, this is a bunch of mumbo-jumbo. Although, many do credit Stricklett with being one of the first -- having built a reputation for throwing the pitch much earlier in his career on the west coast. In 1957 tough-talking New York Mayor Robert Wagner, following the leagues announcement allowing the Dodgers and Giants to leave New York, states that the city will not be "blackjacked" into doing a deal. In 1980 Dodgers starter Bob Welch throws a one-hit shutout to defeat the Braves, 3-0. He faced the minimum of 27 batters in the game. In 1983 Dodger reliever Steve Howe is readmitted to a drug treatment center after suffering a relapse from his cocaine addiction.
- Happy Birthday, Phil Gallivan, John Kennedy, Eric Davis, Trever Miller & Jerry Hairston!
- I loved Night Owl's take on the recent passing of Bill Buckner. Check it out here.
- It's All-Star Ballot Time! Go here to vote. There will basically be two elections happening. Right now we vote in "The Primary" to determine the Top 3 players at each position (9 Outfielders). Then those three are entered into "The Starters Election" (from 6/26/2019 to 6/27/2019 at 1:00 PM) to determine the All-Star Game starter(s) at each position.... Yeah... Okay, then... Splitting it up like this feels more cumbersome than fun.
- LOL! Via Mark Fischer at the New York Post -- "Chase Utley is still somehow torturing the Mets."
The bat that caused the Mets pain for nearly two decades has returned — just in a different set of hands.Enrique “Kiké” Hernandez used the retired Chase Utley’s lumber to launch a three-run home run in the sixth inning of the Dodgers’ 9-5 win over the Mets on Monday night in Los Angeles, bringing back nightmares for fans who came across the tidbit during the SNY broadcast.
“ARE YOU KIDDING,” one quipped on Twitter.
- Yesterday's game was this season's third $1 Dodger Dog Night, and according to Dodgers Chef Ryan Evans they sold at least 49,214 Dodger Dogs (via a tweet) -- with the final count still coming. The first Dodger Dog Night sold 65,605 dogs and the second night sold 57,752 dogs.
- Per a Peta story -- "10 MLB Parks That Score Big With Their Vegan Eats" and it includes 7th ranked Dodger Stadium.
- Congrats to Twins pitcher Devin Smeltzer. As you'll recall, he was drafted by the Dodgers in 2016 and was subsequently sent to the Twins as a part of the Brian Dozier trade last season. Smeltzer, who is a cancer survivor (made famous for meeting Chase Utley as a youth when battling cancer), made his first Major League start last night and killed it. Devin went six shutout innings, struck out seven and walked none to get a no decision. However, his team did eventually win the game, 5-3.
- Per Dustin Nosler at True Blue LA -- "A brief review of the 2018 Dodgers draftees."
- Via Arrick Joel at Dodgers Low-Down -- "Learning to Compete: An Interview with Justin Grimm."
- Via John LaLoggia at Beyond the Boxscore -- "The recent dominance of Hyun-Jin Ryu."
Along with having the best walk rate (1.7%) in MLB, Ryu’s willingness to throw more cutters has been one of the biggest differences for him in 2019 because it’s allowing him to miss more barrels. The movement on his cutter has resulted in a significant increase in whiff rate (15.9%). He made a slight mechanical adjustment with his arm angle by releasing the ball higher for a more effective downward break. His cutter usage was at 17.8% in 2017 and has gradually increased to 21.2% this year, according to SI.com. He’s also reduced his four-seam fastball rate from 36% in 2017 to 29.7% this year.
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