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MLB: Los Angeles Dodgers 2, St. Louis 1

thereforcer — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 09:10:55 +0000

Published: Aug. 22, 2011 at 11:51 PM

ST. LOUIS, Aug. 22 (UPI) — Aaron Miles keyed a two-run rally in the ninth inning with an RBI triple Monday, boosting the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 2-1 victory over St. Louis.

Trailing 1-0 entering their final at-bat, the Dodgers began the comeback when St. Louis starter Chris Carpenter hit leadoff man Juan Rivera with a pitch.

Newly acquired veteran Arthur Rhodes entered the game to strike out Andre Ethier but the next Cardinals pitcher, Fernando Salas (5-5), yielded a game-tying triple to Miles.

Miles then scored the go-ahead tally when Rod Barajas hit a hard grounder to shortstop Rafael Furcal with the infield drawn in. Furcal knocked the ball down but threw home too late to prevent the run from scoring.

Matt Guerrier (4-3) earned the win with a scoreless eighth and Javy Guerra picked up his 11th save for the Dodgers.

Dodgers starter Nathan Eovaldi went five innings, allowing one run on one hit — a home run by Lancer Berkman — while walking one and striking out two.

Carpenter allowed only one run on five hits over eight frames and Lance Berkman homered for the Cardinals’ only run.

What are your opinions.

Furcal cleans out his locker, headed to St. Louis

anaerarve — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 12:39:53 +0000

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers waved goodbye to shortstop Rafael Furcal, who appeared to be on his way to St. Louis after five-plus seasons in Los Angeles. And Furcal’s sudden departure cast an even larger pall in the clubhouse following their loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Justin Upton greeted Matt Guerrier with a go-ahead, three-run double in the sixth inning and Arizona climbed within three games of the NL West lead with a 6-4 victory over the Dodgers on Saturday night.

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly and general manager Ned Colletti were measuring their words carefully before the game when asked about the status of Furcal’s impending trade to the Cardinals.

The two-time All-Star shortstop was held out of the lineup Saturday. He participated in batting practice and pregame drills, but he was not in the dugout in the ninth inning when Mattingly used Eugenio Velez to hit for reliever Josh Lindblom.

Furcal cleaned out his locker, but the team made no formal announcement after the game that he was traded.

“Raffy’s got a lot of friends here, so we’re sad to see him go and we’re going to miss him,” second baseman Aaron Miles said. “He’s been a big part of this team. It’s been tough for him to get on the field this year, but he’s going to a great team and a great organization. It’s a real good opportunity for him and I wish him the best.”

Los Angeles starter Chad Billingsley (9-9) was charged with six runs and seven hits over 5 2-3 innings. He struck out four and tied a season high with five walks. One of them was to No. 8 hitter Gerardo Parra with the bases loaded and none out in the sixth. Xavier Nady batted for Micah Owings (5-0) and hit a sacrifice fly, reducing the Dodgers’ lead to 4-3.

“Billingsley was pounding the zone earlier, but he just wasn’t locating in the sixth and we took advantage of it,” Arizona manager Kirk Gibson said. “That’s what you have to do. You have to recognize it and just lay off the pitches that are just marginally off the plate. That’s what we did.”

Another walk to Kelly Johnson on Billingsley’s 103rd and final pitch loaded the bases again. Upton then hit a drive to center that skidded on the wet grass and got past Matt Kemp, clearing the bases. The three RBIs increased Upton’s team-high total to 65, just four fewer than he had last season in 133 games.

Kemp, who hit a two-run drive in the third for his 26th homer of the season, came up in the seventh representing the potential tying run. But Bryan Shaw struck him out with a runner at third. J.J. Putz, the sixth Arizona pitcher, pitched a hitless ninth for his 23rd save in 27 attempts.

The Diamondbacks also loaded the bases with none out in the second, but all they could get out of it was a sacrifice fly from Willie Bloomquist. Right fielder Andre Ethier prevented two more runs when he robbed Johnson of extra bases with a lunging catch while going full speed toward the warning track.

The Dodgers grabbed a 3-1 lead in the third. Casey Blake, in his first game off the disabled list, hit a sacrifice fly one pitch after a one-out triple by Tony Gwynn Jr. Ethier singled with two outs and Kemp deposited Owings’ 2-1 pitch into the pavilion seats in left-center, raising his NL-leading RBI total to 82.

Jamey Carroll’s line drive up the middle through a drawn-in infield increased the margin to 4-1 in the fourth.

Notes: Hiroki Kuroda informed Colletti that he decided not to waive the no-trade clause in his contract. He was the subject of considerable trade speculation prior to Sunday’s non-waiver trade deadline. “In my heart of hearts, knowing him like I know him, I’m not surprised that is the way he felt,” Colletti said. “I would have been more surprised if he had said, ‘OK, I’ll go somewhere else.’ In a way, it’s refreshing. He made a commitment to sign here, and he wants to fulfill that commitment. … Blake missed the Dodgers’ previous 21 games because of a cervical strain. The Dodgers placed 3B Juan Uribe on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to July 24, because of a groin strain.

What are your opinions.

Dodgers say goodbye to St. Louis-bound Furcal

crelryNeene — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 12:22:54 +0000

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly and general manager Ned Colletti were measuring their words carefully before the game when asked about the status of Furcal’s impending trade to the Cardinals.

Furcal cleaned out his locker, but the team made no formal announcement after the game that he was traded.

Jamey Carroll’s line drive up the middle through a drawn-in infield increased the margin to 4-1 in the fourth.

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Nationals Vs. Dodgers: Rafael Furcal Walk-Off…

oliviabaileyh1 — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 19:33:33 +0000

Read More: Jayson Werth (RF – WAS), Tom Gorzelanny (P – WAS), Rafael Furcal (SS – LOS), Michael Morse (LF – WAS), Laynce Nix (LF – WAS), Ryan Mattheus (P – WAS), Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Dodgers

Rafael Furcal hit a double in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Los Angeles Dodgers a 7-6 win over the Washington Nationals at Dodgers Stadium on Saturday night. With runners on first and second base with one out in a tie ballgame in the bottom of the sixth inning, Furcal lined a shot over Laynce Nix’s head in center field to give the Dodgers the win.

It was a particularly tough loss for Washington because it looked like they would cruise back to .500. The Nationals took a 3-0 lead after their first at-bat after doubles by Michael Morse and Jayson Werth, then tacked on three more runs in the top of the third to push the lead to 6-2. But starter Tom Gorzelanny didn’t have it going and promptly gave up three runs in the bottom of the third inning. Los Angeles tied it in the bottom of the seventh on a Henry Rodriguez wild pitch and then won it off Ryan Mattheus in the bottom of the ninth.

That’s all for today.

MLB: Los Angeles Dodgers 7, Washington 6

LollaSi — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 11:30:40 +0000

LOS ANGELES, July 24 (UPI) — Rafael Furcal delivered a game-winning double in the bottom of the ninth inning Saturday, rallying the Los Angeles Dodgers over Washington 7-6.

Rod Barajas led off the ninth with a single off Ryan Mattheus (2-2) and went to second one out later on Jamie Carroll’s single.

Furcal then sent a pitch into the left-center field gap that just eluded a diving Laynce Nix, handing the Dodgers a victory in the middle game of a weekend series against the Nationals.

Los Angeles had trailed 6-2 at one point in the game.

Dodgers starter Ted Lilly, who allowed six runs on eight hits over five innings, drove in three runs for Los Angeles.

Javy Guerra (2-0) earned the victory with a scoreless top of the ninth.

Jayson Werth and Rick Ankiel each contributed two-run doubles for the Nats.

What are your opinions.

MLB: San Francisco 5, LA Dodgers 3

FullDw — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 11:15:40 +0000

SAN FRANCISCO, July 20 (UPI) — Brandon Belt returned from the farm Tuesday to drive in three runs for San Francisco in the Giants’ 5-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Belt, a highly touted prospect who was sent down to Class-AAA Fresno earlier this season, homered in his first at-bat and then drove in two runs with a tie-breaking double in the seventh.

The win was San Francisco’s sixth of the season against their longtime rivals and seventh in their last eight games.

Madison Bumgarner (5-9) went eight innings for the win with Brian Wilson notching his 29th save. Bumgarner gave up three runs, all in the third inning, on four hits and struck out seven.

Hong-Chi Kuo took the loss in relief after allowing two runs on two hits and three walked in 2/3 of an inning.

Rafael Furcal drove in two of the three runs in the Los Angeles third, when the Dodgers took a 3-2 lead that held up until the Giants tied it with a run in the fifth.

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San Francisco Giants shut out Los Angeles Dodgers

cdhbjdhbjaj — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 12:49:07 +0000

With Pablo Sandoval and Nate Schierholtz leading the way, the heart of the Giants’ batting order is finally starting to show some vibrant thump.

Sandoval went 3 for 4, including a monster homer to break a scoreless tie in the fourth inning, and Schierholtz was 2 for 4 with the first run-scoring hit in a four-run sixth as the Giants beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-0 at AT&T Park on Monday night.

Ryan Vogelsong (7-1) was the benefactor of San Francisco’s rare night of robust offense, even if he didn’t need so much. In making his first post All-Star start, the Giants rotation’s Lazarus picked up where he left off from his stellar first half. The right-hander tossed 62/3 shutout innings, limited the Dodgers to seven hits and solidified his position as the National League’s ERA leader at 2.02.

Vogelsong’s continuing excellence is no longer so surprising, but the possible revival of the Giants’ offense may be. They’ve scored four or more runs in five of their past six games, and that’s a positive sign for a team that is 35-6 when it puts at least four runs on the board.

Without question, Sandoval and Schierholtz are giving the Giants some respectable anchors in the middle of the order, and their five hits played a huge part in beating a past nemesis, Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley (8-8).

Even though the Giants didn’t score against Billingsley in the first inning, Sandoval singled and Schierholtz doubled him to third

to set the tone for what was to come.

Vogelsong had to escape some early jams to get there. After two were out in the third inning, he walked Billingsley, then Rafael Furcal reached when Miguel Tejada juggled his grounder in the hole. Tejada suffered a lower abdominal strain on the play and had to leave the game, but Vogelsong struck out Aaron Miles to end the threat.

In the fourth, Matt Kemp stroked a one-out single and went to third on Juan Rivera’s hit-and-run slap through the right side. But Vogelsong induced a comebacker from James Loney, and replacement shortstop Brandon Crawford nicely converted the pitcher’s throw to second base into an inning-ending double play.

The Giants then broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth when Sandoval launched a long home run, his ninth of the year, into the pavilion in right-center, one of the deepest parts of the ballpark.

Vogelsong nursed that slim lead and weathered yet another tight spot in the top of the sixth when Miles and Andre Ethier opened the inning with back-to-back singles. But Sandoval, who also had an impressive night in the field, snared a sharp Kemp shot down the third base line, then made a strong throw to Mike Fontenot at second, who wheeled and threw to first for another double play. Vogelsong then retired Rivera on a pop-up to end the inning.

The Giants then opened the offensive floodgates in the bottom half, equaling their season high at home with a four-run inning. Fontenot opened with a single, Sandoval singled him to third and Schierholtz followed with a single that made it 2-0. After Aubrey Huff struck out, Cody Ross — who also had a pair of hits — doubled to right-center to score two more runs, and Ross scored on a Crawford single.

Vogelsong finally ran out of gas in the seventh, surrendering a one-out single to Juan Uribe and a two-out, ground-rule double to pinch-hitter Jamey Carroll. Jeremy Affeldt came in and walked Rafael Furcal to load the bases, but retired Miles on a groundout and the Dodgers didn’t threaten again.

Vogelsong departed the game having thrown 111 pitches — 75 for strikes — while walking one and striking out five. Affeldt retired Ethier to open the eighth, then gave way to Ramon Ramirez, who pitched 12/3 innings of scoreless relief to preserve the shutout.

With the victory, the Giants improved their record against N.L. West opponents to 26-14 (. 650).

TUESDAY’S GAME

L.A. Dodgers (Rubby De La Rosa 3-4) at Giants (Madison Bumgarner 4-9), 7:15 p.m. CSNBA

Feel free to leave your comments below.

Dodgers Call Up Prospect Dee Gordon, Activate Juan Uribe, Make 738 Other Moves

appelinon — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 01:52:33 +0000

By Grant Brisbee

– Editor

Follow @sbnbaseball on Twitter, and

Like Baseball Nation on Facebook.

Jun 6, 2011 – Someone in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ front office is on salary, because if they were getting paid by the transaction, there wouldn’t be mass updates like this …

The #Dodgers optioned Ivan De Jesus and John Ely and designated Jay Gibbons and Juan Castro for assignment.

… and this …

The club activated Uribe, Hawksworth and Thames from the DL and has purchased the contract of Dee Gordon, who will be in uniform tonight

So in order:

Ivan De Jesus, the 24-year-old middle infielder, was hitting .188 with a .188 slugging percentage in 32 at-bats. He hasn’t done much since his breakout season in double-A in 2008, and back to Albuquerque he goes.
John Ely, a 25-year-old right hander, made a spot start and an relief appearance, and was roughed up in both.
Jay Gibbons, seemingly out of the game after a PED suspension in 2007, had an unlikely return as a Dodgers bench player last season. He was having almost the exact same season this year, though with a lot less power. That was about the only thing that made him valuable of the bench, so ….
Juan Uribe had hip soreness, and he performed well in his rehab assignment. With Rafael Furcal going on the DL, Uribe is coming back at a good time.
Marcus Thames is the Jay Gibbons of the right side of the plate, and he’s hit even worse this year, but he still should offer some power against lefties.
And Gordon is the Dodgers’ top prospect, a shortstop that the Dodgers hope will hit some day. John Sickels wrote this Dee Gordon scouting report:

Gordon was drafted in the fourth round in 2008 from Seminole Community College in Florida. Although his father Tom was a major league pitcher, Gordon was fairly raw when drafted. Speed is his best attribute, rating at a strong 70 on the traditional 20-80 scouting scale. He hit .277/.332/.355 with 53 swipes last year for Double-A Chattanooga. He doesn’t have much power, but scouts see him as a top-of-the-order player, assuming he maximizes his on-base percentage.

Gordon is 23, and he was hitting .315/.361/.370 in triple-A, though it should be noted that Albuquerque is a hitter’s park in a hitter’s league.

And there you have it: proof that the Dodgers’ PR department doesn’t get paid by the individual transaction. Actually, they might not get paid at all, but that’s a different story.

Dodgers’ Furcal frustrated with return trip to DL

StoozyNuppy — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 23:34:32 +0000

Updated: June 4, 2011, 4:18 PM ET

By Tony Jackson
ESPNLosAngeles.com
Archive

CINCINNATI — Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal didn’t hint at retirement this time — he caused a mini-stir when, clearly out of frustration, he said he should retire after breaking his left thumb on a headfirst slide April 11 — but he did express extreme disappointment at going back onto the disabled list Saturday, just 13 days after returning from a six-week stint with the thumb injury.

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This time, Furcal has a strained left oblique. He said he was told he could miss anywhere from two weeks to a month.

“I was just getting on track,” Furcal said. “I know my first week (back), when I was trying to get on track, it was a little tough. But I was starting to play better, seeing the ball better, playing better defense. Now, I’m going back to the DL. I want to cry, man.”

Furcal is in the final season of a three-year, $30 million contract, with a $12 million club option for 2012 that seems increasingly unlikely to be exercised and now has no chance of vesting. With free agency looming and four trips to the DL with four different injuries since the start of last season, Furcal was asked about his future.

“I’m not thinking about what happens next year,” he said. “I’m thinking about this year because this year isn’t over. I’m trying to get healthy. Whatever happens next year happens.”

Furcal said he was feeling considerable pain in his side on Saturday, more than what he felt when he left Friday night’s game after the bottom of the second inning, during which he had injured himself turning to make a throw to third on a rundown play. But he also said the medical staff had told him the injury didn’t look that bad, giving him hope might be able to return relatively soon.

“It’s my life,” he said. “Everything happens for (a reason). I just wish I had more control (over) that.”

The Dodgers also missed another chance to have their entire starting infield together for the first time since Furcal went onto the DL the first time, because Juan Uribe is expected to come off the DL on Monday. The Dodgers won the night Furcal broke his thumb, after which they were 6-4. Since then, they are 20-28.

Tony Jackson covers the Dodgers for ESPNLosAngeles.com.

Follow Tony Jackson on Twitter: @dodgerscribe

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Dodgers’ Rafael Furcal Leaves Game After Hurting Left Side

togAttamy — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 05:52:32 +0000

Read More: Vicente Padilla (P – LOS), Jon Garland (P – LOS), Jamey Carroll (2B – LOS), Rafael Furcal (SS – LOS), Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Dodgers at Cincinnati Reds, Jun 3, 2011 4:10 PM PDT

The 2011 Los Angeles Dodgers are getting hurt at an alarming rate. Rafael Furcal is the latest to get bitten by the injury bug, as he left Friday’s game after just two innings. Furcal injured his left side while making a force play in the bottom of the second inning, then was replaced in the top of the third inning by pinch hitter Jamey Carroll, who remained in the game at shortstop. The Dodgers list Furcal as day-to-day, though the club is no stranger to the disabled list this season.

Furcal already lost significant time this season, missing 37 games with a broken thumb. Since his return, Furcal has nine hits in 40 at-bats in 10 games, though eight of those hits came in the four games prior to tonight. Furcal isn’t the only injury the Dodgers are dealing with.

Vicente Padilla was supposed to be activated off the disabled list before tonight’s game, but no move was made before the game. The corresponding move is expected to be starter Jon garland to the disabled list, which would be the 17th different DL trip for the Dodgers this season. However, either Padilla isn’t quite ready or the Dodgers aren’t sure Garland will miss two or three starts. Or we could see a move after the game.

The Dodgers lead the Reds 1-0 in the fifth inning at Great American Ballpark.

For more news and information about the Dodgers, or on tonight’s game, be sure to read the SB Nation blog True Blue LA.

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.

Dodgers hold SS Furcal, C Barajas out of lineup

ayuommh — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 05:49:32 +0000

Updated: May 31, 2011, 8:36 PM ET

By Tony Jackson
ESPNLosAngeles.com
Archive

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal was out of the lineup on Tuesday night against the Colorado Rockies, marking the first time Furcal hadn’t started since he returned on May 22 from a six-week stint on the disabled list.

The decision by manager Don Mattingly to rest the formerly slumping Furcal came after Furcal went 7-for-13 over the previous three games.

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“Furky has played [eight] out of [nine] days,” Mattingly said, the only exception being an off-day on Thursday. “We wanted him to keep playing until he found his timing, and he has kind of had that for a few days. We have to give him a breather in there somewhere to keep him from going backward. He’ll play [Wednesday], then get another day [when the team is off on Thursday]. After that, we play 13 straight, and we’re hoping to play him in a huge portion of those. But we have to keep him healthy.”

Meanwhile, primary catcher Rod Barajas also was out of the lineup, something Mattingly said was a sign of things to come with backup Dioner Navarro finally appearing to emerge from a season-long slump. The switch-hitting Navarro has seven hits in 18 at-bats over his past five games, and all 10 of his hits this season have come from the left side.

Barajas is hitting just .184 against right-handers this season, and the Dodgers were scheduled to face Rockies rookie righty Clayton Mortensen on Tuesday night.

The Dodgers began spring training with the idea that Barajas and Navarro would share time behind the plate this season on a roughly 60-40 split in favor of Barajas. But then Navarro suffered a torn right oblique late in camp and missed almost all of April.

“D has been swinging the bat good, and we’re kind of getting back to what we thought in spring training, where it wasn’t going to be Rod playing seven out of eight,” Mattingly said.

Tony Jackson covers the Dodgers for ESPNLosAngeles.com.

Follow Tony Jackson on Twitter: @dodgerscribe

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Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!

jamestby — Tue, 31 May 2011 11:10:53 +0000

LOS ANGELES — James Loney had three hits with a homer and
three RBIs, Andre Ethier also drove in three runs and the Los
Angeles Dodgers defeated the Colorado Rockies 7-1 on Monday
night.

Chad Billingsley (4-4) allowed one run and a season-high 11 hits
in seven innings, struck out eight and walked two. The right-hander
improved to 2-2 in his sixth home start after his teammates
produced the kind of run support that he had been lacking, getting
just 1.29 runs — third-lowest in the majors — in his previous home
games.

Ty Wigginton’s homer accounted for Colorado’s run as the Rockies
dropped to 2-10 on the road in May.

Jason Hammel (3-5) gave up seven runs and 10 hits in 4 2-3
innings, struck out two and walked one in his shortest outing of
the season. The right-hander is winless since April 30 against
Pittsburgh, a span of six starts.

The Dodgers took a 4-0 lead in the third. They loaded the bases
with no one out on singles by Billingsley and Rafael Furcal and an
infield hit by Jamey Carroll. Ethier drove in Billingsley and
Furcal with a single up the middle, just beyond the reach of diving
second baseman Eric Young Jr. as Hammel took off his glove and
pounded it on the mound in frustration.

Matt Kemp followed with a sacrifice fly to center, with center
fielder Dexter Fowler and left fielder Carlos Gonzalez converging
on it. The ball touched Gonzalez’s glove first and then they
collided as the ball dropped, allowing Carroll to score. Loney
added an RBI single.

The Rockies scored in the fourth on Wigginton’s fourth homer of
the season off the first pitch from Billingsley.

The Dodgers extended their lead to 7-1 in the fifth. Carroll led
off with a triple and Ethier had an RBI single. Loney hit a
two-out, two-run homer off the first pitch from Hammel, who then
walked Rod Barajas before getting yanked.

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MLB: Los Angeles Dodgers 8, Florida 0

SoatadeevaRot — Mon, 30 May 2011 05:11:02 +0000

LOS ANGELES, May 29 (UPI) — Clayton Kershaw tossed a two-hit, complete-game shutout Sunday and the Los Angeles Dodgers pounded out 17 hits in their 8-0 win over Florida.

Kershaw (6-3) allowed only a third-inning single to Omar Infante and a seventh-inning double to Logan Morrison in taming the Marlins, issuing only one walk while striking out 10.

The 116-pitch gem was the left-hander’s second career shutout as well as his sixth start without a loss for the Dodgers, who took the rubber match of a three-game set with Florida.

Rafael Furcal went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer and three RBI while Casey Blake added two hits and a pair of RBI in the Dodgers’ win.

Ricky Nolasco (4-1) absorbed his first loss in 11 starts for Florida, surrendering eight runs on 15 hits in a five-inning effort.

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2012 Contract Issues: Los Angeles Dodgers

HalFloAla — Tue, 24 May 2011 18:57:49 +0000

« Quick Hits: Herrera, Bautista, Blevins |
Main
| Olney On Reyes, Crisp, Braves »

By Tim Dierkes [May 24, 2011 at 8:31am CST]

The Dodgers are next in our 2012 Contract Issues series. Here’s what the team faces after the 2011 season:

Eligible For Free Agency (11)

Starter Hiroki Kuroda, 36, is rolling along with another strong season. I’m guessing the Dodgers will have another shot to sign him to a one-year deal after the season, as Kuroda has a full no-trade clause.
Jonathan Broxton lost the closer job again this season, and he’s currently on the DL with an elbow injury. At one point he seemed destined for a monster free agent contract, but instead he might want a one-year deal to rebuild value.
Rod Barajas leads all NL catchers with seven home runs, though it doesn’t get much worse than a .260 OBP. The Dodgers may give some thought to re-signing him on a one-year deal.
Jamey Carroll has been quite valuable filling in for Rafael Furcal; his .374 OBP leads all MLB shortstops. Carroll should top his last two-year deal and ought to seek a team that will play him every day. Before then, he could be popular at the trade deadline.
Vicente Padilla had the Dodgers’ closer role for a short period of time, but then landed on the DL with more forearm concerns. We’ll have to see how the rest of his season goes before assessing his value.
Lance Cormier has been terrible, and might not make it to the end of the season with the Dodgers.
Dioner Navarro missed most of April with an oblique injury and hasn’t done anything yet.
Marcus Thames hasn’t played much this year due to a quad injury. Vision problems have sidelined Jay Gibbons.
Mike MacDougal is doing his usual tightrope act, but the beleaguered Dodgers bullpen needs him right now.
Aaron Miles is also eligible for free agency. The Dodgers could see quite a bit of turnover next year.

Contract Options (3)

Rafael Furcal: $12MM club option with a $1.3MM buyout. Furcal’s latest Dodgers contract has been a frustrating one due to injuries. I can’t picture the Dodgers exercising this, and I can envision them moving him this summer depending on what his no-trade clause allows.
Casey Blake: $6MM club option with a $1.25MM buyout. Blake is finishing up rehab for an elbow injury. He was hitting well before that in a small sample.
Jon Garland: $8MM club option with a $500K buyout; vests with 190 IP. At his current pace, another 22 or 23 starts would not be enough for Garland to reach 190 innings. It’d be the first time he’s failed to do so since he was a reliever a decade ago. I don’t picture the Dodgers exercising at a $7.5MM net price.

Arbitration Eligible (7)

The Dodgers have an interesting arbitration group. Kershaw should top Jered Weaver‘s first-time record for a starting pitcher, though David Price may beat Kershaw and in a way the record is technically and should remain the Giants’ $8MM filing for Tim Lincecum last year. Kemp and Ethier both kept their final arbitration years open, and now it’s time to get paid. Ethier is operating from a higher salary point, but each player should be able to exceed $12MM. Targets for their agents may include Mark Teixeira‘s $12.5MM in ’08 or even Prince Fielder‘s $15.5MM this year.

Loney probably should have been non-tendered or dealt last offseason; he’s highly unlikely to be tendered a contract this time. Kuo, on the DL with anxiety disorder, is an unknown. Troncoso and Gwynn could be cut, though they wouldn’t cost much to retain. For my rough estimate I’ll put Kershaw at $6MM and Kemp and Ethier at $13MM each, plus Kuo at $3MM for a total of $35MM.

2012 Payroll Obligation

The Dodgers’ 2012 payroll obligation, according to Cot’s, is $48MM if you include all three buyouts on the options. Our arbitration estimate puts them at $83MM, a solid $37MM short of this year’s payroll without considering minimum salary players. The big question, of course, is the team’s ownership situation. If by November Bud Selig successfully removes Frank McCourt from the picture entirely and installs a new owner, the Dodgers figure to be major players in free agency. If not, I have to think payroll would be cut. In that case GM Ned Colletti would still have some spending money, just not for the big names.

What do you guys think about this.

Los Angeles Dodgers’ Andre Ethier extends MLB-record April hit streak to 26

ignoniump — Sun, 01 May 2011 05:18:52 +0000

Updated: May 1, 2011, 3:00 AM ET

By Tony Jackson
ESPNLosAngeles.com
Archive

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Andre Ethier extended his major league-record for the longest April hitting streak to 26 games, the second-longest by any Dodgers player since the team moved to town from Brooklyn in 1958.

Ethier did it with an opposite-field, bloop single off San Diego Padres right-hander Tim Stauffer in the bottom of the fourth inning on Saturday night.

“This has been fun,” Ethier said after the game, during which he went 2-for-4 in a 5-2 loss. “It’s a chance to add my name to another part of Dodgers history, which is something pretty special.”

Ethier began the day tied with Paul Lo Duca, Willie Davis and Steve Sax on that list with a 25-game hitting streak. He now stands just five short of the all-time franchise mark of 31 games, set by Davis in 1969. There was at least one additional streak longer than Ethier’s current one by a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Zack Wheat, who hit in 29 consecutive games back in 1916.

Ethier has hit safely in all but one of the Dodgers’ 28 games this season. Ethier added another single in the Dodgers’ loss Saturday, his 40th of the month, tying the club record for April — shared by Mike Piazza (1996) and Rafael Furcal (2008).

Ethier has 41 hits for the year, including one on Opening Day March 31.

Tony Jackson covers the Dodgers for ESPNLosAngeles.com. Follow him on Twitter. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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