This weekend in Los Angeles
A few things for you guys to be aware of coming up…
Tomorrow night is the opening of National Pastime, a play about the life and times of Jackie Robinson that is being held at the Los Angeles City College Theatre Academy. It will run through March 24th and tickets can be purchased online at www.laccfoundation.org/events/index.asp.
On Saturday at Dodger Stadium, there are two events going on. The first is the annual Job Fair that we hold here for the local community. It goes from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and features training providers, government agencies and employers including: Bally Total Fitness, Federal Express, Macyâs, NBC Universal, Sears, Primerica, Southern California Gas Company, United States Secret Service, University of Southern California and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Also at the stadium on Saturday is our open house event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., where you can take a look at some of the seats that are still available for the season.
Of course, starting at 10 a.m. is the first telecast of the spring on KCAL 9 and Sunday night on KFWB 980 is DodgerTalk at 8 p.m., followed by FSN Prime Ticket’s "Dodgers Live" at 10 p.m.
And I don’t know about all you, but I personally think too much pitching is a good problem to have. I’ve seen all the posts about Hendrickson vs. Tomko vs. Kuo, but it’s really great to see these guys thriving in competition — it will only make the team better.
Inside the Dodgers 
5 no run innings from Hendy is a really good thing.
“5 no run innings from Hendy is a really good thing”
… because it might increase his trade value.
yeah i don’t see hendrickson finishes out the year here. He will probably be traded for some bullpen help and a bench player.’
i can’t believe i picked stanford to go to the third round and now Marquette is getting killed…my final four is ucla, oregon, louisville and georgetown with UCLA beating Georgetown 85-879 in the final.
Man you gotta love what “Rocky” (Matt White) is doing in Spring Training! Zero earned runs in 6 1/3 innings. It sure would be nice to see him make the team, although I imagine that his chances are pretty slim with the number of relievers that we already have. Regardless, I really like this kid.
GO DODGERS!
PS: Only 25 more days until the home opener!
“5 no run innings from Hendy is a really good thing”
… because it might increase his trade value.
yeah i don’t see hendrickson finishes out the year here. He will probably be traded for some bullpen help and a bench player.’
I Agree except at this point and time who are we gonna get rid of to free space on the roster of F/T players? We all agree that there atleast 25 deserving players who are signed deep or are ready and could really breakout this year. Our infield is loaded with signed players and Kids Ready to perform. Our pitching is just plain sick loaded with talented kids and proven vets.The outfield is crawling with kids waiting for the infield spots. I’d hate to be Ned nor Grady this year because if anyone doesn’t workout and someone we cut ties with does well then we will be calling for there heads….
Here is an idea What about ss Valdez taking on 3rd base? His Hitting has been exceptional LAD SS 14 38 9 14 3 0 3 7 26 1 1 1 1 .385 .684 .368 I know his fielding has not been great but his bat is hot and this team is looking for some pop. He is Leading with 26 TB and doesn’t stikeout like the rest. Just a thought and BTW you Gonzo Doubters take a look at his Numbers….He Can’t keep it going this way all year but he is posting hard on ST pitchers as well.
What a good problem to have!!!
Go Blue 2007!!!
Red Sox at Dodgers: Spring Training Update: Top 1: Hong-Chih Kuo Pitching: Obviously a sold out crowd to see Matsuzaka and the Red Sox at Dodgertown, though the only regulars Boston brought to Vero Beach are Youkilis, Hinske, Pena, Varitek and Cora:
Jacoby Ellsbury strikes out swinging
Kevin Youkilis strikes out swinging
Eric Hinske flies to Pierre in center
0 Runs 0 Hits 0 LOB End of 1/2 inning No Score
hey alex, i knew you had us covered. nice.
Red Sox at Dodgers: Spring Training Update: Bottom 1: Daisuke (don’t call me DIE-SU-KAY) Matzusaka Pitching:
Rafael Furcal hits a ground rule double down the right field line
Juan Pierre bunt sacrifices to the catcher, Furcal to third
Marlon Anderson bloop singles to left, Furcal scores, 1-0 Dodgers
Olmedo Saenz lines a base hit into left field, Anderson to second
Andre Ethier strikes out swinging on an appealed check swing
Russell Martin strikes out looking
1 Run 3 Hits 2 LOB End of 1 1-0 Dodgers
nice.
Now remind me again, why is it we don’t like JP in the #2 hole ??? 1-0 Dodgers
Go Dodgers !!!
Red Sox at Dodgers: Spring Training Update: Top 2: Hong-Chih Kuo Pitching: Rain is imminent at Dodgertown so this game may not last much longer, we’ll see:
Willy Mo Pena homers to deep right field, 1-1 TIE
Jason Varitek homers to deep left field, 2-1 BOS
Dustin Pedroia flies to Ethier in right
Jeff Bailey flies to center
Alex Cora grounds to Anderson at second
2 Runs 2 Hits 0 LOB End of 1 1/2 2-1 BOS
Red Sox at Dodgers: Spring Training Update: Bottom 2: Daisuke Matzusaka Pitching:
Delwyn Young grounds to second
Ramon Martinez grounds to third
Hong-Chih Kuo strikes out swinging
0 Runs 0 Hits 0 LOB End of 2 2-1 BOS
Back-to-back homers…was Kuo just leaving pitches up? That followed two Ks in the first inning. Was anyone watching who could provide insight?
Red Sox at Dodgers: Spring Training Update: Top 3: Hong-Chih Kuo Pitching:
Daisuke Matzusaka (who has been told not to swing at anything by Francona and it’s starting to drizzle) walks (wow, wow, wow, that alone will probably lose him the job, i’m kidding but that’s some serious control problems)
Ellsbury hit by the pitch, Matzusaka to second
Youkilis strikes out swinging
Hinske homers to deep right field (rain is really coming down, symbolism at it’s finest) (3 HR’s given up by Kuo today)
RAIN DELAY (most likely the game will be cancelled, but we’ll see)
The location of the pitch for all three home runs were not said by Steiner or Monday.
yikes. kuo got bombed.
Bombkuo?
We can’t have Bomko and Bombkuo…too confusing. Let’s call Kuo something really precise like “The inexperienced almost-rookie who is a strikeout machine at times but at other times is a home-run machine who will likely spend part of the season at AAA Las Vegas before being called up when Bomko or Hendrickson fail.”
Anyone like that nickname? I do. I’ll try to use it more frequently.
i can tell the differance between bomko and bomkuo. yikes bomko looks like he took the lead against bomkuo for the 5th starter with that bomb of a performance. : >
i like the idea of having kuo and tsao in vegas getting stronger. i want to see how the bullpen plays out. i think miller might be a better bet than beimel if he can settle down a bit.
those walks are scary though.
wow what happened to Kuo…i thought he was superhuman who would win 17 games this year…
It was Kuos first start of the spring, and a last minute start at that. He can pitch in the majors , we’ve all seen it,(although a small sample). Everybody has a bad game ,lets see what happens if he’s given another start. He’s still nastier than Tomko or Hendy.
Here’s a question for everyone:
With the spring that Wilson Valdez is having and the fact that Jason Repko is nursing another nagging injury, do the Dodgers DFA Repko to make room on the roster for him? Remember, Valdez is out of options and is killing the ball this spring. I really like a healthy Repko, but he seems to be turning into another Jayson Werth before our eyes. What to do?
I hope management has a sudden case of amnesia & forgets what happened to Kuo (Guo?) today.YIKES!
VERY tough question Kevin. I really want to support Repko, and even with his injuries aside you have to look at the coverage. Valdez virtually covers all infield and outfield positions. He hits for power and runs well. Plus he’s young and cheap on the wallet One can’t help but be impressed. And a healthy Repko is worth a lot on the trade market. My Question would be does Repko have options left because Valdez doesn’t !!!
A very tough choice !!! If Repko doesn’t make the openning day rooster I hope he gets traded so he can play everyday in the SHOW !!!
Go Dodgers !!!
first and foremost guys, its spring training. if you dont think kuo can pitch in the majors your crazy. hes got the most upside of all of our minor league pitchers if he puts it together. let him do his thing, you dont see too many power leftys come along, and no matter the results today hes a major league pitcher with nasty stuff.
but i thought Kuo was really really good! i mean he was SOOOO AMAZING in those 5 starts last year!! i mean he looked like a cy young guy!
I don’t see why people are so high on Kuo. Sure he throws hard but he has a huge lake of experience and with his arm issues he will probably never throw 200 innings as a starter in the big leagues.
arm issues dont mean anything. if every gm thought like you max power chris carpenter would be wasting away in the minors because he has ” arm problems “. one thing we do know about his arm is that it feels better when he starts. thats coming from the horses mouth, kuo being the horse. experiance you can take with a grain of salt when it comes to pitchers, especially pitchers with his stuff.
I’m thinking (hoping) management won’t count that outing. Like Martin said it takes Kou a couple of innings to get the feel of things.
DFA Repko? If he’s injured he’s on the DL….if he’s traded then we lose out but DFA is not an option with him….I’m High on Valdez right now too but just a bit of research to his Major league record shows he hasn’t done much with his opportunities in the show.C’mon kevin…DFA Repko?
I see Repko starting the season on the DL with Valdez as our fourth outfielder. If Valdez maintains his current level of play when the season starts, I anticipate that Repko will be spending a lot of time in Las Vegas and ultimately traded.
I have always been a huge Jason Repko fan, but he is quickly convincing me that he is fragile.
GO DODGERS!
so graffiti let me get this straight…arm problems aren’t serious at all…you compared Kuo to Chris Carpenter and Experience doesn’t matter…makes perfect sense.
bluebleeder…why shouldn’t management not count the outing? It was a game no matter what. If he can’t get it going within the first two innings why start him? Is it ok for him to get roughed up in the first 2 innings and then be solid the rest of his outing?
Kuo has talent there is no doubt about it but he’s not ready to pitch as a full time starter in the big leagues.
I Concur
Wilson Valdez? Are you kidding me? A hot couple weeks in ST is giving you a crush? He is nearly 29 years old and has career minor league numbers of .283 / .330 / .355. His two (two!) AAA seasons with an OBP over .350 were at ages 26 and 28. Puh-leze. (And by the way, what is this OF talk with him? He hasn’t played a professional inning other than as a middle IF.) If Repko starts on the DL, then Marlon Anderson moves up from 5th to 4th OF.
Repko can’t go…he’s our only right handed outfielder. Unless you count Matt Kemp which im not.
What old foegy do you not like about late bloomers?I’ll grant you the AAA #’s but he does deserve a look at this point.I’m looking at him as a way to a means for 3rd base and posibly further. I LOVE J Repko as a Dodger but if it all boils down and repko keeps up going lame then he’s now another Jason Gone werthless…where Valdez can play and hit and doesn’t kill his body in the means of it.I Want Repko Healthy in th OF I Want Valdez Soild @ 3b hitting Homers….. Niether are gonna happen….. and as deep as our pithing is we are way short on real starters 9 trying to fill 5 spots with only 2-3 who will do it.Infield defence is a joke…. and like Boston showed Power Rules….We are in deep **** no matter what the stats show.
Love your optimism , fisher, NOT! Spring training is just that…TRAINING. We shouldn’t get excited by a good won/loss record, nor fret over three home runs given up in an outing. We probably should be concerned by LaRoche’s fielding and impressed by Loney’s consistency, and hopeful that Brad can get it together. The main thing is that optimism, not pessimism, appears to be indicated by the Dodgers’ overall performance so far this spring.
Go Blue
I agree with ebbets…this was a Spring Training game with a guy who hadn’t started this year. The home runs are indicative of that more than the idea that “Power Rules.” Pitching rules, not power (see Postseason, 2006) – and one bad outing by a POTENTIAL 5th starter doesn’t mean we’re in “deep ****.”
At this stage I believe it’s set in Little’s mind that Tomko will be the 5th starter with Hendrickson as a lefty long relief. Unless Kuo came up flawless during Spring Training and the other candidates failed to impress, I think Kuo was pre-destined to go to Vegas and get some solid experience as a starter. As a fifth starter he wouldn’t necessarily get much opportunity to pitch with the Dodgers for the first month or so. He probably needs more minor league experience to at least sharpen his control as well as prove his durability to pitch more than an occasional couple of innings. I too like his potential and would like to see him back later in the season. Actually I’m much more concerned about Penny’s readiness and effectiveness with what he showed in the last half of the 2006 season and so far this spring. His claim to losing 5 lbs. to better conditioning is laughable – he’s still a whale, and I think this may have a lot to do with his ineffectiveness and lack of stamina. When the trading opportunity comes, he’s my candidate for trade bait – I think we have plenty of more capable and “hungry” pitchers to take his place.
Tomko gets the start today, If anything I wanna see his new delivery.
Fisher… what I’m saying is this, and remember it’s all conjecture at this point in time…
Repko will most likely start the season on the DL, but what do we do with him if Valdez keeps killing the ball once the season starts? Somebody’s going to be traded, but who will it be.
I’m not taking sides here, I just thought I’d stir the St. Patties Day pot so to speak…
It’s official, another dodger season is underway. Just listening to VINNY’s voice on T.V. tells me so.
it’s so nice to see a dodger game on TV. I forgot about the green jerseys today so ive been adjusting the color on my tv for about 20 minutes until i finally figured it out.
Tomkos delivery looks the same to me.
i hope Tony Abreu is ok. Looked like a very painful injury.
Looks like a dislocated LEFT SHOULDER for Etanislao, hopefully not. talking from experience that freaking hurts like you wouldn’t believe.
Those of you who were able to watch the game…how did Tomko look? And what’s this about Abreu getting injured?
Betemit had a couple hits and a couple RBI’s today…
Abreu slid into 2nd head first and jammed his left shoulder. It looked bad. He had to be taken off on the golf cart.
Tomko look alright. I really can’t see a change in his delivery. I guess can could be an alright 5th starter for a month.