Tag Archives: Howie Kendrick

Aug 25

Game 127, 2016

Posted on by

Giants at Dodgers, 7:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, CS-BA

The Dodgers send rookie RHP Ross Stripling (3-4, 4.04 ERA) out to face the Giants for the first time since his MLB debut when he pitched 7 1/3 innings of no-hit ball on April 8 of this year.

Moore (7-10, 4.18 ERA) was acquired by the Giants at the trade deadline last month. He’s made four starts, walked 22, struck out 17 and posted a 4.70 ERA in 23 innings for them since then.

A-Gon is on a 17-game hitting streak. Utley has a sore foot and may be replaced by Kendrick at 2B. Howie is 6-14 with a double against Moore over his career.

Lineup when available.

Jun 19

Game 71, 2016

Posted on by

Happy Father’s Day to all you merry commenters and to your fathers as well.

Brewer at Dodgers, 1:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, FSWI

Two righthanded fathers (Garza, six kids; Maeda, one) go at each other this afternoon. The Brewers’ Matt Garza (0-0, 2.25 ERA) is making only his second start of the year; he missed the first ten weeks with a strained right lat muscle. In his first start he went four innings, gave up one run, struck out five and walked only one. His opposite number, Kenta Maeda (6-4, 2.75 ERA) took a line drive off his shin his last time out; the team insists there was no lasting damage and he’s good to go.

Howie Kendrick is 8-15 lifetime against Garza.

Lineup:

Jun 18

Game 70, 2016

Posted on by

Brewers at Dodgers, 7:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, FSWI

The opposing pitchers today have known one another for more than ten years, as teammate, roomie, and good friend. Mike Bolsinger of the Dodgers brings his 1-4, 5.76 ERA to bear against the Brewers’ Chase Anderson, who’s 4-6 with a 4.42 ERA.

They lived together from their time in Double-A up to their rookie seasons in Arizona. Bolsinger was the best man at Anderson’s wedding in 2013. When Bolsinger married in January, Anderson was in the wedding party.

They want to beat each other, of course.

Lineup:

Gracious, I hope Howie hasn’t forgotten how to play second base. He seems to have played almost everywhere but there this season.

Jun 11

Game 63, 2016

Posted on by

Dodgers at Giants, 4:15PM PT, TV: Fox

The Dodgers send Scott Kazmir (5-3, 4.46 ERA) to do battle with Jeff Samardzija (7-4, 3.33 ERA). Kazmir has made two starts against the Giants this season and they haven’t been good: he’s given up 10 runs in eight innings in the two games. In Samardzija’s last start he went five innings against the Cardinals and gave up six runs on nine hits, four of them HRs.

Puig goes to Lake Elsinore Rancho Cucamonga to begin rehab on Monday. The Dodgers want him to shorten his swing a bit while there, hoping to reduce his rotation and “eliminate some of the strain he exerts.”

Lineup when available.


I just noticed that in this lineup all members of the infield hit first. Then Roberts goes off script and has C Yasmani hitting between CF Joc and LF Howie. Come on, Doc, symmetry is important!

May 06

Game 29, 2016

Posted on by

Dodgers at Blue Jays, 4:07PM PT, TV: SPNLA

Kenta Maeda (3-1, 1.41 ERA) goes to Canada for presumably the first time in his life and the poor guy has to work. He’ll pitch tonight against Marcus Stroman (4-0, 3.77 ERA). Maeda had an extra two days of rest thanks to the oddities of the schedule and all the Jays’ right-handed bats. It was decided he matched up better against the Canadian team than against the Rays.

Roberts says Kendrick will DH today and Gonzalez will fulfill those duties tomorrow.

The Dodgers have a center fielder named Logan Landon playing for the low-A Great Lakes Loons, and yesterday he did this:

Lineup when available.

Apr 14

Game 10, 2016

Posted on by

Diamondbacks at Dodgers, 7:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, FS-A

The D-Backs send lefty Robbie Ray (0-0, 3.00 ERA, 2 runs, 4 hits, 3 strikeouts and 4 walks in 6 innings) to the mound for his second start of the season. The Dodgers send the righthanded Ross Stripling out for his second start after his stunning first one, when he threw 7 1/3 innings of no-hit ball (and got no decision; thanks, bullpen!) against the Giants.

Lineup when available.


Don’t ask me why Barnes is at second. If Utley needs a rest, why not play Kendrick there? Instead, Howie’s at third and Turner gets a day off too. Puig and Gonzalez seem to be the only guys who play every day.

Apr 13

Game 9, 2016

Posted on by

Diamondbacks at Dodgers, 7:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, FS-A

Old friend Rubby De La Rosa has had horrid luck against the Dodgers, going 0-3 with an 11.21 ERA against them in his career. Overall he’s 22-25 with a 4.61 ERA in his five previous seasons in the big leagues. Alex Wood has similar career stats: he’s 26-27 with a 3.36 ERA in three previous seasons.

Lineup when available.

I hadn’t thought of getting both Kendrick’s and Utley’s bats in the lineup in quite this way, but…we also see Yasmani Grandal making his first start of the season after he came off the DL Tuesday.

Here are some highlights from Opening Day:

First, Mr. Puig at second base switching hands on the base.

Now, here are the two throws to get Castillo at home, Puig to Turner to Ellis.

Mar 22

Tibias, forearms, obliques, oh my!

Posted on by

Andre Ethier broke his lower leg (the tibia, for the purists) when he fouled a ball off it last Friday. He’ll be out 10-14 weeks. This means in all likelihood that Carl Crawford will be the Dodgers’ starting left-fielder for the first three months of the season.

That stinks.

So do all these injuries:

pitcher Frankie Montas had a rib removed and was placed on the 60-day disabled list. Brett Anderson suffered a bulging disk and had surgery. Hyun-Jin Ryu’s recovery from shoulder surgery has been slow and he won’t pitch in a spring game. Pitcher Josh Ravin broke his non-throwing left arm in an auto accident. Brandon McCarthy is still recovering from Tommy John surgery. Brandon Beachy (elbow) and Mike Bolsinger (oblique) have had their fifth-starter candidacies derailed by injuries.

Seager sprained his knee almost two weeks ago, but is expected back by Opening Day. Starter Alex Wood missed a start with forearm soreness. Julio Urias was slowed with slight groin tightness. Caleb Dirks never pitched because of a back injury.

Yasmani Grandal missed several games with strained forearms and came out of Monday’s game after aggravating the right one. Alex Guerrero missed a week with a twisted knee. Adrian Gonzalez missed a couple games with a bulging disk in his neck. Howie Kendrick missed a handful of games with a tight groin muscle. Justin Turner has been eased back slowly after offseason microfracture knee surgery. Crawford missed a game last week because of a sore back.

Other than that, Dodgers’ fans, it’s been a great spring training.

Oct 17

New Dodgers Notes

Posted on by

10/27: New Dodgers’ post up top

Buster Olney of ESPN offers up seven things the Dodgers should do this off-season.

  • Re-sign Zack Greinke, no matter how much he wants or how long he wants it for
  • Decide on Mattingly’s fate
  • Add another deluxe starting pitcher
  • Decide Puig’s fate.
  • Keep Howie Kendrick
  • Shore up the bullpen
  • Change the clubhouse culture

On Puig: Olney reports that on the day Puig started in the series against the Mets he caught the last bus from the hotel, he didn’t start the stretch period with the rest of the team and he didn’t take as many cuts in the batting cage as usual. He thinks the Dodgers need to decide whether Yasiel’s “quirks” can be lived with and if so, they need to get the other players to learn to live with them too.

Well, maybe. From what we’ve read in the media Puig does seem to have a little trouble with clocks, but he’s shown nothing to me that would indicate he’s not a team player.

On clubhouse culture: He says some players felt “unsettled because for others besides Kershaw and Adrian Gonzalez and a handful of others, there was no sense about who might be headed out the door and who might arrive. Some players spoke about a diminished sense of investment in each other.” Olney then says the Giants, Cardinals and Pirates all exude mutual respect and esprit de corps, and the Dodgers don’t have it.

Who’s to say? He’s certainly in a better position to know that than am I. I can certainly understand if some of the everyday players whose names no one but fans know might feel like they’re parts to be slotted in from day-to-day.

If you’ve got an Insider account at ESPN you can read the whole thing.

10/27: New Dodgers’ post up top

Sep 19

Game 147, 2015

Posted on by

Pirates at Dodgers, 6:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA

The Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw (14-6, 2.12 ERA) pitches tonight against the Pirates’ Francisco Liriano (10-7, 3.45 ERA). Kershaw has an unusual streak going: in each of his last seven starts he’s given up no more than one run. He’s going for his tenth straight win tonight. The left-handed Liriano had a lousy outing last time he pitched, but he’s 3-0 lifetime against the Dodgers. Two guys who’ve had success against him in the past are Heisey (.333 in 15 ABs) and Kendrick (.438 in 16 ABs).

Lineup when available.