May 09

Game 33, 2017

Pirates at Dodgers, 7:10 PM PT, TV: SPNLA, ROOTPIT

RHP Ivan Nova (3-3, 2.14 ERA) will take the mound for the Pirates versus LHP Julio Urias (0-0, 0.84 ERA). Nova has gone six innings in each of his six starts this year, but his last time out he lost to the Reds when he allowed four runs on a season-high 10 hits. Urias will be making his third start of the year; he’s gone 10 2/3 innings and walked eight while striking out five.

Each pitcher has faced the other team once: Nova gave up one run in 5 1/3 innings to the Dodgers last August 12, while Urias threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings of relief against the Pirates the following night.

This day in Dodgers history:

  • 1947 After leading his team in verbally abusing Jackie Robinson with racial slurs during yesterday’s game at Shibe Park, Philadelphia manager Ben Chapman, who admits he had been ‘kinda loud’, sends word to the Brooklyn clubhouse that he would like to make amends by posing with the Dodger first baseman for the newspaper photographers. The orchestrated gesture, which Robinson agrees to, admitting later that is one of the hardest things he ever had to make himself do, is prompted by the bad press created by the Phillies manager’s intolerance and the wrath of Commissioner Chandler.

Bad news for André Ethier and the Dodgers:

Lineup:

May 03

Game 29, 2017

Giants at Dodgers, 7:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, KTLA, NBCS-BA, MLBN (out-of-market only)

Righthander Jeff Samardzija (0-4, 6.32 ERA) will try to get his ship going in the right direction after a winless April. I’m not sure the Dodgers are the best team for him to face if that’s the goal, however: he’s 1-3 in six previous meetings with them. His last outing was his best of the year; he gave up three runs (two earned) while walking one and striking out five in seven innings as the Giants beat the Padres last Friday.

The LHP and no-longer-a-teenager Julio Urias (0-0, 1.59 ERA) will pitch for the Dodgers. His last appearance was his first of the year in the bigs against the Giants last Thursday. He went 5 2/3 innings, struck out four, walked four and gave up four hits but only one run.

Lineup when available.

Apr 27

Game 23, 2017

Dodgers at Giants, 12:45PM PT, TV: SPNLA, NBCS-BA

After a 5-2, 3.39 ERA season last season in 77 MLB innings lefthanded youngster Julio Urias makes his first appearance of the year for the Dodgers. He’s pitched 14 innings at AAA Oklahoma City this year with no decisions and a 1.93 ERA.

Urias will face YALHP Matt Moore of the Giants. Moore is 1-3 with a 5.87 ERA this year but 5-3 with a 3.38 ERA in eight starts at AT&T Park for his career. In his last start against the Dodgers on Aug. 25 of 2016 he no-hit them for 8 2/3 innings until Corey Seager broke it up. That was the same day news of the A.J. Ellis trade broke.

Lineup when available.

Apr 26

Game 22, 2017

In case you missed it, here’s the most amazing play of the year thus far:

Dodgers at Giants, 7:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, NBC-Bay Area, MLBN (out-of-market only)

Lefty Alex Wood (1-0, 3.29 ERA) faces Johnny Cueto (3-1, 5.25 ERA) in Game Three of the four-game set. It might be Wood’s last start for a while, because of this news:

followed by this remark: “Roberts said Urias is up to stay.”

Lineup when available.

Roberts keeps switching batting orders around for reasons I don’t understand. Bellinger’s leading off? Toles was leading off and now he’s hitting eighth? Utley’s hitting 0-for April and yet he’s at second base?

Feb 28

How will they handle Urias’s innings?

Here’s the current thinking:

“I think it’s something we continue to talk through and ultimately for us, it’s what’s best for Julio and what’s best for us,” Roberts said. “I think that there is a certain innings limit that he’s going to have this year and we all understand that and we all accept that. We want him to be ready to go in September and beyond.”

In other news, Scott Kazmir will likely be the starter on Wednesday against the Giants at Scottsdale Stadium. Hyun-Jin Ryu will pitch on a back field.

In case you missed Cody Bellinger’s home run the other day, here’s a link to the video.

Feb 13

Spring Training begins this week!

“It’s a doggy-dog world out there.” I have seen that written on the Internet more times than I care to mention, and it apparently applies to the Dodgers’ starting rotation competition this spring. There are seven proven pitchers trying to fit into the two spots for fourth and fifth starters. Kershaw, Hill and Maeda look to be locks for the first three slots, but after that you’ve got McCarthy, Wood, Kazmir, Ryu, Stripling, Stewart and Urias hunting for work.

“As we look around here today, we have a lot of starting pitching depth, but as we finish spring training, guys like Alex Wood, Brandon McCarthy, Scott Kazmir, they’re going to have to pitch somewhere,” Roberts said. “So whether it is out of the rotation or potentially out of the pen, I don’t know that answer right now.”

Oh, and once they get the starting pitching set, they can start on their “eight outfielders for three positions” problem.

It all begins on Wednesday.

Jan 28

Almost time for the Ps and Cs to report

MLB released its Top 100 Prospectslist and the Dodgers placed five guys on it. Only two are in the top fifty; 1B Bellinger at #13 and RHP Yadier Alvarez at #49. Bellinger is up 19 spots since the last list was released at mid-season last summer, while Alvarez is up 49.

Logan Forsythe is glad to be on a winning team. “I’m happy to just come over to a winning ballclub, organization and help some young guys if I can, jump in with the core guys and try to help these guys anyway I can,” Forsythe said.

The Dodgers have a ton of starting pitching.

Veterans Scott Kazmir, Brandon McCarthy, Hyun-Jin Ryu and Alex Wood — each on the rebound from injuries last year — are on the outside of the starting rotation looking in, barring injury or a trade.

Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill, Kenta Maeda and Julio Urias are the top four, with the fifth spot up for grabs among Kazmir, McCarthy, Ryu, Wood and young starters Brock Stewart and Ross Stripling.

Oct 19

NLCS Game Four, 2016

Cubs at Dodgers, 5:00PM PT, TV: FS1

The Cubs send wily veteran RHP John Lackey (11-8, 3.35 ERA) out to face the Dodgers’ rookie LHP Julio Urias (5-2, 3.35 ERA) in hope of tying the series up. Lackey has made 11 career starts in 12 appearances against the Dodgers and has a career 1.75 ERA against them. Urias started twice against the Cubs during the regular season, working six innings to beat them on Aug. 27 at Dodger Stadium after getting beaten up at Wrigley Field in his second Major League start.

Lineup:

Sep 29

Game 159, 2016

Dodgers at Padres, 6:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, FSSD

Julio Urias (5-2, 3.53 ERA) goes for the Dodgers and Christian Friedrich (5-11, 4.66 ERA) takes the mound for the Padres. Friedrich’s year hasn’t been good overall, but his September has shown improvement: he’s had a 3.86 ERA through four starts including 25 strikeouts and just nine walks. The Dodgers keep trying to limit Urias’s innings (he’s thrown 119 this year at OKC and with LA) but they keep finding a need to use him. He hasn’t pitched in two weeks, however.

Today will be the final game at Petco Park for the Padres’ own Hall-of-Fame broadcaster, Dick Enberg. He’s been their primary play-by-play man for seven years after a long career at NBC and CBS calling golf, football and tennis, as well as earlier stints as both UCLA basketball’s play-by-play man and the LA Rams play-by-play caller. He even taught and coached baseball at Cal-State Northridge for five years in the early 1960s.

Lineup when available.

Seager off, González off, Kiké in the infield, Chooch at catcher…

Sep 13

Game 144, 2016

Dodgers at Yankees, 4:10PM PT, TV: SPNLA, YES, MLBN (free game, out-of-market only)

Youth versus experience is the feature here in a battle of lefties. The Dodgers send out just-turned-twenty Julio Urias (5-2, 3.69 ERA) to face the Yankees’ forty-something C.C. Sabathia (8-12, 4.27 ERA). “Sabathia was already pitching in the Major Leagues when Urias was 4 years old.” The Yankee pitcher has made 479 starts in his career but only two of them against the Dodgers, one in 2008 and the other in 2010. Urias made his first big league start in Queens against the Mets in May, so he’s pitched in the big town before.

Lineup when available.

Kendrick at 3B, Puig in LF, Kiké in CF, Segedin in RF. Let’s shake things up!