Results tagged ‘ dodgers ’

Hanley Ramirez Sees himself back into Dodger lineup

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Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Hanley Ramirez fresh off of his rehab assignment is back with the team three weeks ahead of schedule, and for the depleted team not a moment too soon.

 
Ramirez who injured his thumb during a game in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) which required surgery on March 22nd and a scheduled two month recovery.
 
“I just want to be in there. I don’t want to wait any longer. I’m a gamer. I just want to be in there and I think I can play,” said Hanley.
 
Ramirez made his debut on Monday night pinch hitting in the bottom of the seventh inning against the Colorado Rockies, but struck out to end the inning.
In his rehab assignment with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes he went 3-for-6 and playing 12 innings at shortstop in two games.
 
The Dodgers can use his timely hitting and 25 home runs a season right now as the Dodger hitting has been inconsistent and stagnant of late.
Ramirez will play with a flexible splint on his thumb that will able him to throw and hit while on the field.
 
“It’s not 100 percent, but I can defend myself on the field,” Ramirez said.
 
Tuesday night is Hanley Ramirez bobble head night at Dodger Stadium.
 

Dodgers shortstop Hanley Ramirez out for 2 months

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The Los Angeles Dodgers received bad news that Hanley Ramirez will require thumb surgery, and will be sidelined approximately two months. Ramirez suffered the injury during the World Baseball Classic (WBC) championship representing the Dominican Republic in the third inning while chasing down as ground ball. 

 
An MRI taken on Thursday revealed that he had a torn ligament in his thumb, and the surgery will be performed on Friday in Los Angeles by Dr. Steve Shin.
 
Ramirez doesn’t regret playing for his home country in the WBC.  However this will definitely cause concern for future players who contribute their talents for other MLB clubs with their GM’s. 
 
“It could’ve happened anywhere. It could’ve happened here. It unfortunately happened in the WBC. It’s very disappointing,” said Ramirez.
 
Scheduled to take his place during the next two months at shortstop will more than likely be Luis Cruz or Dee Gordon. This is going to be a significant blow to the Dodgers depth at that position. Especially with the uncertainty of Carl Crawford and Zack Greinke, the baseball gods have not shown the Dodgers mercy when it’s come to health thus far.
 
Luis Cruz has played third base the entire spring and is prepared to take over the position in Ramirez’s absence. 
 
Dodgers manager Don Mattingly expressed that Ramirez spot at shortstop was a key to the Dodgers strong presence on the field. Mattingly also expressed that the WBC was indeed good for the game, yet his main focus is making sure his remaining players remain healthy, and assemble a team ready to compete Opening Day.
 
“At this point, everything is hypothetical. I don’t know if I’m comfortable with anything going on at shortstop right now,” said Mattingly.
 
One thing is for certain, the Dodgers will be fighting an up hill battle to begin the season, and will be a true test of strength for this new look Dodger team who has high expectations, not just by upper management, but also by Dodger fans and Major League Baseball. 

Dodgers’ Hanley Ramirez gets thumb MRI

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The Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Hanley Ramirez get an MRI on his thumb, due to injury suffered in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) championship game on Tuesday.

He suffered the thumb injury listed as a severe jammed thumb in the third inning, and wasn’t pulled until sixth inning, as he was replaced by Miguel Tejada on the Dominican Republic team. Ramirez is schedule to undergo an MRI on Wednesday in Arizona.
 
While playing third base for the Dominican Republic, Ramirez injured his thumb diving for ground ball in the third inning. The Dodgers can only hope the Ramirez injury will not cause him to miss any significant time during the season. 
 
 

Dodgers struggle in Spring Training debut

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Saturday was the first day of Spring Training action for the Los Angeles Dodgers who have high expectations this season not just by the team but fans as well. 

At their Spring Training facility at Camelback Ranch, the Dodgers got blasted by their Spring Training neighbor Chicago White Sox 9-0. Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw had a rough start as he allowed two runs and four hits in just two innings of action. 

But relax everyone, it’s just Spring Training this is exactly what this time is for to improve and fine tune most mistakes before April 1st which is Opening Day at Dodger Stadium. 

On Sunday the two teams battle each other at 12:30PM PST in Glendale, Arizona. 

Dodgers’ A.J. Ellis looks forward to healthy 2013 season

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The Los Angeles Dodgers $2 million catcher AJ Ellis, has recovered fully from off season knee surgery. Ellis who showcased his leadership in his first full season is already participating in off season baseball drills. He recovered from the October 5th proceder that required some clean up in his medial and lateral meniscus. 

 
“I’m doing all my regular baseball activities. It looks like a normal January for me,” said Ellis. 
 
While living is Wisconsin, Ellis rehabbed his knee with the training staff of the Milwaukee Brewers staff. The Dodgers worked out an arrangement for Ellis to work with the training staff whom was less than half an hour away from his home. 
 
Ellis enters Spring Training as the starting catcher going into Opening Day at Dodger Stadium this season. 
Ellis lead the team in on base percentage at .373, batted .270, and drove in 13 home runs.
 
As he looks at the season in a long term perspective, he continues to perform catching drills and blocking in the dirt. 
“My goal is to be able to stay strong from the beginning to the end of the season. I felt I did wear a little bit down late in the season, particularly mentally,” said Ellis. 

Dodgers hit home run with Fan Fest

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Despite the construction of renovating Dodger Stadium, fans came out in droves for the Dodgers annual Fan Fest that took place this past Saturday. 

 
Many fans lined up as early as 5 am to have an opportunity to grab not only season and individual tickets, but also to obtain an autograph from their favorite Dodger player. The baseball gods made sure the weather was good as the sun would invade the grounds of the stadium. 
 
There was a sense of optimism and great energy in the air as many fans anticipate this new Dodger season with many of the fans excited about the new ownership group as well as the off-season moves were made to improve the team. 
 
When I arrived at 8:30am I was greeted with a line to purchase Dodger memorabilia which moved pretty fast. While I waited I enjoyed some great conversation by Dodger fans and music from the DJ and host Joe Grande who entertained the crowd with funny commentary and ticket giveaways.
 
The line to wait for autographs was fairly long when I arrived but as the day progressed the line looked as thought it extended out to the 5 freeway entrance of Dodger Stadium. Many fans waited anywhere from 3 to 5 hours just to see their favorite Dodger player. 
 
When I arrived in the Fan Fest, many fest gathered in front of a stage to hear the legendary voice of the Dodgers Vin Scully listen to his many stories of Dodger baseball. His favorite story was about the time when he called Sandy Koufax’s perfect game, along with the 1963 World Series. 
 
Next fans were treated to an interview session that featured Dodger outfielder Matt Kemp who looked healthy and expressed that along with his eagerness to begin the season. Kemp took questions from the audience and also followed a fan on twitter. 
 
Dodger legend Tommy Lasorda came out to a huge ovation by the crowd, and told everyone the Dodgers are about winning and winning every game. Lasorda went back into his old clubhouse speeches as he continued to fire up the crowd. 
 
Dodgers GM Ned Colletti who was interview by Gary Miller spoke about the deal between the Dodgers and Time Warner, and said that he was confident that deal will be finalized by no later than next week. 
 
Not only did I snag an autograph from newly acquired pitcher Zack Greinke, I also along with many fans had the great opportunity to take photo with the World Series trophy. 
 
This was a fantastic event for the fans by the Dodgers, however I will say that next year they need to allow the fans who stood in line for autographs to allow them to receive autographs from at least two players players.  

 

Time Warner dominates L.A. with Dodgers new network

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After many months of speculation and back forth between FOX Sports and Time Warner, the new Los Angeles Dodgers deal has been finalized. The winner beyond the fans is Time Warner who will distribute a new network dedicated to Dodger baseball, SportsNet LA.

Starting in 2014, every game, story, and news related to the Dodgers will be shown on the new network. The deal is reported for 25 years at $7- $8 billion.
This season will conclude it’s deal with FOX Sports who will retain the Clippers, Ducks, Kings, USC and UCLA coverage after 2013. Time Warner who currently has the Los Angeles Lakers, 2 time back to back MLS Cup L.A. Galaxy, the L.A. Sparks, and will have the Dodgers.

The Dodgers more than likely will not have to go through the confusion the same way, the Laker fans had to experience missing games during negations were taking place between Time Warner and various outlets (DirecTV, Dish Network, Comcast). The SportsNet LA deal that Time Warner customers will pay is about $4 a month for the new channel, and the various carriers mentioned above should expect to pay about $5 a month.

At the same time the Guggenheim Group is all about being fan friendly, creating the best experience for Dodger fans at Dodger Stadium as well as away from the stadium.

“We concluded last year that the best way to give our fans what they want — more content and more Dodger baseball — was to launch our own network,” said Dodgers owner Mark Walter.

An exciting time as the Dodgers gear up to make a serious World Series title run this season, their mindset is to win right now.

 

Talking with L.A. Dodgers greats and from the past…

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Dodgers ship pitcher John Ely to Houston

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On Wednesday the Los Angeles Dodgers made another significant move by trading right hander John Ely to the Houston Astros for former UCLA pitcher Rob Rasmussen.
This is a home coming of sorts for Rasmussen who grew up in Arcadia, played his high school baseball at Pasadena Poly and continued his collegiate career at UCLA.

Ironically back in 2007, the Dodgers drafted Rasmussen in the 27th round of the amateur draft, but elected to attend UCLA.

Rasmussen was selected by the Miami Marlins this time in the second round of the 2010 amateur draft and then traded to Houston on July 2012 as part of the trade that sent an unhappy Carlos Lee to Miami and away from the Astros.

John Ely who was acquired in a trade in 2009 with the Chicago White Sox. Ely went a disappointing 4-13 with a 5.25 ERA in 25 games over three seasons with the Dodgers.

In three minor league seasons, Rasmussen 20-21 with a 3.88 ERA in 60 games that included 53 starts.

The Dodgers have 39 players on their 40 man roster.
Look for the Dodgers to continued tweaking their roster over the course of this off season.

Dodgers bulk up with trade with St. Louis Cards

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The Los Angeles Dodgers continue to improve their line up, by completing a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals for infielder/ outfielder Skip Schumaker according to the L.A. Times. He spent eight seasons with the Cards hitting .276 with 1 home run and 28 RBIs.

He’s expected to give the Dodgers so much needed help in the infield possibly at second base and in the out field in case Carl Crawford isn’t ready by opening day.

Schumaker is scheduled to make $1.5 million this season, and there has been no word on who the Cards will receive in return at this time. He is set to be a free agent next season.

The Dodgers are certainly making moves to win no only right now but for several years to come.

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