NEWS/RUMORS/AROUND MLB Thread

Discussion in 'Los Angeles DODGERS' started by irish, Apr 3, 2016.

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  1. ColoradoKidWitGame

    ColoradoKidWitGame DSP Legend Administrator

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    Great to hear that Ethier really turned the corner. I like what Toles and Segedin are doing, but I have a hard time believing they could deliver when the stakes are high. The best thing about the timing is that Sept/Oct is the time that Ethier routinely wears down and sees the drop in his numbers, while March/April is his best month. Fingers crossed that he comes out hitting up a storm like he normally does to start a season!

    *Doubtful, but a fun thought.
     
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  2. LASports96

    LASports96 DSP Legend

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    Another platoon OF'er blah

    But it would be cool to have Dre back
     
  3. THINKBLUE

    THINKBLUE DSP Gigolo

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    Wrong thread
     
  4. irish

    irish DSP Staff Member Administrator

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    pretty sure bluezoo is laughing at you
     
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  5. Bluezoo

    Bluezoo Among the Pantheon

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    Buwahahaha...cough* cough...
     
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  6. LAdiablo

    LAdiablo descarado

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    and the same can be said for CK wearing down by the playoffs
    this injury/rest could be a blessing in disguise
     
  7. rube

    rube DSP Legend Staff Member Administrator

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    it may be what he's needed all along
     
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  8. Gebbeth

    Gebbeth DSP Legend

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    Well, if he is really injured, I wouldn't exactly call it all he's really needed.
     
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  9. LAdiablo

    LAdiablo descarado

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    of course but thats not the spirit in which it was meant
    but once the injury takes place the positive side is he did get rest from a long season and the team is fine
    but i wouldn't be surprised if they gave him extra time with the team playing so well
    and having a healthy rested CK for the stretch is an awesome thing
     
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  10. ColoradoKidWitGame

    ColoradoKidWitGame DSP Legend Administrator

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    Also have to remember that Kershaw tends to get off to slow starts(for him) to the season before he really begins hitting his stride. Hopefully we don't get too much of that.
     
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  11. irish

    irish DSP Staff Member Administrator

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    wouldn't be surprised if the "he gets along with everyone" remark was a jab at puig

    September return for Ethier now more certain
    by Matthew Moreno | Dodger Blue —- 90 minutes ago

    In recent weeks Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has maintained an expectation — perhaps better identified as hope — Andre Ethier would return this season from a tibia fracture sustained in Spring Training.

    After an initial diagnosis of a lower leg contusion, follow-up examinations revealed the spiral fracture in Ethier’s right leg. He was projected to miss 10 to 14 weeks; a timetable that Ethier has since surpassed.

    But, the veteran outfielder appears to have made significant progress in what’s been an arduous recovery. “About 10 days ago the medical staff reached out to me and said Dre turned a corner,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday.

    “Felt really good recovering and doing weight-bearing jogging. We’re looking forward to activating him some time in September.”

    Prior to being reinstated from the 60-day disabled list Ethier will be sent out on a rehab assignment. The Dodgers have discussed scenarios, Roberts said, but a specific plan or target start date have not yet been set.

    Ethier participated in live batting practice in late July for the first time since his injury. More recently he was said to be facing live pitching and running the bases at Camelback Ranch.

    While the 34-year-old is on track for a return, it doesn’t necessarily equate to a clean bill of health. “It’s improved,” Roberts said of Ethier’s fracture. “Will he be 100 percent when he’s active? I don’t know the answer to that.”

    The rookie manager nonetheless believes adding Ethier to the pitcher will give the Dodgers a boost. “Andre is part of the nucleus of this club. He’s a proven, consistent performer, and he gets along with everyone.”​
     
  12. irish

    irish DSP Staff Member Administrator

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    cool story

    Matt Buschmann: The day I got 'the call'
    by Buster Olney | ESPN — 6 hours ago

    I got the call.

    A simple four-word statement. Devoid of context, it can mean anything, but in the world of baseball, it means everything. To some, it's a logical next step, something that was bound to happen. To others, it's a shock, an unexpected jolt of lightning out of nowhere that changes your life overnight. To a few, it's vindication. A player's existence within the game, coupled with their place on the road of life, help shape their reaction to the news they are going to "The Show." Every player's call is unique, in how they receive it and how it ripples through their life. This is mine ...

    It was a Thursday night, April 7, opening night for the Reno Aces and the Pacific Coast League. I was scheduled to start the fourth game of the season that Sunday. After the game, I moved all my belongings into the apartment I rented and was finally feeling settled in so I could concentrate on baseball. After the last suitcase was thrown into my room, I settled into my new couch, ready for some Netflix and a late-night meal of fast food (it was the only thing open ... it happens). The season really hadn't started yet for me, and I had just finished what I thought to be a successful spring training. I had the same positive, high expectations going into the season that I have every year. The only thing that mattered to me that night was eating and getting to bed. Just as I was about to take my first bite, my phone rang. It was Phil Nevin.

    Nevin is the manager of the Reno Aces. For the uninitiated, calls from the manager late at night -- it was about 11:30 p.m. -- generally mean only one thing: a move is happening. I immediately got chills and then became nauseated, simultaneously feeling excited but also thinking, "What the hell did I do wrong?" After 10 years of playing minor league baseball, one doesn't necessarily assume the best. I answered, and the conversation went something like this:

    Me: "What's up, Nev?"

    Nevin: "Hey Busch, uhhh, you move into an apartment yet?"

    Me: "Yep, just moved in tonight."

    Nevin: "Oh, OK. Which one? (I tell him.) All right, there's this bar right by there. Meet me there in 15 minutes. We need to talk."

    I hung up. I felt like I wanted to throw up. Don't know why. I stared at nothing for a good two minutes, and then the wheels started turning. I went through every conceivable possibility as to why Nevin wanted to talk. No way I'm getting released, right? Maybe I just got traded. Or maybe I'm getting moved to the bullpen and he wants to tell me in person? All these thoughts were borderline insane, because every one of those scenarios would be done over the phone or at the field. But I wasn't exactly thinking rationally at that moment. I think deep down I knew as soon as I saw his name on the caller ID, but I wouldn't let myself go there, not yet.

    The bar was about a minute away from me, so I waited five and then got in the car and headed over. I think I drove about 10 mph the whole way. I was in a daze. I walked into the place, which was pretty much empty, and sat at the bar, ordered a water and waited. The more I thought about it, the more I knew this could only mean one thing. This had to be it.

    From the moment I sat down to the moment Nevin walked in the door was about six hours -- or so it felt. In real time, it was about 10 minutes. He walked in, I felt nauseated again, and he came over and sat down.

    Nevin: "You ordered a water? Why didn't you get a real drink?"

    Me: "Well, Nev, the type of drink I order depends on what we have to talk about."

    Nevin: "Ha, fair enough. Let's get a beer."

    And then the man started making small talk. I can barely breathe, and he's striking up a random conversation. I think he saw the look on my face and said, "Don't worry, nothing bad. Just want to wait until Mike Bell gets here." (Mike Bell is the director of player development for the Arizona Diamondbacks). So we chatted some more.

    At this point, I was pretty much certain. I don't remember what we talked about, because the only thing going through my mind at that moment was "Holy s---, this is really happening." My whole body started tingling. I couldn't swallow. Bell walked in, and he had this big smile on his face. He walked over and said to hold on because he wanted to get a beer first. The bartender wasn't there; he was in the kitchen. I almost jumped over and got the beer myself. Mike finally got one and sat down.

    Nev turned to me and said, "All right ..." My hands started shaking, and I pretty much stopped breathing. I locked eyes with him, and, with a huge smile on his face, he says, "I wanted to meet you here, in person, because I couldn't tell a guy he's going to the big leagues for the first time over the phone. Congratulations, man."

    He said it, he actually said it. I had imagined/dreamt/visualized this moment so many times over the years. I had always pictured myself crying, for some reason, to the point where I even got choked up just picturing it. I had thought of all the different ways I would tell my loved ones. Keep in mind that when I started playing professional baseball, the iPhone didn't exist yet. Until those words came out of Nevin's mouth, I had pitched in 279 games and amassed more than 1,300 innings as a pro, all in the minor leagues. This was the start of my 11th season.
    Buschmann, drafted in the 15th round in 2006, has pitched in 305 minor league games, 136 of them at the Triple-A level. Jeff Halstead / Cal Sport Media

    As it turns out, I didn't cry. When Nev said what every professional baseball player wants to hear, I first exhaled, then proceeded to ask him if he was serious. Once I was assured that he was, the biggest grin took over my face, and I shook his hand and simply said, "Thank you." I turned to Mike, shook his hand and told him, "Thank you so much for this opportunity." Two of the most heartfelt thank-yous in my life. They had weight, filled with countless bus miles, PB&Js and crappy offseason jobs. They had a decade of successes, failures and everything in between behind them. And they weren't just from me, they represented every family member, friend or coach who ever supported me. I stood up -- I couldn't sit down any longer -- and they both commented on how long the journey had been and how cool this was. It struck me in the moment how excited they were for me, and that's something I'll never forget.

    I got choked up, but I didn't cry. Not then anyway. I just remember feeling really relieved. Like a giant weight was lifted off my shoulders. Finally. Mike and Nev told me to make my calls, wake people up, go! I had imagined this part as well, how I would tell people, how I would be witty about it. Nope. I was just too excited to get the news out to be coy. I called my wife, my parents and then the best man in my wedding that first night.

    It was 3 a.m. when I called my wife, and it took her a bit to wake up and process what I was telling her. Once she did, it was like she snorted six Red Bulls. She didn't go to sleep again for 24 hours. I woke my parents next. It took a call to both cellphones and the house phone before they finally picked up. There was screaming, and the phrases "oh my god" and "we are so proud of you" were being thrown around liberally. Last, I called my best man, also a professional baseball player who had gotten the call before. He knew better than anyone at that moment what I was going through.

    It's when I got off the phone with all of them that I cried. Not because I was accomplishing a lifelong dream, but because hearing the people closest to me react to that news made me understand how lucky I was in that moment to have the support of these loved ones. Let's just say it all of a sudden got, uh, real, real dusty in my room.

    I had a flight the next day to Phoenix at noon -- first class baby! I actually slept fairly well but showed up to the airport about three hours early. That flight wasn't getting missed. I called all the other people on my "list." (All baseball players have a short list in their head of the people they will call to tell them about their call-up before the news gets out. It's a big deal if you're on that list, because it means you've been very important to the player and his journey.) It got dusty again, especially when I spoke to my college head coach and pitching coach. I boarded that plane, took my seat in first class and thought, "This plane better not freaking crash."

    The rest, as they say, is history. I made my debut against the Cubs three days later, and the emotions and feelings of that day, now that's a whole other can of worms. But "the call" is special in its own right. It's the initial shockwave before the oncoming explosion of one's dreams becoming a reality. Sports are dominated by the general narrative of good season or bad season, but what makes sports truly great are the smaller human narratives, the stories that have nothing to do with wins to losses. Like the story of a 32-year-old minor leaguer getting his first call-up to the big leagues.
     
  13. rube

    rube DSP Legend Staff Member Administrator

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    Yeah, way to take it out of context.
    What he probably has needed is some rest before the playoffs begin.
    Not that he has needed to be injured.
     
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  14. Gebbeth

    Gebbeth DSP Legend

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    Geezus.....:sarcasm:
     
  15. rube

    rube DSP Legend Staff Member Administrator

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    must have gone over my head
     
  16. Gebbeth

    Gebbeth DSP Legend

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    Yes apparently.
     
  17. irish

    irish DSP Staff Member Administrator

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    1. It’s a Rich Hill sighting, and the view was great. The Dodgers gave up three good prospects to acquire Hill and Josh Reddick from the A’s at the trade deadline, but hadn’t received any value yet. Hill hadn’t pitched because of a blister issue, and Reddick is hitting .143 with no RBIs in 70 at-bats. Yes, good thing they dumped Yasiel Puig back to the minors to clear room for Reddick. But I digress …

    Hill finally made his Dodgers debut and was terrific in outdueling Johnny Cueto in a 1-0 victory, Justin Turner’s fourth-inning home run providing the only run. The Giants discovered what American League hitters already learned this year: It’s hard to hit this guy, as he hides the ball so well with a deceptive motion. Even though he sits at 90, 91 mph with his fastball, Hill has 93 strikeouts in 82 innings and has allowed just 60 hits. He’s good, which is why the Dodgers were willing to pay a steep price to get him.

    In the bigger picture, the Dodgers have taken the first two games of the series and now lead the National League West by a season-high three games, while it's starting to look like desperate times for the Giants, who held a 6.5-game lead at the All-Star break. The Dodgers have survived even though they’ve now used 14 different starting pitchers, tied for the most in the majors, and the NL hierarchy is looking like this: Cubs, then Nationals/Dodgers, then the other playoff contenders.

    http://www.espn.com/blog/sweetspot/...ay-rich-hill-blisters-giants-in-dodgers-debut
     
  18. Bluezoo

    Bluezoo Among the Pantheon

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    Anyone have the Rich "Yeti" Hill injury report yet?
    Something must have happened last night, I'm sure...
     
  19. doyerfan

    doyerfan MODERATOR Staff Member Moderator

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    By the way:

    We're Only 2 games worse then the Nationals, and the Giants only have a 0.5 game lead on STL for the top wild card spot and a 2 game lead on Miami for the other wild card spot.

    I know, of course, that as soon as we get excited we lose 5 in a row and end up in a bad spot but hopefully they keep winning and setting things up nicely
     
  20. irish

    irish DSP Staff Member Administrator

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    lol dbags
    what was it you gave up to get miller again?
    well that was a top draft pick well spent [obvious sarcasm]
    fucken idiots

    Marlins had trade in place for Shelby Miller at deadline
    by Peter Elliott | SB Nation — 5 hours ago

    The Marlins could have acquired prized Diamondbacks reliever Shelby Miller at the trade deadline, according to a report from USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

    The story, which focuses on Arizona "strongly considering" major front office changes states that chief baseball officer Tony La Russa and general manager Dave Stewart made Miller available at the trade deadline. Just seven months after he was acquired by the Diamondbacks, he was put on the open market, and Miami pounced on the opportunity, per a Marlins executive. The Marlins would have sent three starting pitchers in exchange for Miller, but the trade was halted by Diamondbacks ownership.

    If completed, the trade would have transformed the Marlins rotation, and it's likely that the Cashner trade with the Padres would have never happened. It does beg the question, who were the supposed three starters involved in the deal? Recently promoted Double-AA righty Luis Castillo has showed some promise in low level games but was most certainly trade bait for Miller, as he was also involved in the deadline deal with the Padres, but was sent back to Miami when Colin Rea was issued back to San Diego due to an elbow injury. It's possible that the Diamondbacks may have targeted Jupiter Hammerheads starters such as 24-year-old right-hander Jeff Brigham, or 22-year-old righty Jorgan Cavanerio. Emerging Double-AA lefty Jarlin Garcia could have also been a target in Tony La Russa's sights.

    The 25-year-old Miller holds a career 3.64 ERA with a 4.02 FIP, although he has struggled in his first year in Arizona, as he threw to a disastrous 2-9 record and a 7.14 ERA through the MLB All-Star break before being demoted on July 14th, spending 58 innings in the minor leagues. In Triple-AAA Reno, he showed some signs of improvement, earning a 5-1 record with a 3.52 ERA and a mighty rate of 9.98 strikeouts per nine innings.​
     
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