There May Be More Bullpen Intrigue Than We Thought
March 4, 2011 at 9:02 pm | Posted in Dana Eveland, Kenley Jansen, Travis Schlichting | 20 CommentsRemember the heady days of, oh, three weeks ago, when the top six spots in the bullpen were all spoken for and the only question was if Scott Elbert or Ron Mahay would be able to unseat Blake Hawksworth for the last spot?
Uh, yeah. About that, because beyond the obvious absences of Vicente Padilla and Ronald Belisario, a lot has happened in just the last 24 hours. Let’s do this in “it’s Friday night” bullet point format.
* Both Mahay and Matt Guerrier allowed homers tonight in the loss to the Giants, though it’s hard to completely kill Mahay for giving one up to Buster Posey, who’s, you know, sorta good. Otherwise, Mahay struck out two in his inning, without walking anyone. Travis Schlichting followed with a second rough outing, allowing two runs. He’d given up three hits and a walk, leading to three runs, his first time out. Great. Jonathan Broxton, at least, threw his second scoreless inning of the spring.
* Kenley Jansen made all our hearts skip a beat with his near-injury in fielding drills today:
Jansen, 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, was doing a pitcher’s fielding practice drill requiring him to field a slow roller between the mound and first base. Jansen tried to glove the ball and flip it in one motion when his left leg went out from under him and he landed on his right jaw.
“I feel weak and dizzy,” Jansen said after returning to the clubhouse. “I don’t know what happened. My right hand was in the air and my glove was going toward the base and I hit my jaw and scraped my left knee.”
That’s only mildly terrifying, right? I’m less concerned about his jaw than his knee, since he was carted off the field, though he’s reportedly uninjured.
* Hong-Chih Kuo hasn’t even thrown live BP yet, but is scheduled to do so for the first time on Saturday. Meanwhile, Scott Elbert hasn’t seen game action since his last walktastrophe.
* Thanks to all the uncertainty, Tony Jackson thinks Mike MacDougal has a real chance to make the squad:
Instead, their hope is MacDougal will be a serious candidate to make the club and be a reliable middle reliever. Presently, he is one of a half-dozen or so pitchers who have a legitimate shot at what are probably three open spots in the bullpen, and at the risk of jumping to a hasty conclusion so early in spring training, he appears at the moment to be a clear favorite to land one of those spots.
* Unimportant lefty leaving: Dana Eveland, who was optioned to minor league camp today, having never appeared in a game after injuring himself on the first day.
* Unimportant lefty arriving: Randy Keisler, who hasn’t pitched in the bigs since 2007, was signed to a minor league deal out of an open tryout camp.
So what does this all mean? Barring injury, the top four of Broxton, Kuo, Guerrier, and Jansen seem solid. Hawksworth was likely to make the team anyway due to his out-of-options status; that now seems assured. With Elbert and Schlichting each unimpressive, that might open the door for both Mahay and MacDougal, with Ramon Troncoso probably still having a say. That probably doesn’t sound great in theory, but don’t forget how often the bottom of any bullpen churns. As soon as Padilla returns, whomever’s on the bottom likely starts to look for a new address anyway. Besides, completely selfishly, it’s good to have some action in camp, right?
******
Back to the battle for the last bench spot, Justin Sellers made a great defensive play while Russ Mitchell made an error and Juan Castro couldn’t hang on to a ball that may have ended the 6th inning. Sellers, however, also struck out twice. Castro struck out with the bases loaded, but he also had an RBI single, so his odds of making the team are now 98%. In addition, Charley Steiner very clearly said that the battle was between Castro, Sellers, and Ivan DeJesus, pointedly leaving out Aaron Miles. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but it’s a step in the right direction, so I’ll take it.
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Elbert will pitch in Sunday’s game. Here’s hoping to a solid outing. Also, Schlichting’s hair looks ridiculous in person and Kemp’s overthrow was hard to watch, Jon Garland was back at the fence right in front of the bullpen and being 6’6″ and jumping still couldn’t catch it (Charlie Steiner called this incorrectly).
Comment by Elbertfan— March 4, 2011 #
Yeah I thought Garland almost had that. He jumped up and had his glove on it for a sec before it went out.
Comment by Eephus Blue— March 4, 2011 #
Steiner is entertaining, but less than accurate. The other night he raved about Jamey Carroll’s hustle on an overthrow at third base, but it was Tim Redding backing up the play who retrieved the ball and threw the runner out at home. So, I wouldn’t count Aaron Miles out of any utility infielder situation. Actually, I’d prefer him to Juan Castro.
Comment by SamAdams— March 5, 2011 #
Steiner is neither entertaining nor accurate.
Comment by WBB— March 5, 2011 #
I agree. I hate Charlie Steiner. He never says the score either. We’re absolutely screwed when Vin Scully retires.
Comment by Brian R— March 5, 2011 #
I would suggest the Dodgers hire Jaime Jarrín to do the games in English. But even in Spanish he would communicate better than Steiner does.
Comment by WBB— March 5, 2011 #
Good Lord, I hope Jansen’s okay!
Comment by Jeff— March 4, 2011 #
+1 Good to have something to keep interest during March, plus i like it, it might seem really stupid if it costs us games but i always like to see some unknown guy get a shot and see if he has what it takes. We may have another hidden gem from ST.
Comment by DodgersKings323— March 5, 2011 #
I am not at all surprised by the Dodgers lack of hitting so far. Nobody on the junior varsity team looks like all that to me. Maybe Sands. Kemp, Loney and Ethier hopefully will be ready when the bell rings. If not, it could be a very long year. There look to be a lot of easy outs in that lineup.
I think the pitching will work itself out. There are enough good arms to put together a staff that should land in the top third of the league.
Comment by Rory— March 5, 2011 #
. The Dodgers 2010 player of the year, Jerry Sands, is another on the fast track to the majors. But, unlike Towles, Sands may be the real deal! From age 22 1/2 to age 23, Sands had a .395 on-base percentage and .586 slugging percentage with 35 homers in 590 plate appearances combined at Single-A Great Lakes and Double-A Chattanooga. In Double-A, Sands posted a .360/.529 with 17 homers in 303 plate appearances. For the season Sands added 93 RBI, 102 R 28 doubles, 18 SB (in 20 att.), a .290 BA and a .960 OPS to those 35 HR. He compares to Andre Ethier around the same age with more power and a worse OBP. Though there is almost zero chance Sands would start 2011 in the majors after only a half-season in Double-A – because Ned Colletti teams give veterans first crack in April – how Sands develops this year, against the background of how the Dodger major-league outfield shapes up, could speed up his timetable. He is also a potential understudy to James Loney. Keep an eye on where Sands ends up this spring but a $1 or $2 bid and a liberal bench should turn a little profit in your NL. If it’s a keeper league, by all means, invest! There’s a guy that I would like to see break camp with the big club. With the pitching, like you say Rory, the Dodgers could sneak up on people in 2011. This isn’t the AL-East we’re talking about. That being said, how much worse (if he would be) can Sands/Robinson be then the Thames/Gibbons/Gwynn configuration? And I mean right now! Sometimes you have to let your young guys fly on their own!
Comment by Pete Sweeney— March 5, 2011 #
It was reported on my site, Pete, that Loney is having his knee checked out because he’s experiencing discomfort. He should be feeling that over his bad 2nd half of 2010. I wonder if that opens up any kind of door for Sands. You read it on a few sites, including this one but I did state back when I was a mere whipper-snapper, in November or so, that Treyvon Robinson should be given the CF job moving Kemp to RF and Ethier to LF. At least you’ll have 3 athletes in the field and the same things being said about Robinson, ultra-athleticism, weak baseball skills, were said about our very own Matt Kemp circa 2006 (and also last April by the GM). I’m all for throwing the guy out there. At least your OF defense will be improved and with Garland out there, you may need guys chasing down FB’s. I did a lot of soul-searching, Peter, and realized that maybe Juan Castro is the son of a Saudi prince. That’s what he’s lauding over the Dodgers. They control the oil prices in this country. And I know I had to take out a loan today to fill-up my car! He makes all the routine plays, Castro does. I’ve never seen him botch a one-hopper! Or make a bad throw. The same could be said of Aaron Miles! These guys must have some kind of romantic mystique for the team, I can’t figure it all out. One thing that I do know, I never want to spend any time in Yemen!
Comment by george hubschman— March 5, 2011 #
I guess your feeling that Castro is as American as apple pie is all B.S. I can see it in some sort of weird way. I think way back when I seconded the motion on Treyvon Robinson being squeezed into center. Do what some teams do in the N.L, bat the pitcher 8th and Robinson 9 to take pressure off. If Loney has to miss time and Sands stars, put Sands #6, Barajas #7, with Uribe at #5. You also have to like the Dodgers signing of former Reds’ Left hander Randy Keisler. It goes to show if you’re lefty and have a pulse, like Ron Mahay, you can go on forever! And now the team is talking about Mike Mac Dougal like he’s Rollie Fingers. Those career mediocrities never excite me and I know that you, George are 5X more jaded then me on guys like that. At your age, too, you better pray that Hong-Chih Kuo pitches soon. I know that you just acquired him in one of your NL leagues.
Comment by Abner Clarke— March 5, 2011 #
I read on the NY sites that the Dodgers are leaning toward making MacDougal a permanent member of the bullpen. The stars did align for MacDougal once upon a time but that was a while back! They did do the right thing in jettisoning Eveland who hasn’t been effective since the 6th grade. And has yet to pitch this spring. Mahay is intriguing but as has been said on the site, you pay him $65,000 per left handed batter he gets out. Trayvon Robinson is a good idea but he needs a little seasoning. That would be a gutsy move, a move I know you guys would do but not one for the squeamish.
Comment by TokingAsian— March 5, 2011 #
To be honest Pete, I was advocating “punt” at the end of last year. I had a feeling payroll was going to be an issue, and the team we had dropped below .500 so why not go ahead and start the rebuild process? Keep the pitching and – Broxton, Kemp, Loney, Ethier…. any one, or two, or three of those guys could net some serious prospects in return. I would have understood, and supported the thinking had we gone there.
But, it would appear we are going for it again. Personally, I don’t believe this team, as it is currently constructed, has much of a chance to win the NL Pennant, let alone the World Series, but you never know.
Comment by Rory— March 6, 2011 #
I think at this time last year there was one guy I know that had the Giants winning the NL-West and that was George who gets on once in a while on this site. Of course he had them losing in the first round of the NLDS to the Phillies. So, I guess Rory, you just never really know. The Giants were configured pretty much the same way that the Dodgers are this year. And don’t forget that the Giants had to win on the last day of the season to make the playoffs. It’s like March Madness coming up. It’s all about the team that has the momentum coming in. Look at the Rockies a couple years ago who were left for dead at the break but had a great last 6 weeks of the season. Like you said at the end of your blog, you never know!
Comment by Pete Sweeney— March 6, 2011 #
It’s still early right. Still Defcon Level 1, right?
Comment by Xeifrank— March 5, 2011 #
GA Retires!!! Too bad it was a year late.
Comment by Wil— March 5, 2011 #
Elbert will not be pitching today.
Comment by Elbertfan— March 6, 2011 #
I guess he still hasn’t found the strike zone.
As soon as he does, he will be able to pitch in the Major Leagues.
Comment by Rory— March 6, 2011 #
[...] thrown 3.1 scoreless innings without allowing a walk. I think that may be a bit premature, but with the turmoil at the back end of the bullpen, there’s certainly opportunity. You’d think that his history, and time away from the [...]
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