Category Archives: Aaron Harang

Dodger Rotation Exceeding Expectations

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Aaron Harang shut down San Diego for seven scoreless innings last night, allowing just four hits without a walk, and while there’s a pretty convincing argument to be made that “it was in Petco and against the terrible Padres,” Harang’s solid outing is yet another in a string of quality starting pitching from the Dodgers through the first quarter of the season. The five Dodger starters are currently second in baseball in ERA, batting average against, & OPS against, with only the outstanding Washington rotation fronted by Stephen Strasburg besting them in each of those areas.

While it’s fair to expect some regression, considering the Dodgers have spent most of the season playing either in the large parks of the NL West, against non-competitive offenses – and the fact that other than Harang, they’re all out-pitching their FIP by a considerable amount – it’s becoming clear that the Dodger rotation is looking a lot more effective than we expected it to be when Ned Colletti ended up with Harang & Chris Capuano rather than Hiroki Kuroda or someone else back in the offseason. Capuano, fully healthy for probably the first time in six years, has been very effective at the back of the rotation along with Harang, and despite Chad Billingsley‘s struggles, the only one I’m really worried about at the moment is Ted Lilly. Sure, 5-0 and 2.11 looks swell, but a decreased strikeout rate (5.17, which would be by far the lowest of his career), an increased walk rate (3.29, highest since 2006), and an absolutely unsustainable BABIP (.196) does concern me about what’s to come.

Still, on the whole the rotation has been great, even considering that we arguably haven’t seen Clayton Kershaw at his best yet, and that opens up a variety of options for the future. Though much has been made of the lack of depth in the minor league organization, if there’s anything the Dodgers have in spades, it’s young, right-handed starting pitching. We’ve already seen Nathan Eovaldi, who would already be in the bigs on many other teams, and Rubby De La Rosa, expected to make his way back from Tommy John surgery later this year. Coming behind them at Double-A Chattanooga (because let’s face it, Triple-A Albuquerque is no place for young pitching) are Allen Webster, Matt Magill, Chris Withrow, & Ethan Martin (plus lefties Chris Reed & Aaron Miller); behind them are Zach Lee, Garrett Gould, & Angel Sanchez. That’s in addition to a new ownership group expected to go out and spend where needed, putting free agents like Cole Hamels & Zack Greinke within reach for the first time in years – and don’t forget, the entire rotation is signed for next year as well.

While I just can’t imagine that we’re going to be speaking about these same five so favorably in May of 2013 – the odds of at least one of the older trio of Lilly, Capuano, & Harang either getting hurt or imploding performance-wise in the next year are astronomical – it’s a clear area of depth for the Dodgers to draw upon to fix more urgent needs, like first base. And third base. And possibly left field. And potentially shortstop. While we all get attached to our own prospects and envision them all in Dodger blue some day (hell, I still get regular questions from people wondering if the Dodgers can bring Blake DeWitt back) it’s important to be realistic and understand that not all of the guys I mentioned above are going to be on this team in the future; with the failure rate of pitching prospects, it’s probably likely that a majority will either not be successful major leaguers or not part of the Dodgers.

It’s here, of course, that I need to put out my regular reminder that I don’t mind trading prospects, as long as it’s in the right deal. People forget that the act of trading Carlos Santana alone wasn’t a mistake; trading him for a decent-but-not-great third baseman when the Indians were also selling C.C. Sabathia to Milwaukee for less was the mistake. Prospects exist to provide value. Sometimes that value is in being on your team, and sometimes it’s in being cashed out for other pieces.

Considering the threadbare offensive options on the free agent market next winter, with only Andre Ethier & Josh Hamilton real difference makers at the plate, the Dodgers are going to have to fill those needs through trade. Their deepest area as far as trade chips is clearly in starting pitching, so as the weeks go on and sellers become more clearly identified, it makes all the sense in the world to identify those opportunities. Maybe that’s Kevin Youkilis, or Paul Konerko, or Chase Headley, or Carlos Lee, or someone else. I know some fans will be turned off by the idea of sending a prospect for an older veteran like that, but as long as it’s someone productive – and dear lord, not someone like Aubrey Huff or Chone Figgins – it’s a move that makes all the sense in the world. Thanks, in no small part, to the surprisingly effective Dodger rotation.

Dodgers Top Rockies, Thanks to Bunting!

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I kid, of course. Tied 1-1 in the 8th inning, James Loney led off with a cueball single that went all of about 30 feet up the third base line. A.J. Ellis, who had singled in his previous at-bat, is hitting .308/.455/.474 and is one of only three Dodger hitters worth a damn, was asked to bunt… because of course he was. To his credit, he got the sacrifice down, moving Loney to second, and pinch-hitter Tony Gwynn cashed in the opportunity with a single to short left field for the second and final Dodger run. Even though it worked, I’m not a particularly big fan of the call – you’d much rather have the bat in Ellis’ hands than Gwynn’s, right – and this is only going to make Don Mattingly continue bunting until the inevitable point where all 27 outs are made via the bunt. Still, it worked tonight, so good for Don.

That’s oversimplifying, obviously, because it brushes over the fact that Aaron Harang somehow managed to go eight one-run innings while striking out just two. Following Harang was Kenley Jansen, finally getting his first chance to nail down a game nearly a week after replacing Javy Guerra as the closer. Jansen retired each of the three Rockies he faced and was never really threatened, a welcome change from the usual late inning hysteria we’ve been dealing with in recent weeks. Dee Gordon & Matt Kemp each went hitless, with Gordon now 0-14 over his last three games and without a hit since last Tuesday.

Ted Lilly takes the hill tomorrow afternoon as the 22-11 Dodgers attempt to finish off the series with a sweep.

For Dodgers, Friday the 13th Just As Terrifying As You’d Expect it To Be

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On Friday the 13th, it was a cold, dreary, rainy night in Southern California, enough so that there was a real question about whether we’d see the first Dodger Stadium rainout in twelve years. With that kind of backdrop, you had to expect that we’d see something bizarre and… oh, you better believe that we did. And then some.

Here’s how out of control this game got, okay? This was my original opening paragraph:

Aaron Harang allowed a leadoff single to Cameron Maybin, and then proceeded to strike out each of the next nine batters. Aaron Effing Harang! The nine consecutive strikeouts topped Johnny Podres’ eight to set a new Dodger record and fell one short of tying Tom Seaver’s ten in a row for the big league record. Podres won some of the biggest games in franchise history. Seaver was a no-doubter Hall of Famer. Aaron Harang is Aaron Harang. Can’t predict baseball, indeed. Harang was touched in the fourth for three runs, including a Will Venable homer which broke the streak, but came back to whiff four more to tie his career high with 13 in his 6 1/3 innings of work. After a disappointing debut as a Dodger in the only loss of the season so far, it was an amazing turnaround for the veteran Harang.

Yet with everything that came after, that already feels like it was weeks ago, does it not?

Anyway, the Dodger offense would get itself going in the bottom of the third, thanks to the hustle of the law firm of Ellis & Ellis. With two outs, Justin Sellers at third, and A.J. Ellis at second, Mark Ellis bounced to second baseman Orlando Hudson. Though a tough play, it was a makable one, but Ellis flew down the line to beat the throw. That alone prevented the inning from ending as Sellers scored easily, but unbeknownst to everyone except third base coach Tim Wallach, A.J. Ellis never stopped running hard and scored from second on the infield hit, narrowing beating the throw from Yonder Alonso. After walks to Matt Kemp & Juan Rivera, Andre Ethier sent a broken-bat flare to center to score two, meaning the Dodgers had scored four runs in the inning on two hits that combined went about 150 feet.

Of course, none of that would have happened if not for Padre shortstop Jason Bartlett botching A.J. Ellis‘ grounder in the first place, which might have led to a scoreless inning since both of the two batters behind him made outs, and it’s here where we really have to point out just how atrociously bad the Padres have looked. They’ve committed the most errors in baseball – as this sequence shows, even one can lead to huge problems – and not to take anything away from Harang, but while he was obviously very good, he was hardly showing Stephen Strasburg-level stuff out there. As Eric Stephen noted, the Dodgers have scored six unearned runs off Clayton Richard alone this season, which is just absurd. If the Dodgers might be better than we thought – and it looks like they might be – the Padres also look like they’re going to be really, really bad this year. Everyone keeps saying things like, “oh, I wish the Dodgers could just play the Padres & Pirates all season;” I’m almost ready to say the opposite, because now I want to know how this club measures up against some real competition.

The Dodgers doubled their offense in the 4th on run-scoring hits by A.J. Ellis & Tony Gwynn before Matt Kemp blasted a massive homer, his third of the season. Though it seemed like gravy at the time, it became crucial once Todd Coffey & Scott Elbert tried to pitch the top of the seventh with both hands around their necks, slicing the lead to two. Josh Lindblom, proving once again how much he belongs on this team, pitched a scoreless eighth, before Kenley Jansen calmly shut down the Padres (with Javy Guerra unavailable) for his first save of the year…

…which is what I had written and ready to publish before Jansen had to go and give up a game-tying dinger to Chase Headley. We can talk about Jansen separately – though I have to admit I was somewhat shocked by the amount of vitriol towards him on Twitter, because how in the hell can you be anti-Jansen right now? – but he managed to escape with the tie intact.

In the bottom of the 9th, the Pads brought in their own flamethrower, Andrew Cashner. Dee Gordon, hitting for Jansen, struck out. Gwynn grounded out, leaving the Dodgers with two out and none on.

And then Cashner fell apart. Mark Ellis walked. Kemp walked, his third of the game (and the season). Even  James Loney walked, and James Loney is awful. With the bases loaded, Bud Black brought in lefty Joe Thatcher to face Andre Ethier.

Four pitches later, SHRIMP. And the Dodgers, improbably, are 7-1. What I would have given to have heard Vin Scully call what had to have been one of the most memorable games in years.

Oh, and Jansen got the win. Not Harang. Not Lindblom. Jansen. He’s 2-0. Wins are stupid.

******

But back to A.J. Ellis for a second. When he came to the plate in the fourth inning, I could hear through the PA system that his walkup song was off the new Foo Fighters record, which I totally dig. That alone was cool enough, because most guys come out to one of the same five indistinguishable hip-hop songs. Then I realized exactly which Foo Fighters song it was…

It’s called “Walk”. Of course it is. I love this man, and I was going to post this bit even before we saw how the game eventually ended.

Dodgers @ Padres April 8, 2012

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Aaron Harang makes his LA debut this afternoon as the Dodgers attempt to start the season off with a four-game sweep of the Padres. As you can see by the bullpen chart, the relievers have been worked hard in the first few days thanks to Clayton Kershaw‘s illness and Chris Capuano‘s implosion, so it’s imperative that Harang not get knocked out early; seven of the eight relievers pitched last night, with only Josh Lindblom staying on the sidelines. (Though I’m tempted to also count James Loney, who I’d absolutely rather see on the mound than Jamey Wright again.) Harang made it past the sixth inning in only nine of his 28 starts last year, which I suppose isn’t surprising when you see that he was knocked around for a .975 OPS in that sixth inning in 2011. On the other hand, the Dodgers do have a day off on Monday before welcoming the Pirates into town on Tuesday, so there’s some flexibility there.

Juan Uribe, still seeking his first hit of the season, gets back into the lineup against the lefty Clayton Richard, as does fellow oh-fer king Loney. Saturday hero A.J. Ellis takes a seat for the holiday matinee as we get our first look at Matt Treanor.

Dodgers
Padres
SS
Gordon
CF
Maybin
2B
Sellers
RF
Venable
CF
Kemp
3B
Headley
RF
Ethier
LF
Guzman
LF
Rivera
1B
Alonso
3B
Uribe
C
Baker
1B
Loney
SS
Bartlett
C
Treanor
2B
Parrino
P
Harang
P
Richard

In other news, Baseball America has released a massive list of end-of-camp minor league transactions. Some we already knew about, like Russ Mitchell, Cory Sullivan, & Carlos Monasterios getting cut, and Ramon Troncoso & Josh Bard ending up back with ABQ after getting DFA’d & released, respectively, and some are news (to me at least), including:

• The release of a few interesting minor-league signings who either didn’t make the cut or chose not to stay, including Brian Anderson (5-year MLB outfielder attempting to convert to pitching), Andy Sisco (fun for being 6’10″, along with MLB experience in parts of three seasons), former Angels prospect Chris Pettit, and Brandon Mims, who seemed intriguing when he was signed out of a tryout camp earlier this year.

• Also released was Jaime Pedroza, who had been in the system since 2007 and had played at least 117 games in A & AA in each of the last four years.

• News that two pitchers who did not appear on the ABQ roster but who we hadn’t seen on the cut list will actually start on the disabled list, Ryan Tucker & Shane Lindsay.

Dodgers Finally Get Their (Old, Old) Men

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Photo via Jon SooHoo's wonderful blog, http://dodgersphotog.mlblogs.com/

Via Ken Gurnick, we’ve learned that for the Dodgers, signing Aaron Harang and Jamey Wright this winter was actually the culmination of years of interest on the club’s part.

Harang:

In their third year of trying, the Dodgers finally landed starting pitcher Aaron Harang, who is expected to help plug an innings hole created by the departure of Hiroki Kuroda.

The Dodgers made a run at Harang at the 2009 Trade Deadline, again that offseason and yet again in the spring of 2010 before finally signing the free agent in December for two years and $12 million.

“It made it more enticing, knowing it wasn’t something just spontaneous, like, ‘Let’s just go after this guy,’” Harang said. “It’s been in the back of my mind that they’ve wanted me a while. That made it an easier decision, knowing people want you and have been working at something for multiple years.”

Wright:

This year’s Jeff Weaver. Wright pitched in relief for Seattle last year, appearing in 60 games with a career-best 3.16 ERA. A one-time innings-eating starter, Wright has pitched in relief exclusively since 2008. He had a deal worked out with the Dodgers for 2009 but failed a physical, a curious result considering he’s been a workhorse ever since.

That 3.16 ERA for Wright was of course accompanied by a 4.30 FIP, so let’s not get too excited about it; still, the usual “he’s an NRI so I don’t really care that much” caveats do apply. While we don’t know the terms of Wright’s scuttled potential deal back in 2009 – which, honestly, came as news to me – I do wonder if having successfully signed “this year’s Jeff Weaver” at the time may have prevented the arrival of the actual Jeff Weaver, who joined the team on February 9, 2009 after an atrocious 2008 spent entirely in the minors.

Back to Harang, we had heard rumors about the club potentially having interest in him in the 2009-10 offseason, as they desperately looked for a place to dump Juan Pierre before finally shipping him off to Chicago for John Ely and Jon Link. I don’t generally mind the idea of a big, innings-eating type to take up space in the back of the rotation, but it still kills me when I see things like this:

Harang, 33, is coming off a rebound season, going 14-7 with a 3.64 ERA for San Diego.

Uh-huh.

Harang, 2009
162.1 IP, 7.87 K/9, 2.38 BB/9, 4.14 FIP, 90.7 avg FB MPH

Harang, 2011
170.2 IP, 6.54 K/9, 3.06 BB/9, 4.17 FIP, 89.8 avg FB MPH

If it seems like Harang was better at 31 in 2009 than he was at 33 in 2011, well, I wouldn’t have much to argue with you on there. So what’s the big difference? Ah yes: 6-14, 4.21, vs 14-6, 3.64. It’s amazing what superficial stats (and Petco Park) still count for these days, and along with the dubious “number-crunching” that apparently contributed to the Chris Capuano deal, it’s fair to enter the season with a real amount of concern over the two older, injury-prone veteran imports who are only effective in larger parks like Dodger Stadium, CitiField, and Petco. Throw in Ted Lilly, yet another older flyball pitcher, and I’m starting to wonder if I need to look up what the team’s all-time record for biggest disparity in wins at home against on the road is. (I also can’t say that it helps that the Dodgers gave Harang $12m over two years after the Padres, who saw him up close all year, passed on their more reasonable $5m for one year option.)

We’ve been talking a lot lately about the excess of nearly-ready starting pitchers the Dodgers have, guys like Nathan Eovaldi, Allen Webster, Chris Reed, and more. The more you look at the starting rotation behind Clayton Kershaw, the more you wonder if that kind of depth this year is less of a luxury, and more of a necessity.