Back on June 30 when Clayton Kershaw went on the disabled list with back troubles (disc herniation), many believed his season – and by extension, the Dodgers’ season, was effectively over. Apparently, the Dodgers’ ace has something to say about that.
For years Kerhsaw has carried the Dodgers on his back. While some sarcastically joked that caused his back problems in the first place, it seems the greatest pitcher in the world also has the strongest back in the world.
An injury that has stopped countless others in their tracks, may have merely caused Kershaw to take a short break, from which he is expected to return before any of us dared dream.
On July 10, before the Dodgers’ last game before the All-Star break, Kershaw threw a 10 minute, 25-pitch bullpen session. It was the first time since going on the DL that he threw off a mound.
Following up on that successful session, Kershaw threw a 60-pitch bullpen session yesterday. His back is improving so rapidly that manager Dave Roberts has dangled the prospect that Kershaw may avoid a rehab assignment altogether. Said Roberts, “We’re just really encouraged right now by the direction that it’s going.”
The next step for Kershaw will be throwing a simulated game against hitters this Sunday, according to Andy McCullough of the LA Times.
If everything remains on track, Kershaw will be in line to return to the Dodgers’ rotation next Friday, when they open a weekend series in St. Louis against the Cardinals.
Oscar Martinez
I was born in the shadow of Dodger Stadium and immediately drenched in Dodger Blue. Chavez Ravine is my baseball cathedral, Vin Scully was the golden voice of summer all my life, and Tommy Lasorda remains the greatest Dodgers manager ever. My favorite things are coffee, beer, and the Dodgers beating the Giants. I also blog about my baseball card hobby at All Trade Bait, All the Time.
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So I can keep on topic:
While it is true you tend to wander off topic, I can’t help but wonder again wtf you’re talking about. Get busy living or get busy dying? Really? On a baseball blog? You do take yourself too seriously. It’s baseball, not a life sentence.
Btw, Zihuatanejo Mexico was closed to health hazards. Perhaps you should go?
*sigh* …and you can’t help yourself. It’s a compulsion.
Sigh? What does that mean? Do you know what he’s talking about? If so, please explain.
All hands on deck, everyone getting healthy. Joc maybe back as soon as Tuesday.
Thank you!
So, the get busy living or get busy dying has to do with playing better baseball?
Oh. Hyberbole. I do understand that. And I do understand that Dodger baseball feels like life and death to some. Not to me.
Frankly I’m quite pleased with how they’ve played considering the lineups used, the poor RISP numbers and the fragility of the staff. I figured they would win around 88-90 and that was without all the injuries. If this team gets in the playoffs I’ll call it a great run. Let’s get it on.
You know, amazingly I just saw this movie for the first time ever last month! And, of course, I thought it was fantastic. It’d been on my list for a while now, so I’m glad I saw it.
More importantly, does anyone think AZ has buyer’s remorse on Zack? If so, do we go make them an offer? Tell them to pay some of the salary, and w’ell give you DeLeon and some others? Bring back Zack??
It is my favorite movie. I watch it about twice a year. My next favorite movie is The Last of the Mohicians. I think I was one in a former life.
…”does anyone think AZ has buyer’s remorse on Zack? “
In a word: YES!
The last 3 or 4 years of his deal will kill the D-Bags!
Their Ace is on the DL and their #2 in at AAA because of a 7.20 ERA.
Lucille and The Drunk ain’t looking so good right about now!
I”ve not seen that one either! I”ll add it to the list
Bobby
I do want Greinke back, but it would make me mad, that we had to give up a good young pitcher, like DeLeon.
And that is because they could have just paid a little more money, and brought Greinke back, without having to lose a very good young pitching prospect.
And they have the money obviously, and that is clear, look at all the money that they have spent on Cuban prospects.
And I do know that the money spent on the Cuban prospects, doesn’t count against the luxary tax.
I know, but basically we’d be admitting we made the mistake, righting that mistake (at a cheaper price, but at the cost of prospects), and moving forward
Bobby
I hear you!
I love the thought about
getting Greinke with one less year, and the Dbacks having pay some of his contract for us.
It would be great, to see another team, having to pay for a player, that is no longer on there team, instead of us.
Do you think that La Russa, would trade with a team, within the Dbacks division?
I think that is the big question.
But also, how many teams, could really handle Greinke’s contract, like the Dodgers can?
The Dodgers got a draft choice from AZ. Instead of asking AZ to pay Zack’s 6 year, how about trading the player the Dodgers got with AZ’s draft choice plus Ethier and Howel for Greinke. This assumes that AZ wants out of Greinke’s contract and no other team wants it either.
I’m not certain they would want to trade Greinke. They got him for 6 years, not 6 months. They will pull a FAZ and nibble at the margins, play in the shallow end of the pool for a while, but they still have some very good young talent there. They plan on being back.
I am willing to include Anderson in the deal.
Obviously I am not too keen on spending $34M for each of Greinke’s age 32 to 38 years.
I glad the season starts back today, but I am not thrilled that we are facing two leftie pitchers, in this series against the Dbacks, this weekend.
That is because I don’t like seeing that mostly rightie line up, that is ranked 25 in all of baseball, on offense.
Maybe Roberts will let the regular line up, play in one of these two games, when the Dodgers are facing one of these leftie pitchers.
I don’t like Utley only playing in one game, in this series either.
He seems to always do something, to try to steal this team a win, when he plays.
I know Utley has more trouble against leftie pitchers, but it is weird, because Utley seems to hit in some important runs, against leftie relievers, late in games.
Relayed from last thread:
Somebody has a new company/website that predicts probabilities of athletes being injured. I’m not inclined to seek out that information, life brings forth enough trouble without searching for it…
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2016/07/check-out-baseballic-com.html
Wondering
Is that company ran by the Dodgers former trainer?
I would love to see the probability of Anderson being injured.
Good one MJ.
LOL
Wondering
Did you put that site up for the front office?
when zack left ..they made him get a hair cut ..and he could not pitch that way..it took him a while… he was off blance, just kidding
You might be on to something jerry but I think Greinke just missed hanging with Puig in April.
Bum
I bet it is killing you, not being able to see Joc play?
He might be back Tuesday. For me, watching the Dodgers without Joc is like going to see Funny Girl and Streisand’s understudy, Lainie Kazan, subs in for her.
I am throwing myself to the wolves with that one. No, I am not a big Funny Girl fan. Yes, I am married and yes I therefore have to say nice things about Funny Girl. Why in the hell do I remember that Lainie Kazan was Streisand’s understudy and can’t remember so many other things? I ask myself these questions sometimes.
A mile back, comments were made about westerns. It seems like my first cowboy favorite was Hopalong Cassidy. I liked old Tom Mix movies. I likes all of the ones mentioned. Too bad we can’t get new westerns made instead of all of the cop and lawyer shows.
Do not think westerns work on TV as well as they once did. But there have been a couple of pretty good miniseries types. Hell On Wheels is great,, and Deadwood was well written and acted. Some of the newer westerns put out by Hollywood are pretty graphic and bloody like Django, and Hateful Eight. But are well acted, and have good plot lines. My favorite was naturally John Wayne, but I watched Hoppy, Gene and Roy like most kids may age. Miss Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Not so much,,,,
I’ve used this one before
http://www.spotrac.com/mlb/disabled-list/
Shoulder, hamstring. elbow. Last year it was arm, shiulder, elbow. We are at or near the top both years. Not surprisingly. As I said, it’s what we do. And until the young guys take over, it’s who we are.
I’m sure FAZ has all the info, most of which uses their own algorithms, for every angle possible. I’m betting they make new ones every day.
Lucille and The Drunk. Class act Timmons. Both of those men have more accomplishment than anyone in our entire organization.
I can’t take his HOA insults either anymore.
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. I Cor 13:1
Most of what I say is an attempt to be funny like you. Out.
BOB
Didn’t you like my remark about the Dodger’s former trainer, working at that probability business, that gives the probability of players being injured.
HOA–all I can come up with is Home Owners Association.
Both of those men have more accomplishment than anyone in our entire organization.
As usual, Badger, you are right. No one in our organization has been arrested for soliciting a transvestite prostitute named Lucille and insofar as I know no one in our organization has ever been found drunk AND ASLEEP inside a running SUV at a stop light. So there you go.
I might not make so much light of it had it not been for the fact that you, Hurt and others proclaimed how great Arizona was going to be this year.
YOU CAN MAKE FUN OF FAZ, BUT I CAN’T MAKE FUN OF THE ENEMY?
YOU ARE THE WORLD’S BIGGEST HYPOCRITE!
I don’t think it wise, nor relavant, to bring up personal transgressions on this board Mark. I was referring of course to their baseball accomplishments. And you know that. I don’t care what embarrassing things might have happened to them in their private lives. Those are cheap shots I’ll let you take.
Yes, I did have the Dbacks, giants, and Dodgers in a three team scrum to the finish line. It appears I had that wrong. Without Miller pitching like he did last year, and without AJ Pollack and David Peralta, the Dbacks are not as good as they could be. But, I still don’t believe they are as bad as they’ve looked.
Yours are cheap shots at FAZ and generally not accurate!
Mine are 100% true!
So far it’s been all quiet in the Western Front(trade wise). Calm before the storm??
I expected a trade over the break. A small, meaningless trade to be sure but a sign of neural activity nevertheless…
Wow!, Houston Mitchell’s report card of Andrew Friedman’s moves since he has been with the Dodgers in the LA Times today, sure is a lot better than mine. He must be drinking the Koolaid.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/#axzz2iPtgm0pt
He gave Friedman a C+. Now that I know what the Dodgers are doing, I’d give them at best an Inc.. At the deadline last year I gave them a resounding F, and the failure of Anderson, which many predicted, confirmed the grade. But, looking down the road, I’ll give them some time to get organized.
So, package, what grade do you give Cisco and Pancho?
I definitely understand your grade of inc. but I just can’t find some above average moves that they made that would lift their grade. I guess Utley would be the best pickup they have gotten followed by Howie but for sure Grandal is a bust and I would trade him sooner rather than later. Losing Kemp and his bat hurt and now they look for a right handed power bat. Letting Greinke go as well as not picking up a standout starter last year was really dumb. I could go on and on. D- is a gift.
You apparently didn’t bother the read the article you just cited. Do you remember the part about Kemp’s league worst defense? Remember how it cited his negative WAR?
And I love it when people here claim somehow that the front office simply let Greinke go. Somebody tell me: is there a limit to what an organization can reasonably pay for a free agent? If you’re buying a house and the current bid is over market value, do you just keep tacking on more money in perpetuity until you get it, or is there a point where you say no?
The Blanton pickup was a pretty good move.
I don’t think it was a mistake – I would do the same thing again, but that’s just me.
On the Cubans: It is too soon to say it was a failure (or success). Maybe in two years!
If someone is willing to shoot, pluck, and clean a crow, I will barbecue it and have it ready should the Dodgers get into the playoffs or do they have to win the WS before anybody takes a bite?
Does this mean you’ll eat one if they don’t get in?
http://m5.paperblog.com/i/105/1052423/eating-crow-T-8Ah7tK.jpeg
No, I have not been overly positive or negative. I made a guess that they would win 92 I think.
Dodgerpatch
This is just my opinion and I know everybody has one. I have been a Dodger fan for over 55 years and in my opinion the hiring of FAZ and friends has been the worst thing ever to happen to this franchise. They took a good team in 2014 and butchered it. They did not need to blow it up to win. Adding another GOOD starter and redoing the bullpen would probably have done it but instead they make all kinds of crazy moves and accomplish nothing. I also think that working on the farm is fine but not above the winning of the major league team. In regards to Greinke and the cost of retaining or getting a FA, I don’t care what it costs. I only care if the Dodgers win. I will never share in their moneymaking, I will only share in the jubilation of winning. If you want to take their approach I think that is wonderful but as far as I am concerned, winning is everything. 29 years is a long time to wait for a chance at a championship. Dump FAZ.
Well said package.
Where do you stand on the 2018 theory. Don’t worry, I can handle the criticism if you’re not buying into it.
I think you are spot on with that theory. That appears to be their target but I don’t think they are smart enough to make that happen. I have no criticism of your theory. I hate it when those guys are less than honest and truthful.
All I can say is WOW!
i am very adept at perceiving the obvious, but many aren’t. I no longer will explain the obvious.
I guess we didn’t win the division in 2015 and I guess we don’t have one of the best records in baseball in 2016.
Dude, that rant doesn’t border on delusional – it’s way past that!
Mr. Timmons, I am aware of some of your opinions and I have read that you were in business and managed many people and I have also done the same. Some of your opinions on managing I agree with but some I do not. I am not delusional but have very strong opinions on stupidity and FAZ fits that bill. I want the Dodgers to win as bad as you do but it don’t think the way they are trying to get there is correct. It is just an opinion. Winning a division is not winning a World Championship. and 2016 is not over yet If you don’t expect the best, you will never obtain the best. You should know that.
I’ll respond on the next thread.
“The hiring of FAZ and friends has been the worst thing ever to happen to the franchise ”
Ummm I don’t even know how to respond to this. I’ll just say you are either very emotional or you have forgotten many many things that have been worse than these guys.
My lord
I will give FAZ credit for one very difficult thing they accomplished: They make Ned look better than he has any right to look.