Podcast: ‘Dugout Blues’ episode 192 – Opening week, Kershaw, Puig, White

On this episode of Dugout Blues, Jared and I recap the Dodgers’ first week of action. It started off better than it ended, but they are 4-3 after one week of play.

Clayton Kershaw was good against the Padres then bad against the Rockies (damn you, Coors Field). Still think he’s gonna be OK.

Rich Hill had a solid season debut. What isn’t good is the fact he ended up on the 10-day disabled list after his start with a blister issue. The Dodgers aren’t going to take any chances with their $48 million man.

The rest of the rotation looked decent as well (aside from Kenta Maeda, who was better on Sunday than he was on Tuesday). Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-Jin Ryu both looked healthy and pitched relatively well. Getting any positive contribution from that pair is a win.

Yasiel Puig had a big first week that included three home runs — included two in a game against San Diego on Thursday. He just needs to keep focusing on what has made him successful and what is making his swing work.

I got to see the opening of the Quakes’ minor-league season in Stockton. I wasn’t overly impressed with the hitters, but they tend to lag behind pitchers early on in the season. The three starters I got to see were Caleb Ferguson, Mitchell White and Dennis Santana. I was blown away by one, impressed by another and underwhelmed by the third — listen to find out which players fit each description. Oh, and the Quakes threw a combined no-hitter in a 7-inning game on Friday night (because Thursday night’s season-opener was postponed due to rain and MiLB doubleheaders are only seven innings).

We also highlight some of the performances by other minor-leaguers, namely Cody Bellinger, Alex Verdugo, Oneil Cruz, Carlos Rincon and others.

We finish with a solid Q&A session. We enjoy answering your questions, so please keep them coming.

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Look for new episodes of “Dugout Blues” every Monday. Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast and review us on iTunes. We want to make this the best podcast we can so we’re always looking for suggestions and ways to improve.

If you have questions you’d like us to answer or certain topics/players you want to hear more about, feel free to email us ([email protected]) or send us messages on Twitter (@JaredJMassey or @DustinNosler). You can also “Like” the podcast on Facebook. We always welcome audience participation.

About Dustin Nosler

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Dustin Nosler began writing about the Dodgers in July 2009 at his blog, Feelin' Kinda Blue. He co-hosted a weekly podcast with Jared Massey called Dugout Blues. He was a contributor/editor at The Hardball Times and True Blue LA. He graduated from California State University, Sacramento, with his bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in digital media. While at CSUS, he worked for the student-run newspaper The State Hornet for three years, culminating with a 1-year term as editor-in-chief. He resides in Stockton, Calif.