Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
Let’s just get this right out of the way up front: If you’re a Dodger fan, and you’re celebrating that Jose Fernandez has (likely) destroyed his elbow, because now he probably won’t pitch against the Dodgers on Wednesday, you can just show yourself right out. Obviously, the ongoing inability of baseball to keep pitchers healthy is a problem that affects everyone, and specifically, Fernandez is one of the very few pitchers that can really stick in the argument with Clayton Kershaw for “best pitcher in baseball.” Like with Matt Harvey and the Mets, you don’t have to be a fan of the team in question to feel the pain over this. It’s bad for baseball. I’m a Dodger fan, obviously, and yet I still wish badly that he was going to be on the mound against my favorite team.
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Marlins
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Dodgers
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7:10pm PT
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Los Angeles, CA
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LF
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Yelich
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2B
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Gordon
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2B
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Dietrich
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RF
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Puig
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RF
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Stanton
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SS
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Ramirez
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3B
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McGehee
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1B
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Gonzalez
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C
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Saltalamacchia
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CF
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Kemp
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1B
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Jones
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LF
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Ethier
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CF
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Ozuna
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3B
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Turner
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SS
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Hechavarria
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C
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Butera
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P
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Koehler (R)
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P
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Haren (R)
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I guess that’s a problem for later, but it’ll be interesting to see how the Marlins — who, by the way, have as many wins as the Dodgers do — react to this clearly devastating news when they take the field behind Tom Koehler tonight. (Of course, of those 20 wins, 17 have come in Miami. The Marlins are 3-15 on the road. Yikes.)
For a brief period today, Dodger fans seemed excited that Alex Guerrero might be on his way up, given that he didn’t play for Albuquerque yesterday and Juan Uribe‘s status was uncertain, but that never really made sense and it’s not much of a consideration now. Guerrero sat yesterday because of some sort of hand issue, and he’s back in the lineup tonight along with Carlos Triunfel and Miguel Rojas in the infield. Uribe should be available tonight off the bench, if needed; Justin Turner starts at third.
Once again, Carl Crawford sits, and it’s pretty obvious that he and Andre Ethier are in some sort of bizarro platoon. Not that it’s mattered much — the Dodger outfield, combined, has the No. 4 wRC+ in baseball. Don’t ask about the defense. It may not be pretty, but it’s productive, and it’s why calls for Joc Pederson are still a bit premature. Dan Haren and his potential strikeout issue will be on the hill.
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