Diamondbacks @ Dodgers May 1, 2015: Carlos Frias in Game 22, as expected

Raise your hand if you thought Carlos Frias would be starting a game for the Dodgers on May 1. You’re lying. Raise your hand if you thought it was possible Frias would start a game for the first-place Dodgers on May 1. Still lying.

D-Backs
Dodgers
7:10 p.m.
Los Angeles
CF
Pollock
CF
Pederson
2B
Owings
SS
Rollins
1B
Goldschmidt
2B
Kendrick
RF
Trumbo
1B
Gonzalez
LF
Peralta
RF
Van Slyke
3B
Tomas
LF
Ethier
C
Gosewich
C
Grandal
SS
Ahmed
3B
Uribe
P
De La Rosa (R)
P
Frias (R)

But here we are, and the Dodgers are running Frias out to the mound to start. If you remember the last time he started a game (2/3 IP, 10 H, 8 R), well, you might not be pleased about this. But when your team has already lost Brandon McCarthy for the next 18 months and Hyun-Jin Ryu hasn’t pitched since early in spring training, these things happen.

He’s going up against former Dodger prospect Rubby De La Rosa, who was famously traded to the Red Sox in the Nick Punto deal. De La Rosa has a legitimate mid-90s fastball and a devastating changeup that, for some reason, he doesn’t throw as much as he should (though, he’s using it this year). He also has a fringy slider. Aside from the professional international players the Dodgers signed in the late Frank McCourt era (i.e. Hiroki Kuroda, Takashi Saito, etc.), De La Rosa was the best international signee at a whopping $15,000. For consistency’s sake, Frias was also an international signee during the McCourt era. Thanks, Frank!

Oh look, Yasmany Tomas is playing third base because the Diamondbacks have entirely too many outfielders. That should be its own great source of entertainment tonight and any night he’s playing third base.

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With fun minor-league news, here’s Eric Stephen.

Ahh Jon Garcia. Such power potential, but also such swing-and-miss potential. He was No. 83 on my Top 100, and even that was a bit high. Fabio Martinez was signed last year and spent most of the season at High-A. He throws hard, but has no idea where the ball is going as evidenced by his 93 walks (and 89 strikeouts) in 105 1/3 innings. Jeremy Hazelbaker didn’t have much of a future in the organization when he was acquired before the 2014 season, and had even less of a future in 2015.

The 25-year-old Cuban outfielder is making an appearances at his third minor-league level in the season’s first month. He’ll be in Los Angeles by the end of May if he keeps up that pace (he won’t).

Also, this:

HeartEmoji x 1,000

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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.