Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
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Rockies
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Dodgers
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7:10 PM PST
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Los Angeles
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CF
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Blackmon
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2B
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Utley | |
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2B
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LeMahieu
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SS
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Seager | |
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3B
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Arenado
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3B
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Turner | |
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RF
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Gonzalez
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1B
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Gonzalez | |
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LF
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Raburn |
C
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Grandal | |
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C
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Murphy |
RF
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Reddick | |
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1B
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Cardullo | LF | Toles | |
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SS
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Adames |
CF
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Pederson | |
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P
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Gray (R)
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P
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Kazmir (L)
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Another day, another pitcher returning from injury: today Scott Kazmir takes the hill for the first time since August 22nd. Kazmir, like Brett Anderson before him, has had all sorts of physical issues, including blisters, but Kazmir is also dealing with something called Thoracic Spine Inflammation. The good news is that it’s not Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, which is often a career-destroying ailment. However, there isn’t a lot of information to show how Kazmir will respond. Kazmir was fading pretty badly before hitting the disabled list (in his final four starts: 19 innings, 10 strikeouts, 13 walks, 5.68 ERA, 6.18 FIP) and is known for being a slow finisher. Some pessimism is warranted.
On the other side of the ball, Jon Gray is going for the Rockies. In a world without Corey Seager, Gray might have had a chance at winning Rookie of the Year this season, having compiled 3.7 fWAR, 2.6 rWAR, and 3.1 DRA-WARP. Gray is easily a league average pitcher by advanced metrics, and his ERA isn’t that far behind once you account for Coors Field. He’s also coming off of one of the best individual pitching performances of the season, in which he shut out the Padres with sixteen strikeouts, while allowing just four hits and walking none. Gray relies heavily on his fastball, which can top out at 99 while averaging over 95. Gray also throws a slider in the high 80s, a curve in the upper 70s, and occasionally mixes in changeups around 85. It’s rare that the Rockies have a pitching prospect that actually pans out, but Gray is well on his way.
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The Dodgers also called up Chris Taylor today to give the team 39 players on the active roster. They are also reportedly reactivating Brandon McCarthy tomorrow (though he is not currently listed to start any games), which would give the team a full 40 players on the roster. This may or may not be unprecedented, and it’s certainly extremely rare. It’s also kind of funny, because it would mean that the 15-day DL would be empty after a year such as this.
This is a friendly reminder that today’s game will be on KTLA, including the pre-game ceremony honoring Vin Scully at 6:30.
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