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Torre chooses Belliard at second

GameSetMatch — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:27:11 +0000

Orlando Hudson feels grateful merely to be on anybody’s roster this season, much less getting ready for the first postseason series of his career.

Actually playing would be even better.

It’ll happen, but not at the start of tonight’s Dodgers-Cardinals Game 1 at Dodger Stadium. Dodgers manager Joe Torre said Tuesday he’ll go with Ronnie Belliard at second base for the opener against Cardinals right-hander Chris Carpenter.

Belliard “doesn’t have as wide a range (defensively) as Hudson does, but I think offensively he’s maybe a little fresher right now,” Torre said Tuesday.

“We asked O-Dog to do a lot of stuff early in the year. And he played his tail off and continues to do that. But it was just a decision I decided to make, and we’ll go day-to-day right now. We’ll go with Belliard and see what we have.”

Click here to read the full article – By Jim Alexander of The Press-Enterprise

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Kershaw ripe for breakout, comparison

GameSetMatch — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:35:57 +0000

Sooner or later, Clayton Kershaw seems destined to be “The Guy” of the Dodgers’ starting rotation — and it’s looking more like sooner rather than later.

He was a 20-year-old rookie bit player in last year’s playoffs with two innings of relief, but he’ll be starting Game 2 of the National League Division Series against St. Louis on Thursday, the youngest Dodger given the ball in the postseason since Fernando Valenzuela. Randy Wolf earned the Game 1 nod based on consistency and experience, but it is Kershaw’s electric left arm that has the potential to dominate, even against a lineup as potent as the one the Cardinals possess.

Click here to read the full article – By Ken Gurnick of MLB.com

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Elbert pitching way into key role for LA

GameSetMatch — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:12:41 +0000

The Dodgers were already trailing by the final score in the eighth inning Tuesday night when Scott Elbert took the mound for the Dodgers, but it wasn’t a meaningless outing for the rookie left-hander.

“He’s auditioning,” said manager Joe Torre, who has been impressed enough by Elbert’s composure and stuff to suddenly use him in close games with an eye on October.

Indeed, with Hong-Chih Kuo’s elusive command only a couple months after seemingly overcoming control issues, Elbert could very well be this year’s James McDonald, sneaking onto the postseason pitching staff via an impressive September after having virtually no role during the previous five months.

Click here to read the full article – By Ken Gurnick of MLB.com

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Classy Kemp closing in on history

GameSetMatch — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:35:47 +0000

Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp celebrated a quarter century of life on Wednesday while Dodgers fans are celebrating a rising star who has a good shot of reaching a statistical plateau that has never been reached in the more than 100-year history of the franchise.

Kemp is aiming to become the first Dodgers player to hit .300 with 25 homers, 100 RBIs and 30 steals in one season. Through Wednesday, his 25th birthday, Kemp was hitting .304 with 25 homers, 97 RBIs and 34 steals in 149 games.

Already, he is only the sixth player in Dodgers history to have 20 homers and 30 steals in one season, and the first since Raul Mondesi in 1999.

There will be those who tell you that they knew this is what they’d eventually see from the gifted but raw young athlete drafted in the sixth round of the 2003 First-Year Player Draft out of high school in Oklahoma, where he turned down an offer from the Sooners to play shooting guard and instead opted to focus on baseball.

Click here to read the full article – By Lisa Winston of MLB.com

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Bradley, Ethier linked by notable trade

GameSetMatch — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:21:16 +0000

On the very day the Chicago Cubs decided they had seen enough of Milton Bradley and sent him home, the Los Angeles Dodgers and their fans just couldn’t get enough of Andre Ethier.

And just what does Bradley have to do with Ethier? Plenty. They are connected by a trade nearly four years ago that resulted in Ethier becoming a member of the Dodgers and a driving force in the team’s bid for postseason success.

On Sunday at Dodger Stadium, Ethier hit his team-leading 31st home run and ran his RBI total to 101. Meanwhile, in St. Louis, where the Cubs were preparing to play the Cardinals, Chicago GM Jim Hendry met with Bradley to tell the outfielder he was suspended for the final two weeks of the season.

Click here to read the full article – By Fred Claire of MLB.com

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Dodgers get INF Ronnie Belliard from Nationals for P Garcia and player to be named

GameSetMatch — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:41:33 +0000

The NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers added to their infield depth on Sunday, getting Ronnie Belliard from the Washington Nationals for a minor leaguer and a player to be named. The Dodgers sent Class A pitcher Luis Garcia to the Nationals.

The 34-year-old Belliard batted .246 with five homers and 22 RBIs for Washington. He’ll join the Dodgers in Los Angeles before their game Monday against Arizona, making him eligible for postseason play.

“He gives us some offense,” manager Joe Torre said. “He can play around the infield, probably all positions but shortstop. It gives me the ability to spell these guys. He gives us a little more depth with experience coming off the bench.”

Belliard started at second base for St. Louis during its 2006 World Series championship, batting .240 with four RBIs during the playoffs. The Dodgers will have to make a roster move to open a spot for him on Monday.

Click here to read the full article – By JOE KAY of myphil17.com

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Dodgers’ Kuroda steps up workouts

GameSetMatch — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:26:48 +0000

Ten days after taking a line drive off his head, disabled pitcher Hiroki Kuroda on Tuesday had his most strenuous workout since the injury and is scheduled for his first full bullpen session Wednesday.

Kuroda, reporting that post-concussion syndrome symptoms of headaches and dizziness were diminishing, sprinted with fellow pitchers, shagged fly balls in the outfield and went through the pitching motion on the bullpen mound while holding a towel instead of a ball.

On Sunday, Kuroda played light catch off the Dodger Stadium bullpen mound. On Monday, before the team left for Colorado, he was examined by neurologists in Los Angeles and cleared to step up his rehabilitation from the frightening incident at Chase Field, when the D-backs’ Rusty Ryal turned around a 94-mph fastball and drilled Kuroda on the right side of his head.

Click here to read the full article – By Ken Gurnick of MLB.com

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Ethier's walk-off magic rescues Dodgers

GameSetMatch — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 16:34:42 +0000

The Atlanta Braves kept giving them opportunities, but it didn’t seem that the Dodgers had what it took to rally for a win Thursday night at Dodger Stadium.

His team trailing by two runs in the seventh inning, Manny Ramirez walked to the batter’s box with two on and two out while a heavy-metal riff fit for a closer played over the P.A. system. Surely, he’d come through in that situation. But Ramirez struck out on a 2-2 slider to end the inning.

The Dodgers couldn’t come through again with runners in scoring position in the eighth when Matt Kemp struck out to end that particular threat.

Click here to read the full article – By David Ely of MLB.com

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Kemp emerging as five-tool star

GameSetMatch — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:02:46 +0000

Sparked by a 4-for-5 performance in the Dodgers’ 17-4 win against the Brewers on Tuesday, Matt Kemp began Wednesday’s game tied for fourth in the National League with a .323 batting average.

That stat shouldn’t be a total shocker. Despite Kemp’s youth, he’s been consistently one of the Dodgers’ top hitters for average and has been above .300 since May 30.

But the fact that Kemp is positioning himself for a possible run at the NL batting crown comes as a surprise to manager Joe Torre.

Click here to read the full article – By David Ely of MLB.com

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Los Angeles Dodgers Memorabilia – Autograph Showcase

sportsfan1 — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 21:06:10 +0000

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Below are links to memorabilia available for popular Los Angeles Dodgers players.

Tommy Holmes Autographs and Memorabilia

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