Roger Arrieta
FEELIN’ ATHLETIC: The Dodgers travel to Phoenix Muni today for their first of two Cactus League meetings with the Athletics. The clubs will meet again for a rematch a week from today back in Glendale. The Dodgers are 9-16 all-time in the regular season against the A’s, last facing them in 2012, and have faced Oakland twice in the World Series, falling in five games in 1974 before downing the A’s, 4-1, in 1988.
The Dodgers open their “North American” regular season slate against the Padres in San Diego on March 30. In case you’re counting down the days, the Dodgers are just 19 days away from Opening Day in Sydney, Australia vs. the Diamondbacks!
SEEMS LIKE ONLY YESTERDAY: The Dodgers and Padres played to a 3-3 draw yesterday at Camelback Ranch as Josh Beckett and Paul Maholm made their 2014 debuts, tossing 2.0 scoreless innings apiece. Beckett, making his first appearance in a big league game since May 13, allowed just one hit and struck out three. Chone Figgins went 2-for-2 with a stolen base after entering the game as the designated hitter in the seventh inning and also scored a run in the seventh on Dee Gordon’s RBI triple.
ON THE MOUND: Clayton Kershaw will make his second start of the spring after allowing three runs on five hits in 2.0 innings and taking the loss on Wednesday at Arizona in the Dodgers’ Cactus League opener. Kershaw has made two career starts against Oakland without factoring in a decision, but has allowed just one run on seven hits with 15 strikeouts in 13.2 innings (0.66 ERA) against the A’s.
Brandon League is expected to make his first appearance of the spring today and is familiar with the A’s from his days pitching in Seattle from 2010-12. During the course of his career, League has made 35 appearances against Oakland (4.03 ERA), facing the A’s more than any other club besides the Yankees (42 games).
Seth Rosin will make his second appearance of the spring after an impressive debut on Wednesday at Arizona, when he struck out five of the seven batters he faced in 2.0 scoreless frames. Rosin was acquired in a trade with the Mets in December after he was selected from Philadelphia in the Rule 5 draft.
Pedro Baez (0 ER/1.0 IP, Thursday vs. Arizona), Carlos Frias (1 ER/1.0 IP, Thursday vs. Arizona) and Jarret Martin (0 ER/1.0 IP, Thursday vs. Arizona) are expected to make their second appearance of the spring today.
The Dodgers have yet to surrender a home run in 43.0 innings through five games this spring.
NOT SO MINOR: The Dodgers will suit up four minor leaguers today: RHP Justin Souza (#90), OF Jamie Romak (#94), OF Jeremy Hazelbaker (#92) and IF Darnell Sweeney (#87).
Hazelbaker was acquired from Boston on Oct. 23, 2013 in exchange for Alex Castellanos and batted .257 with 11 homers and 54 RBI in 121 games for the Red Sox’s Triple-A Pawtucket club last season. The 26-year-old was originally selected by Boston in the fourth round of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft out of Ball State University.
Romak was signed by the Dodgers as a free agent on Nov. 19, 2013 and has a .248 career batting average with 149 homers and 564 RBI in 1,020 minor league games in 11 professional seasons. The 28-year-old spent the last two seasons in the Cardinals’ system after he was originally selected by the Braves in the fourth round of the 2003 First-Year Player Draft.
Souza enters his first season in the Dodger organization and has a 33-27 record with a 4.66 ERA in 302 games (28 starts) in eight minor league seasons. Last year, the 28-year-old went a combined 5-3 with a 4.58 ERA in 50 relief appearances with Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo in the Tigers’ organization.
Sweeney enters his third professional season after he was selected by the Dodgers in the 13th round of the 2012 draft out of Central Florida. The 23-year-old spent the 2013 campaign with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga and ranked among the California League leaders in steals (48, 3rd), hits (152, T-4th), doubles (34, T-4th) and triples (16, 1st), while batting .275 with 11 homers and 77 RBI in 134 games.
A CUTT ABOVE THE REST: Congratulations are in order for Dodger pitching coach Rick Honeycutt, who tonight will receive the Fred Gregg Jr. Award from the Greater Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame at their 48th annual banquet. The Gregg award goes “to an individual who has made major contributions to sports.” Rick’s wife, Debbie, will accept the award in his honor.
TAKING A STAND: Earlier today, Clayton Kershaw, along with six other MLB players, was named to the Advisory Board of the Taylor Hooton Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating North America’s young people about the dangers of anabolic steroids and other appearance and performance enhancing drugs. The friends and family of Taylor Hooton formed the Foundation in 2004 after his untimely death at 17 years old following his use of anabolic steroids. More information can be found at taylorhooton.org.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Date/Time Opponent Location Probables TV/RADIO
March 4 / 1:05 p.m. vs. SEA Glendale RHP Brian Wilson vs. RHP Felix Hernandez SNLA
March 5 / 7:05 p.m. at CIN Goodyear LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu vs. RHP Homer Bailey SNLA/KLAC
via Los Angeles Dodgers
