Roger Arrieta
SUNDAY FUNDAY: The Dodgers will take on the Giants this afternoon in the Dodgers’ lone contest of Cactus League play against their NL West rivals. Last year, despite winning the division, the Dodgers went 8-11 against their neighbors to the north. The Dodgers play their “North American” slate home opener in just 26 days against the Giants at Dodger Stadium
Camelback Ranch – Glendale announced that today’s contest with the Giants is sold out. Fans only have six chances left to see the Boys in Blue at Camelback before they take off to Sydney, Australia next Sunday: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday (two games) and next Sunday.
Yesterday, the Dodgers played to their third tie of the Cactus League campaign, knotting with the Rangers at 5-5 in their first of two games on the day. Mike Baxter had two hits and two RBI for Los Angeles and is now hitting .333 this spring. Not to be outdone, Justin Turner had two hits and two runs scored, upping his average to .375 in Cactus League action. On the mound, Paul Maholm allowed one run in 3.0 innings and RHP Seth Rosin allowed his first run of the spring (an unearned one), keeping his ERA at 0.00.
In the nightcap, the Dodgers fell to Seattle, 8-5. Outfielder Joc Pederson belted a two-run homer and missed a second one by inches, settling for a 410-ft double. The young prospect is hitting .211 this spring with two home runs and five RBI. On the mound, Jose Dominguez fired 2.0 more scoreless frames and has now tossed 5.0 innings without allowing a run this spring.
Minor league position players suiting up today include IF Corey Seager (#91), IF Ozzie Martinez (#87), OF Jeremy Hazelbaker (#89), OF Scott Schebler(#90 and OF Noel Cuevas (#92).
Seager is making his first appearance with the big league camp this season and was the Dodgers’ first-round selection (18th overall) in the 2012 draft. The North Carolina native’s brother, Kyle, plays for the Seattle Mariners and started at Camelback Ranch – Glendale last night. Last season, the Dodgers’ No. 1 draft pick in 2012 hit .309 with 12 homers and 57 RBI for Single-A Great Lakes, before getting promoted to Double-A Chattanooga, where he hit four homers in 27 games.
ON THE MOUND: Newly minted Opening-Day starter Clayton Kershaw will make his third start of the spring season this afternoon. Kershaw has allowed eight earned runs in 4.0 innings in Cactus League play thus far. The left-hander has dominated the Giants during the course of his seven-year career, going 11-5 with a 1.38 ERA in 22 games (21 starts) vs. San Francisco. In 2013, the reigning Cy Young Award winner was 3-1 with a 1.38 ERA in five starts against the Giants.
RHP Javy Guerra is slated to make his fourth appearance of the spring. Despite allowing six hits in 4.0 Cactus League innings, Guerra has yet to allow a run this spring.
Also set to see action is RHP Red Patterson, who has tossed 4.1 scoreless innings this spring in two games. Patterson last pitched on Tuesday vs. Seattle and went 2.0 scoreless frames while recording two strikeouts.
Minor leaguer RHPs Steve Edlefsen (#84) and Justin Souza (#88) will back up for the Dodgers this afternoon. Edlefsen, one of the newest Dodgers, was signed out of the club’s Feb. 27 open tryout and has appeared in 27 big league games during the course of his career with the Giants in 2011-2012, going 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA. The 28-year-old was originally selected by the Giants in the 16th round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Nebraska.
AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE!: The Dodgers will open the 2014 season 13 days from today (!) against the D-backs in MLB’s Opening Series in Sydney, Australia. The historic Sydney Cricket Ground has been undergoing renovations to prepare for the first-ever MLB games to be played Down Under. The club will depart Arizona following its March 16 game against the Rockies and land in Sydney on March 18. Following a few days of workouts and sightseeing, the Dodgers will play Team Australia in an exhibition on March 20 and then take on the D-backs on March 22 and 23 to open the regular season.
This morning, Dodger skipper Don Mattingly announced that Clayton Kershaw will start Game 1 of the Opening Series in Australia and Hyun-Jin Ryu would take the mound for Game 2. The Sydney start will be Kershaw’s fourth-career Opening Day nod.
RUN FOR THE CAUSE: This morning in Los Angeles, the LA Marathon kicked off at Dodger Stadium and a member of the Dodger family took part as Heather Howell, J.P.’s wife, ran in order to raise support and awareness for human trafficking. Howell is affiliated with “Run for Hope” at the marathon and is running for two shelters located in Southern California: one is a 72-hour rescue center, and the other a long-term rehabilitation and restoration program that provides for intense counseling, medical, and legal needs of victims, as well as GED and job search.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Date/Time Opponent Location Probables TV/RADIO
March 10 / 1:05 p.m. vs. OAK Glendale LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu vs. RHP Jarrod Parker SNLA
March 11/1:05 p.m. at KC Surprise TBD vs. LHP Justin Vargas SNLA
via Los Angeles Dodgers
