Welcome Back Dan Haren!

Dan Haren has exercised his player option for 2015! In 2014, Haren went 13-11 with a 4.02 ERA, 186 IP, 145 K, and 36 BB. He also recently underwent should surgery on his left shoulder and is expected to be ready for Spring Training.

Dan Haren will return to the #Dodgers next season. Exercised his option for 2015.
— Dylan Hernandez (@dylanohernandez) October 30, 2014

Welcome back Dan!

No Recap This Week

Due to my birthday being this past Saturday, I did not have time to prepare this week's recap. Instead I will do it in conjunction with next week's recap. I'm sorry if I've disappointed anyone.

Birthday

So I don't know how many of you knew that yesterday was my birthday. Well all day yesterday I tweeted the Dodgers saying it was my birthday just hoping that they would tweet me saying happy birthday. As I was getting ready for bed at 11:30pm, just a half hour left, I checked my phone and had plenty of Twitter notifications and one of them was from the Dodgers!!!! That's right, I got my tweet!

@Lauren_Douglass persistence will take you far. Happy birthday Lauren! 😄🎉
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 25, 2014

I was so ecstatic that they tweeted me happy birthday! They have favorited my tweets before but I've never gotten a response until yesterday! Needless to say it was the perfect ending to a great day!

If you want to see the pictures from the Arizona Fall League game I went to yesterday then click on "2014" and scroll down to Arizona Fall League.

Bloglovin

Hey guys! I know it's the offseason and there isn't much going on right now. However I would love it if you could follow me on Bloglovin!


Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Happy Birthday!

Happy 31st birthday to Dodgers' pitcher Zack Greinke! I hope you have a great day and can't wait to see you at Camelback and Dodgers Stadium in 2015!

AZ Fall League Week 2 Recap

The second week of the Arizona Fall League is over and the Desert Dogs are 4-4-1. Here's how the week shaped up:

Game 1: T 2-2
Game 2: W 9-0 Magill pitched
Game 3: W 7-5
Game 4: L 5-1
Game 5: W 6-5
Game 6: W 9-4

This week seemed to fare much better for Desert Dogs. They started off the week with a tie, not as god as a win not as bad as a loss. The next game, started by our own Dodger Matt Magill. He ended up getting the W, gave up 0 runs and struck out 3. Two games later, Corey Seager hit an RBI double to take the lead against the Rafters, but we ended up losing 5-1 (which was our only loss of the week!). Hopefully we can continue this great streak and get above .500!

From http://www.facebook.com/MLBFallBall

New President of Baseball Operations

Andrew Friedman, former Tampa Bay Rays GM, is the Dodgers  new President of Baseball Operations. Ned Colletti has been promoted and is now the senior advisor to CEO Stan Kasten meaning the Dodgers now have no GM. Many have called for Colletti to be replaced after their debacle of a playoff run; except he is still with the front office, but now he is in a different role.

Sources say that Friedman plans for Mattingly to stay as the manager in 2015, which ruffles some of the feathers for some fans who want Mattingly gone.

Source: Friedman's plan for now is to move forward with Mattingly as manager in 2015. #Dodgers
— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) October 14, 2014

We will see in the coming week and months who replaces Colletti as GM. Hopefully this will change the dynamics of the Dodgers and they can bring a World Series back to Los Angeles in 2015.

From http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=la

AZ Fall League Week 1 Recap

The first week of the Arizona Fall League has concluded and the Glendale Desert Dogs are a mere 1-3.

The Deserts Dogs opened up the 2014 season to the Mesa Solar Sox for two games. They won the first game on Oct, 7, and that would be the only win of the week. However, their second game against the Solar Sox was rained out, the first since 2011. Since then, they lost three straight games. They are now 1 game behind in the Arizona Fall League West.

Game 1: W 9-3
Game 2: Cancelled
Game 3: L 7-4
Game 4: L 14-3
Game 5: L 2-1

I haven't noticed anything of the Dodgers top prospects. However, I will keep a better look out and next week's recap will be more in depth.

From http://www.facebook.com/MLBFallBall

Josh Beckett to Retire

Yesterday after the Dodgers were eliminated from the postseason, Josh Beckett announced that he will retire from the MLB. This announcement comes after he tore his labrum in his left hit that caused him to miss the end of the 2014 season and postseason. This season he went 6-6 with a 2.88 ERA in 20 starts. He also threw a no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies on May 25, 2014. He spent 14 years in the majors. Beckett's retirement announcement is not a surprise to many, he had been hinting it since after his no-hitter. Although it isn't a surprise, it's still sad that he had to retire because of his health. He determined it's not worth all of the work to get himself ready before pitching.

Thank you Josh for your two years of service with the Dodgers and the rest of your career with the MLB. You will be missed within the Dodgers organization and the fans. Good luck on what you choose to do next!

NLDS Game 4 Recap

This game is over in St. Louis and the Cardinals overtook the Dodgers 3-2 to move on the the NLCS. Let's see how it turned out:

1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  R  H  E

0  0  0  0  0  2  0  0  0  2  8  0

0  0  0  0  0  0  3  0  0  3  4  0

The game was a battle all the way to the 6th inning, where the Dodgers took the lead 2-0 by some well placed base hits. However the Cardinals would do their thing in the 7th inning when Matt Adams hit a three-run home run off Clayton Kershaw to take the lead. The Dodgers would try and redeem themselves in the 9th with AJ Ellis walking, Yasiel Puig pinch running, and Dee Gordon getting a single. However it was all for nothing, the Cardinals struck out Justin Turner and then Carl Crawford grounded into a fielders choice to Wong to end the game. The Cardinals are now moving on to the NLCS to face the winner of the San Francisco Giants/Washington Nationals series beginning Saturday October 11 and the winner of this series will go on to the World Series to face the winner of the Baltimore Orioles/Kansas City Royals series (ALCS) which begins Friday October 10.

I hope you guys will stay with me throughout the offseason. You can follow me on Twitter from my "About" page and I hope to see you guys next year. It was a great ride. See you next year Dodgers and Dodger Fam.

From m.dodgers.mlb.com

NLDS Game 4: Dodgers @ Cardinals

This afternoon, the Dodgers look to tie the NLDS at 2 and bring the series back to Chavez Ravine after suffering a loss last night. This game is an elimination game for the Dodgers and they will be putting their best foot forward with Clayton Kershaw on the mound. Tonight's game is slated to start at 2:07pm PT. Here's how it's going to look:

The Dodgers' Don Mattingly, before the start of yesterday's game, decided that Clayton Kershaw would get the start over Dan Haren; and that is who is on the mound for the Dodgers. The Dodgers also decided to bench Puig who is only a mere 3-for-12 with 8 K throughout the entire series. Andre Ethier, making his first start this series, will be the replacement in CF for Puig and hopefully with bring a hot bat to the plate. Other than that change, both the Dodgers and the Cardinals lineups are the same. Both teams are hoping to win, if the Cardinals win they will go on to the NLCS to face either the San Francisco Giants or the Washington Nationals (who have a series at 2-1 with SF leading). On the other hand, the Dodgers are looking to win so they can tie up the series and bring it back to the Ravine and have Greinke lead them to the NLCS. But first, let's see the lineups:

Dodgers:

1. Gordon 2B
2. Crawford LF
3. Gonzalez 1B
4. Kemp RF
5. Ramirez SS
6. Ethier CF
7. Uribe 3B
8. Ellis C
9. Kershaw P

Cardinals:

1. Carpenter 3B
2. Grichuck RF
3. Holliday LF
4. Peralta SS
5. Adams 1B
6. Molina C
7. Jay CF
8. Wong 2B
9. Miller P

This game is critical for both teams, and both teams are looking to advance their seasons. The Dodgers need to win this game to keep their chance at moving on. After tonight's loss and with Kershaw on the mound, this game should be an exciting one. Watch this afternoon on Fox Sports 1!

From m.dodgers.mlb.com

NLDS Game 3 Recap

The tie has been broken in St. Louis and the Cardinals are the ones who have taken the lead. This is how the game turned out (The Dodgers are on the top, Cardinals are on the bottom):

1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  R   H  E

0  0  0  0  0  1  0  0  0  1   7  0

0  0  1  0  0  0  2  0  X  3  11 0

Tonight's game started off slow again; however in the third inning, the Cardinals struck first with a solo home run by Matt Carpenter, his third of the series, to push the Cardinals up 1-0.The Dodgers came back and tied it up after Yasiel Puig hit a lead off triple and then Hanley Ramirez hit a double to bring Puig in and tie it all up. However that tie would be short lived when Ryu would be replaced by Scott Elbert in the seventh inning. Ryu finished 6 innings giving up 5 hits, 1 run, 1 walk and he struck out 4 batters. Elbert would give up a double to Yadier Molina and two batters later he would give up a two run home run to Kolten Wong. This home run would lift the Cardinals to 3-1 which would become the final score of the game. Although the Dodgers made a valiant effort in the last inning, it wouldn't be enough; they are now down 2-0 in this series. Tomorrow the Dodgers are facing elimination in St. Loius, down 2-1 with Kershaw on the mound; hoping they can tie the series again and bring it back to Dodgers Stadium Thursday. 

From m.dodgers.mlb.com

Arizona Fall League

Tomorrow the Arizona Fall League kicks into gear! The team that includes Dodgers prospects is the Glendale Desert Dogs; and they will be playing at Camelback Ranch (where Spring Training is held). The Desert Dogs are in the Arizona Fall League West with two of the other six ball clubs. The other affiliates on the Desert Dogs are the 1) Baltimore Orioles, 2) Chicago White Sox, 3) Detroit Tigers and 4) Milwaukee Brewers. All five teams will be pooling their top prospects into this team.

The Dodgers will be sending seven players to the Desert Dogs; 4 pitchers, 2 infielders and 1 outfielder. The four pitchers we will be fielding are Daniel Coulombe (LHP), Matt Magill (RHP), Blake Smith (RHP) and Mike Thomas (LHP). The three fielders we will be fielding are Corey Seager (INF), Darnell Sweeney (INF), and Scott Schebler (OF).

Tomorrow's game is against the Mesa Solar Sox at 12:35pm at Camelback Ranch. If you'd like to purchase tickets you can go here and purchase individual game tickets (adult for $8, senior 55+/children 3-17 for $6, or a group of 20+ for $4 each) or a season pass (family pass for $115, adult pass for $80, or senior pass 55+ for $75). All seats are general admission  and tickets can be bought one hour prior to game time.

From http://www.facebook.com/MLBFallBall

NLDS Game 3: Dodgers @ Cardinals

After a 1-1 series tie in Los Angeles, the NLDS in now in St. Louis. Coming off a big win, the Dodgers will be facing the Cardinals on their home turf at 6:07pm PT. Let's see how it's going to look tonight:

Tonight the Dodgers, with the best road record in the MLB at 49-32 will take on the Cardinals in St. Louis. The Dodgers will be starting Ryu tonight who is coming off another shoulder issue; however the Dodgers are confident that he is ready but they do have a plan B in case things don't go as expected. The Cardinals will be putting Lackey on the mound. The Dodgers are batting .333 collectively and Crawford has the hottest bat against him. Here is the lineups both teams will be sporting tonight:

Dodgers:

1. Gordon 2B
2. Puig CF
3. Gonzalez 1B
4. Kemp RF
5. Ramirez SS
6. Crawford LF
7. Uribe 3B
8. Ellis C
9. Ryu P

Cardinals:

1. Carpenter 3B
2. Grichuk RF
3. Holliday LF
4. Peralta SS
5. Adams 1B
6. Molina C
7. Jay CF
8. Wong 2B
9. Lackey P

Tonight, one team will take the lead in this series and the Dodgers hope to be that team. On the flip side, the Cardinals hope that home field advantage will push them to the lead of this series. Tonight's game should be an exciting game in St. Louis; don't forget to watch on Fox Sports 1!

From m.dodgers.mlb.com

NLDS Game 2 Recap

Well game 2 of the NLDS is done! Here is how the score came out (Cardinals are on the top, Dodgers are on the bottom):

1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  R  H  E

0  0  0  0  0  0  0  2  0  2  5  1

0  0  2  0  0  0  0  1  X  3  8  0

This is the game that everyone was expecting last night, a pitcher's duel. It started off scoreless until the bottom of the third when we got our bats hot. Both teams stayed quiet until the eighth, when Matt Carpenter hit a two-run shot off of JP Howell. to tie up the game. However it wouldn't stay tied for long, Matt Kemp hit a solo home run to lift the Dodgers up 3-2. The Dodgers would keep it that way and beat the Cardinals 3-2 to tie the series 1-1. Greinke pitched a beautiful 7 innings, gave up 2 hits and 0 runs; he walked 2 and struck out 7. Now the series heads to St. Louis, with an off day tomorrow, the Dodgers look to take the lead on Monday.

From m.dodgers.mlb.com

NLDS Game 2: Dodgers vs Cardinals

Today the Dodgers try to bounce back from last night's tough loss in game 2 of the NLDS. Tonight's game is set to starts at 6:37pm PT; a closer time to the usual 7:10pm start time of the regular season. Here's how it'll look tonight.

Game 2 is back at the Ravine. The Dodgers look to regain themselves against Lynn and the Cardinals. Tonight they will have Silver Slugger Zack Greinke on the mound and at the plate they will face Lance Lynn. The Dodgers have stuck to the same lineup, which produced nine runs on sixteen hits last night, to face Lynn while the Cardinals have switched it up a bit. Take a look:

Dodgers:

1. Gordon 2B
2. Puig CF
3. Gonzalez 1B
4. Kemp RF
5. Ramirez SS
6. Crawford LF
7. Uribe 3B
8. Ellis C
9. Greinke P

Cardinals:

1. Carpenter 3B
2. Jay CF
3. Holliday LF
4. Adams 1B
5. Peralta SS
6. Molina C
7. Wong 2B
8. Grichuk RF
9. Lynn P

The Dodgers hope to avenge last night's game while the Cardinals are looking to stomp the Dodgers. Tonight's game should be an exciting one with these two teams. Greinke has also been an asset for the Dodgers and tonight they are looking to him to lead them to victory.

From m.dodgers.mlb.com

NLDS Game 1 Recap

Well game 1 of the NLDS is a wrap! The Cardinals overtook the Dodgers 10-9 in a very exciting game. Here is how it turned out (Cardinals are on the top, Dodgers are on the bottom):

1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9   R     H    E

1  0  0  0  0  1  8  0  0  10   10    0

0  0  2  2  2  0  0  2  1  9     16    0

The game got off to a slow start. The Cardinals took an early lead in the first. However in the third inning Adam Wainwright hit Yasiel Puig; Adrian Gonzalez got into the face of Yadier Molina and the benches cleared. This brought the spark into the Dodgers that every fan was hoping for, and the Dodgers scored two runs in that inning and the next two. However, in the 7th inning, Clayton Kershaw gave up six runs and was pulled for Pedro Baez. Baez then gave up a two-run to Matt Holliday to give the Cardinals their 10 runs. The Dodgers rallied back in the 8th and 9th to come within one run of the Cardinals but fell short and lost 10-9.

From m.dodgers.mlb.com

NLDS Game 1: Dodgers vs Cardinals

Today is the day, the NLDS starts today at 3:37pm PT. Both rosters have already been released, so now it is time to cover game 1.

Game 1 will take place at Dodgers Stadium. It will be a battle of the pitchers between Clayton Kershaw and Adam Wainwright. The Dodgers and Cards are no strangers to the postseason with their most recent match up in last year's NLCS; the Cardinals moved on to the World Series but were defeated by the Red Sox. However, the Dodgers are looking to avenge themselves and beat them in the 2014 NLDS and it starts with game 1. Here is the two lineups:

Dodgers:

1. Gordon 2B
2. Puig CF
3. Gonzalez 1B
4. Kemp RF
5. Ramirez SS
6. Crawford LF
7. Uribe 3B
8. Ellis C
9. Kershaw P

Cardinals:

1. Carpenter 3B
2. Grichuk RF
3. Holliday LF
4. Peralta SS
5. Molina C
6. Adams 1B
7. Kozma 2B
8. Jay CF
9. Wainwright P

The Dodgers look to take an advantage in this series with Kershaw on the mound. He has been an all around powerhouse for the team and many have said he should be this year's MVP. The boys in blue will look to use this lineup to back up their pitcher and hopefully beat the Cardinals today.

From m.dodgers.mlb.com

NLDS Roster

Here it is! The Los Angeles Dodgers' NLDS roster! It's about time! Game 1 against the Cardinals is today at 3:37pm and here is the team we will be fielding!

The Dodgers have decided to field 13 players and 12 pitchers (8 of which will be our bullpen)

Starting Pitchers (4): Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Hyun-Jin Ryu, and Dan Haren

Relief Pitchers (8): Pedro Baez, Scott Elbert, Carlos Frias, J.P. Howell, Brandon League, Kenley Jansen, Brian Wilson, Jamey Wright

Starting Lineup (8): A.J. Ellis, Adrian Gonzalez, Dee Gordon, Hanley Ramirez, Juan Uribe, Carl Crawford, Yasiel Puig, and Matt Kemp

Reserves (5): Drew Butera, Andre Ethier, Miguel Rojas, Justin Turner, and Scott Van Slyke

It has also been said that Joc Pederson and Tim Federowicz are going to be traveling with the team during this series.

One of the biggest surprises to fans is that Elbert has made the roster over Paco Rodriguez. Granted he didn't do as well towards the end of the regular season; however Elbert has come off an injury that has sidelined him for two years. Although I am proud of him for making a pretty goo comeback at the end of the regular season; is he really ready for this postseason task? I guess we will find out!

*Roster from the Los Angeles Dodgers

From m.dodgers.mlb.com

First Post!

Hey everyone! Yup this is my first post, the night before the NLDS against the Cardinals! I hope you guys are very excited for the game tomorrow! It is on TBS at 3:37 PT and should be very exciting. If you're lucky enough to attend 1) I envy you and 2) I truly hope you have a great time. Anyway, tomorrow should be exciting and I can't wait!

Follow me on Twitter here and here. The second one I haven't used much but since I have this blog I probably will.

Let's beat the birds!

*Note: Non-post pictures will be linked to their sources of which I found them on the internet. I will try my best to get direct sources on pictures but it may not work out. Post pictures will have their source in the caption; again I will try to get pictures from the direct source.