Dodgers Announce 2014 Schedule

The Dodgers (and all of MLB) announced their 2014 schedule this morning. Here it is in calendar form. Some highlights:

• As previously announced, the team opens on the road in Australia for two games against the Diamondbacks, March 22-23. Yes, MLB is counting that as "Opening Day," even though the season doesn't start for everyone else until March 31. The two games will be home games for the DBacks because...well...Trent Oeltjen played for them first or something.
  
• 2014's interleague opponents (aside from the usual Angels games) come from the AL Central. They'll host the Tigers April 8-9, the White Sox June 2-4, and the Indians June 30-July 2. (Rejoice, Carlos Santana enthusiasts!) Road series include the Twins April 29-May 1 (likely three rainouts), the Royals June 23-25, and the Tigers again July 8-9.
  
• The Dodgers open the season proper on the road in San Diego on March 31. The home opener will be April 4 vs. the Giants.
  
• For the first time since the inaugural event in 2004, the Dodgers will be in the road for Jackie Robinson Day on April 15. In San Francisco, no less. I don't like that one bit.

What say you, SoSG faithful?

Rookie Hazing, Part Four

Lonnie Murray is Director of Marketing for Dave Stewart's company, Sports Management Partners. She posted these pictures at @SMPLonnie:

Rookie Hazing, Part Three

?, Kenley Jansen, Dee Gordon, Tim Federowicz, Javy Guerra, Jerry Sands, Russ Mitchell, Justin Sellers, Trent Oeltjen, Josh Lindblom.

Some additions on the right. Let us know if you know who they are!

Jansen.

Gordon & Sellers.

Federowicz, Gordon, Sands.

Guerra, with Lindblom and ? in the background.

Gumby doing the Gumby?

1, 3, 5 & 7: @Dodgers; 2 & 8: @TheRealMattKemp; 4: @dodgerscribe; 6: PONealFSWest

Post-Game 132 Thread: Five-Spot Early Stops Dodgers' Win Streak At Five

ROCKIES 7, DODGERS 6

Jim Tracy snuck out of this visit to Chavez Ravine with only a series-salvaging win, as the Rockies scored five early on starter Nathan Eovaldi (in the first), putting the Dodgers in a hole from which they couldn't dig out. Not that the Dodgers didn't have their opportunities, battling back for six runs and scoring in the first, third, sixth, and seventh innings.

But the frame that basically says everything was the bottom of the sixth inning, when the Dodgers, down 7-2 and rallying with leadoff walks to Rod Barajas, Trent Oeltjen (playing RF in place of the vocal Andre Ethier), AND Jamey Carroll...send up Eugenio 0-for-27 Velez, I suppose to keep the rally alive. He didn't, grounding to short on a fielders' choice that ended up being an undeserving RBI, and making Velez 0-for-28.

I was at the game and when I saw Velez in the on-deck circle, I got that taste of vomit in the back of my throat. Tony Gwynn ended up following Velez with a sac fly, scoring a second run, but Justin Sellers Kd to end the inning and the rally. The Dodgers went 4-for-13 with RISP and left 8 on base.

Velez. The guy who can't even get his jersey spelled right. Sheesh.

Post-Game 127 Thread: Dodgers Sting Late

Actually, it was it was a moth. But the headline doesn't work if I say "Dodgers Fly Toward Bright Light And Cotton Clothes Late", so we're sticking with the bee thing.

DODGERS 2, CARDINALS 1

Nathan Eovaldi pitched a decent enough game as the starter: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER off a solo shot from Lance Berkman (that was jacked 421 feet to center, getting fireworks from Busch Stadium), 2 Ks, 1 BB. However, when your offense prior to the ninth inning consisted of James Loney (3-for-4 before being subbed by Trent Oeltjen) and Rod Barajas (2-for-4), there wasn't a lot of hope. Josh Lindblom, Scott Elbert, and Matt Guerrier each pitched a scoreless inning to keep us down by the one run, but we looked largely impotent.

In fact, the first time the Dodgers got to the Cardinals was in the eighth inning, when a bee sting (or something (see picture caption; it was apparently just a moth)) felled Matt Holliday in left field (Holliday left holding his ear and was replaced by Corey Patterson). But then came the ninth: a leadoff HBP to Juan Rivera (PR Justin Sellers), which chased Chris Carpenter (8.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 Ks). Then Arthur Rhodes struck out Andre Ethier (capping off a 0-for-4 evening for 'Dre). And then, improbably, Aaron Miles tripled off of Fernando Salas, causing a chorus of boos from the Cardinals crowd. And Rod Barajas then hit a smoker to short which was misfielded by former Dodger Rafael Furcal, who compounded it by coming home with a bad throw wide of the plate (on the first-base side), allowing Miles to scamper in with the go-ahead run. Casey Blake PH for Eusuckio Velez and promptly GIDP, but the damage was done, with the Dodgers scoring two in the ninth to take a 2-1 lead.

Javy Guerra came in and got Albert Pujols to fly out to the infield and got Patterson to ground to second. Then Rafael Furcal came in with two out and Jamey Carroll returned Furcal's misplay favor (to be fair, it was a tough grounder that Carroll tried to barehand while charging, and when he couldn't pick up the ball there was no play). Founding Father Jon Jay then flied to left field and the Dodgers had stolen the game outright.

Post-Game 80 Thread: Dodgers All Over These Twins

DODGERS 15 FUCKING RUNS, TWINS ZEEEEEERO

Chad Billingsley did his best out there tonight, going six innings with 4 H, 0 ER, 4 Ks and 2 BBs, just trying to give the Dodgers' offense enough time to try and eke out a run or two.

Which they did in the first inning, when they scored twice off of an Andre Ethier reach-off-an-error, scoring Tony Gwynn. And again that inning, when Ethier scored after Matt Kemp doubled.

And again in the third, when James Loney singled to right to score Ethier.

And again two times in the fourth, both when Trent Oeltjen (who tonight almost became the first Australian-born Dodger to hit for the cycle) hit a solo HR, as well as when Casey Blake singled to score Gwynn a second time.

And again three separate times in the fifth, off of an AJ Ellis single (scoring Juan Uribe), a Dee Gordon single (scoring Oeltjen), and a wild pitch (scoring Ellis).

And again two times in the sixth, off a Uribe single (scoring Kemp) and a Oeltjen sac fly (scoring Loney).

And again twice in the seventh, off of solo shots from Blake and Kemp (his league-leading 22nd).

And again three times in the eighth, off of a Gordon double (scoring Oeltjen), a Gwynn single (scoring Ellis), and a Dioner Navarro sac fly (scoring Gordon).

Fifteen runs, fifteen separate scoring plays. 25 hits, tying a club record and setting a MLB-season high. And a shutout, thanks to Bills and company (including a pair of sweet defensive plays anchored by Dee Gordon (who did make one error as well), including a strike to nail Alexi Casilla at the plate, as well as an unconventional double play tag following a deflection off of Billingsley's glove (shoot, go check out the highlight, which is easier to watch than for me to try to explain)). On a day of disastrous Dodgers downers in the news, this was a nice capper. Thanks, boys.

Post-Game 75 Thread: Tigers Stymied; Dodgers Win Third In A Row

DODGERS 6, TIGERS 1

11 more strikeouts for the Tigers tonight, except this time, instead of one Dodgers gun mowing down Detroiters, strikeouts came at the hands of many Dodgers: starter Chad Billingsley (6 Ks over 5.1 IP), Matt Guerrier (1 K), Hong-Chih Kuo (1 K), and Blake Hawksworth (3 Ks to strike out the side in the ninth). The Tigers were 1-for-8 with RISP and left seven on base.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers were just cagey enough to eke out runs in four of their right frames, two coming off the bat of slumping Andre Ethier (fifth inning HR with one on and one out). Dee Gordon, A.J. Ellis, Tony Gwynn Jr., and even PH Trent Oeltjen notched RBI, with Oeltjen's coming off a double that could have been a three-bagger had he not slipped while rounding second base.

Morning baseball tomorrow, ladies and gentlemen, so get a good night's sleep!

photo swiped from dodgers.com

Hops

Matt Kemp celebrates yesterday's win and his NL-leading 20th home run with Tony Gwynn Jr. and Trent Oeltjen.

AP photo

Post-Game 65 Thread: Showing Up Too Late

ROCKIES 6, DODGERS 5

This game only appeared close because the Dodgers decided NOT to show up for the first eight innings, instead showing up late for the ninth. Through eight innings, the Dodgers had only three hits, all three of which came from leadoff batter Dee Gordon (two of the three hits) and recent call-up Trent Oeltjen. But in the ninth inning, Matt Kemp hit a one-out solo shot, Tony Gwynn doubled in James Loney, Aaron Miles hit a two-run single, and Rod Barajas singled Miles home, accounting for all of the Dodgers' scoring (five runs, total).

All that was not enough to overcome Chad Billingsley's sorry 4.2 IP, 13 H, 6 ER outing, that's for sure. Certainly not when you miss your wake up call and show up to the game late.

SI.com Nugget More "Truth" Than "Rumor"

Wow, what a f'ing revelation from SI.com yesterday:

While the designation may have been earned, it may also have meant something more. There seemed something almost symbolic about the Dodgers designating Ronnie Belliard for assignment Tuesday. That cleared a spot on the 40-man roster for outfielder Trent Oeltjen, called up from Triple A Albuquerque. The Belliard move could be viewed simply as recognition of his failure this year (.216 batting average, .327 slugging percentage in 162 at-bats) ... or that the Dodgers' season is effectively over and it's time to start looking toward next year.

No shit! On that note, let's cut to some other breaking news stories (courtesy of the the HuffPo):