Kershaw Not Likely To Start Opening Day

Not Kershaw. I hope.

My god, the news just keeps on getting worse.

Kershaw won't start Opening Day 2019:

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Manager Dave Roberts all but conceded on Monday that Clayton Kershaw won’t be ready to start Opening Day for the Dodgers.

“That’s fair,” Roberts said, when asked if the 24 days between now and March 28, plus the left shoulder injury that has kept Kershaw off a mound, equals a likely change in plans.

“The main thing is he’s trending in the right direction, and when he’s game ready is when he’s game ready,” said Roberts.

Is it FAIR, Doc? FAIR???? After two World Series losses, is anything in this life fair at all anymore?!

The last non-Kershaw Opening Day starter was...Vicente Padilla, in 2010. And we lost.

I need a drink.

Former Dodgers, On The Move

Here's a gaggle of stories about former Dodgers.

• Battletoad Vicente Padilla has an invitation to come to spring training with the Red Sox to compete for a starting role. Better hope the equipment guys bought some extra towels this offseason!

  BOSTON -- Newly signed Vicente Padilla will come to camp as a starter and be "in the mix" for the back end of the Red Sox rotation, general manager Ben Cherington said in a conference call with reporters Tuesday.

  He also acknowledged that Padilla could wind up in the bullpen.

  Padilla was briefly used as a closer by his last big-league team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, recording three saves before requiring neck surgery.

• Hee-Seop Choi may not be a hero after all; that is, not if the Kia Tigers can't deal him. Here's the skinny (no link, but this article is from the Korea Times):

  Trade talks involving former Major League Baseball first baseman Choi Hee-seop have broken down, Choi's South Korean club said Monday, as it mulled an outright release.

  The Kia Tigers of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said they have called off trade discussions with the Nexen Heroes. The Gwangju-based Tigers had been seeking to deal Choi, who missed the start of their team practice earlier this month citing personal reasons.

  The Tigers said the Heroes, based in Seoul, had the most interest in acquiring Choi. Though neither team disclosed which Nexen players were on the trading block, sources have said a left-handed reliever and a right-handed infielder would have been traded for Choi.

  Kia officials have said Choi was suffering from flu when he didn't show up for the team workshop on Jan. 6 and the start of the offseason training camp two days later. Sources said Choi had put on extra pounds in the offseason and was in no shape to play baseball.

• And finally, though he's not a former Dodger: Tim Lincecum has asked for a 65% increase in pay next year, from $13.1M to $21.5M. Says the ESPN article, "The two-time NL Cy Young Award winner's request neared the record amount sought in arbitration. Houston pitcher Roger Clemens asked for $22 million in 2005."

  Not bad for a 13-14 pitcher! Stick it to 'em, Timmah! (And wash your hair.)

Post-Game 39 Thread: Super-Gritty

DODGERS 4, DIAMONDBACKS 3

Scratch & claw was the rule of the day. Clayton Kershaw pitched out of sticky jams in the first and third, eventually throwing 106 pitches over seven innings, striking out 11. Rod Barajas hit a solo homer (are there any other kind?), but the rest of the runs were manufactured. Jamey Carroll (on base three of his four PAs) and Aaron Miles (2 for 4) set the table, and Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp pulled out the tablecloth (one RBI apiece). And the flowers are still standing!

Don Mattingly called on Vicente Padilla to close it out, and the Sweaty One got two out while allowing two runs, trimming the lead to one. Nervous-making time. But Mattingly then summoned Kenley Jansen, who got the final out on four pitches.

Post-Game 38 Thread: Dodgers Don't Lose a Series! Dodgers Don't Lose a Series!

DODGERS 2, PIRATES 0

After dropping four straight series, the Dodgers swooped into Pittsburgh and put an end to that nonsense, definitively not losing this four-game series and putting the Bucs back under the .500 mark. Hiroki Kuroda was stellar, striking out eight and holding the Pirates scoreless over seven innings while allowing only three hits. The Dodgers had only five hits but maximized them: Juan Uribe drove in the Dodgers' first run on a bases-loaded DP (no RBI for you!) and Jerry Sands doubled in the Dodgers' second run. Battletoad closed it for his third save.

Post-Game 35 Thread: Ethier Slams A HR, Padilla Slams The Door

DODGERS 4, METS 2

The Dodgers actually won a game today, saving Sax's Mets shirt for another sacrifice on another day. Andre Ethier, who hit a two-run HR in the top of the seventh, stretched his consecutive-game hitting streak to one. And Vicente Padilla came in in the ninth with a 4-1 lead, and let Jose Reyes triple in a run before causing Carlos Beltran to fly to right, and blowing David Wright away with a K to secure the win (and earn the save).

At least the Dodgers won today. If I were you, I wouldn't flip over to ESPN right now.

MRI Results Be Damned; Broxton Hits DL and Padilla Named Closer, Anyway

I guess it doesn't matter that Jonathan Broxton's MRI didn't find anything abnormal. Tony Jackson reports the Dodgers still put Broxton on the 15-day DL, giving Vicente Padilla closing responsibilities instead:

The Los Angeles Dodgers placed closer Jonathan Broxton on the 15-day disabled list Friday, two days after he underwent an MRI exam in Los Angeles to determine the cause of discomfort in his right elbow that he didn't reveal to the team's medical or coaching staff until earlier that day.

The injury is expected to keep him out for at least a month because he won't throw for two to three weeks.

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said Vicente Padilla will take over primary closing duties during the time Broxton is out. The club replaced Broxton on the roster by recalling reliever Kenley Jansen from Double-A Chattanooga just five days after Jansen was optioned to clear a spot for reliever Hong-Chih Kuo to come off the DL.

Prior to the save he picked up this year with the Dodgers, Padilla had registered two other saves in his 13-year career. More importantly, though, I wonder what Battletoad's entry song as a closer?

Dodgers Doing Their Part To Spread Wealth Globally

Buried in the depths of the May 2, 2011 issue of ESPN the Magazine ("The Money Issue") was an interesting chart of the best-paid athletes from 181 countries (no link).

Soccer claims the title of the most-represented sport, with basketball second, but baseball is third for paying the highest-paid athlete in 12 countries (including the USA, with Alex Rodriguez at an annual salary of $32M).

The Dodgers actually made the list twice: Vicente Padilla is the highest-paid athlete from Nicaragua ($2M annual salary), and Hong-Chih Kuo is the highest-paid athlete from Taiwan ($2.7M)*.

Also interesting is that of the 12 baseball representatives, only two are from the AL (besides A-Rod, there is Ichiro Suzuki representing Japan with an $18M annual salary). The Mets also are represented three times: Jason Bay (Canada, $18.1M), Carlos Beltran (Puerto Rico, $19.3M), and Johan Santana (Venezuela, $21.6M). (And look at what all that's getting the Mets.)

(If you want to get all political, one could cite that Yao Ming (China) dwarfs Kuo's salary (Yao is at $17.7M). But I'm staying away from this one.)

Post-Game 26 Thread: Ladies And Gentlemen, Your New Dodgers Closer?

Yes, that's champagne Padilla is spraying. No, Padilla was already that sweaty on his own.

DODGERS 5, FISH 4 (10)

The Dodgers close out their 20-consecutive game marathon with an extra-innings victory in the sweltering heat of Miami (ending the roadtrip 3-3 and the marathon 10-10). But what was truly remarkable about this game? Was it Andre Ethier extending his all-time MLB April consecutive-game streak with his 24th straight game with a hit? Or James Loney going 1-for-4 but still raising his average to .206 (thanks in no small part to his 4-for-4 day yesterday; today, however, he actually plated a run)?

Was it the Dodgers showing some rare backbone by coming back from a 4-0 deficit in the second inning to get three back in the fourth inning (a three-run Rod Barajas HR)? Or Chad Billingsley righting himself after coming off the rails in the second inning (four straight singles, followed by a two-out double that cleared the bases)? Or even Ethier coming back to hit the game-winning homerun, leading off in the 10th?

No, the most remarkable part of today's game was after the Dodgers took the lead in the tenth, and it was not Jonathan Broxton who got the nod--it was Vicente Padilla. And Battletoad got three infield ground outs to end the game without a batter reaching base (admittedly, Ivan DeJesus made a sweet backhand play for the third out, but I'm not giving DeJesus credit after coming up with rancho ardiendo and one out in the eighth, and quickly GIDPing).

Brox out? Battletoad in? Sure, Brox pitched yesterday, but still... At least we've got another day to stew on this tomorrow, an off-day for the Dodgers. Which I'm sure will lead to even more speculation and debate!

UPDATE 7:11p: Here is the video if you want to hear Eric Collins gush over Andre Ethier: "Andre Ethier is a STUD!" is Collins' HR trot call.

Post-Game 24 Thread: Who to Blame?

MARLINS 5, DODGERS 4

Who to blame for today's ninth-inning collapse?

• Jonathan Broxton, for walking the light-hitting Emilio Bonafacio and giving up singles to Hanley Ramirez and Omar Infante?
• Jamey Carroll, for botching a gimme game-ending grounder, his third error of this road trip?
• Vicente Padilla, for giving up a run in the eighth on a walk and two singles?
• Jerry Sands, who started forward on the game-winning hit, which ended up going over his head?

The options seem endless, really.

photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Game 3 Thread: April 2 vs. Giants, 1p

Ted Lilly (-, -.--) vs. Matt Cain (-, -.--).

Before we proceed further, let's catch up on some old business. Just replace "Day 2" with "Day 3"; the meaning's the same:

• A Celebration of Day 2 (Joe Posnanski, SI.com)

Done? Good. Everything's gone right for the first-place Dodgers so far; Don Mattingly's pushed all the right buttons, and the Giants have cooperated by gifting them a few extra outs per game. More is expected of Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw this year, and they've gotten off to stellar starts.

Now let's see if some of the less sexy names can come through. Will a strong start by Lilly today make us less impatient for the return of Jon Garland and Vicente Padilla? When will we hear from Andre Ethier? Is Juan Uribe, who had a precautionary x-ray yesterday, ready to return?

So many questions, and not a Magic 8 Ball in sight. Let's focus on three in a row instead.

UPDATE: From @kengurnick:

First-base coach Davey Lopes has left the team for a few days after a death in the family. Dave Hansen will replace him.

Oblique? Oh, Bleak. (UPDATED)

Going into spring training, Dodger fans new damn well we didn't trade for a big bat, exacerbating a power void caused by an aging third baseman and a low-HR first baseman, both of whom are coming off of a down year in 2010. Left field looks to be an cornucopia of second-tier players, one of whom might impress, in the most optimistic of scenarios.

And we hoped that our right fielder would hit 2011 with a restored pinky finger, our center fielder would come back with renewed focus, our shortstop would overcome his age and our new second baseman would be better than his .248 batting average might have one believe. And even at the catcher's spot, the hope was just to find a player who could surpass the low standards held by the prior occupant over the last tow years.

But at least we had our pitching, right? Chad Billingsley, Clayton Kershaw, Ted Lilly, Hiroki Kuroda, and then Jon Garland and Vicente Padilla fighting it out for the fifth slot. At least we had a 1 through 5 that was pretty solid.

Except that, two weeks into spring training games, Padilla is already looking at a May debut thanks to elbow surgery, and now Garland looks like he's got an oblique injury, and if today's MRI results confirm the oblique injury, he too will be out for a month plus.

MSTI said there's no such thing as pitching depth. But just looking at the next batch of candidates that could potentially fill that fifth slot--Carlos Monasterios, John Ely, Blake Hawksworth, Tim Redding-it doesn't give one a lot of confidence in our chances. And what if one of the four remaining starters also gets hurt? Suddenly the only leg on which we have to stand looks pretty damn shaky. And GM Ned Colletti's strategy to build up only one side of our resources might be a badly failed gamble.

In the few spring training games we've seen, save a couple of recent outings, it appears that the Dodgers' offense isn't going to scare anyone. We were barely winning games in which we were holding opponents to a run or two. And now, if the pitching staff is already showing some leaks in the hull, and we get in a situation where we need four or more runs to win: we're in trouble, people.

This could be a really difficult start out of the blocks--assuming one of the two can make it back soon, that is. Let's hope this MRI's results doesn't show anything too disruptive. Cross your fingers.

UPDATE 9:47a: Yep, it's a strained oblique, "somewhere between major and minor", whatever the hell that means. Garland is out for four to six weeks and will start the season on the DL.

Satiny Goodness Woefully Short on Actual Satin

From "Dodgers to wear throwbacks for six games" by Ken Gurnick at Dodgers.com:

Though the original uniform worn in the 1940s was made of a reflective satin to make it more visible under the lights for night games, the throwback jerseys will maintain a similar feel as those worn by the Dodgers throughout the 2011 season.

Translation: Your dream of seeing Vicente Padilla wearing reflective satin just went down the drain. Sorry!

1&2: @LADDesignGuy; 3&4: Dodgers

Padilla Reveals Mutant-Like Healing Factor

I didn't think Battletoad was a mutant. But on the other hand, a four-week recovery from arm surgery sounds pretty damn fast to me:

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Los Angeles Dodgers will begin the season without right-hander Vicente Padilla, but club officials are hopeful after Padilla underwent surgery on Thursday to free a nerve that was trapped by a muscle in his right forearm that he could begin playing catch before the end of spring training.

The surgery was performed in Los Angeles by team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache and Dr. Steve Shin, who conveyed the results to Dodgers trainer Stan Conte at Camelback Ranch.

"Stan said it went well," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "[Padilla] is supposed to be back in Arizona sometime [on Friday], and he'll start the rehab process. What I got was that his best outlook is three or four weeks, then he'll start tossing."

Assuming "tossing" doesn't refer to a salad, or regurgitation, this is welcome news for the Dodgers!

Battletoad Towed

The first million is supposed to be the hardest, right? But given the news that Vicente Padilla is undergoing surgery that could knock him out of the first half of the 2011 season, that first-half of the $2M contract he signed might not come with game-day pressure:

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Vicente Padilla will undergo surgery on Thursday to free the troublesome nerve at the top of his right elbow, which an MRI exam showed was being trapped by a muscle in his forearm.

General manager Ned Colletti said the team expects Padilla to return during the first half of the season, but the team's medical staff could not be more specific since the condition is rather rare. The procedure, which will be performed in Los Angeles at the Kerlan-Jobe Clinic by team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache and Dr. Steve Shin, is expected to finally resolve an issue that also landed Padilla on the disabled list for two months early last season.

Padilla, a free agent last winter, passed a physical examination before the Dodgers re-signed him to an incentive-laden, one-year contract with a $2 million base salary. Colletti said Padilla also reported early to spring training and has been throwing off a mound for about three weeks.

"[But] this came back when he started to increase his velocity the other day," Colletti said. "Rather than going through this all season long and wandering back and forth, back and forth, this was the best course of action knowing we still have a week to go in February."

Why is it the start of spring training, and we are "finally resolv[ing] an issue" that kept Padilla out for two months last season?

In any event, get well soon Vicente. I have a feeling we'll need you as soon as you're able to pitch again.

By the way, I was going to insert some snarky reference about the Cardinals being in deeper shit given Adam Wainwright's injury. And then I realized that Jon Weisman had beaten me to the punch. Sigh.

Vicente Padilla Wastes No Time In Hitting The DL

I suppose this makes Blake Hawksworth's challenge a bit easier; Dodger fifth-starter candidate Vicente Padilla has left Camelback Ranch to get an MRI on his troublesome right elbow:

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Vicente Padilla left spring training and was scheduled to fly back to Los Angeles on Tuesday for an MRI exam after experiencing pain in his right elbow.

The pain is described as similar to what Padilla experienced last April before he was diagnosed with a nerve injury that sidelined him for two months.

Padilla, who is tentatively slated to begin the season in the bullpen, was examined Monday at Camelback Ranch by team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who determined having an MRI was the best course of action. Results of the exam are expected Wednesday. [...]

Padilla, 33, also spent 18 days on the disabled list last summer with a bulging disk in his neck. A free agent after last season, he re-signed with the Dodgers despite knowing he likely would be pushed to the bullpen. He accepted an incentive-laden, one-year contract with a $2 million base salary that represented less than half of his base from the previous year.

The Dodgers also are paying Padilla a $1 million signing bonus this year as part of the one-year, $5.025 million deal he signed with them before last season.

On the one hand, I suppose this validates the Dodgers' off-season strategy to stockpile pitchers, at the expense of addressing offensive gaps. On the other hand, it would be a shame to be out $6M for nothing.

Good luck on your MRI, Battletoad!

Colletti Knits Large Dodgers Sweater

Vicente Padilla passed his physical, so he is definitely back for 2011 (one year, $2M plus incentives).

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Free-agent pitcher Vicente Padilla passed his physical exam on Thursday, making official his one-year contract to return to the Dodgers.

And having missed time with two injuries in 2010, passing the physical was no slam dunk for Padilla, who will earn a base salary of $2 million, plus as much as $8 million more in incentives if he makes 33 starts or as much as $6 million more in relief incentives.

It's uncertain exactly what Padilla's role will be in 2011. The Dodgers already had five starting pitchers -- Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Ted Lilly, Hiroki Kuroda and Jon Garland -- when they worked out the deal with Padilla earlier this week.

Technically, Padilla isn't in the rotation, although he was the Dodgers' Opening Day starter in 2010 and he probably believes he can beat out Jon Garland for the fifth spot, potentially presenting Don Mattingly with his first dilemma as the new manager.

The Dodgers like the right-hander's versatility and envision him as the ultimate swingman -- capable of spot starting, throwing multiple innings of middle relief or even transitioning to closing if Jonathan Broxton falters.

Jonathan Broxton faltering? Nah, that never happens.

(I know this news isn't new since our last Padilla post, but I couldn't resist the headline.) Meanwhile, Tony Gwynn Jr. and Dioner Navarro are still pending physicals.

photo: AP

Padilla Bringing The Sweatiness Back To Los Angeles

Wow they are coming fast and furious this morning: T-Jax reports that Vicente Padilla is back with the Dodgers in 2011; one year, $2M:

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed on a one-year, $2 million contract with right-hander Vicente Padilla, a source close to the situation said on Tuesday.

The deal is pending a physical, a source told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney.

Padilla, who spent the past season and a half with the Dodgers before becoming a free agent this fall, presumably will pitch primarily out of the bullpen for the Dodgers, who already have five established starters, but he also would be a swing man who could step into the rotation if another starter is injured.

However, multiple sources also have said Padilla could be a candidate to fill the closer's role if Jonathan Broxton continues to struggle.

I like Padilla. I like the one-year term. I like the $2M price. I like the sixth starting pitcher in our lineup. I like the idea that he could possibly pick up the closer's role. I like the fact that Ned Colletti is active this offseason. I like the 2011 promotional opportunity of a Vicente Padilla rally towel / perspiration mop-up implement. Let's do this, Dodgers!

Welcome back, Battletoad!

image swiped from thesportshernia.com

Stark Says Dodgers Still Interested in Battletoad

From Jayson Stark (ESPN Insider subscription required):

Even though they've already signed three free-agent starting pitchers this winter, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark, the Dodgers continue to show interest in free agent Vicente Padilla, their Opening Day starter last season.

Padilla has battled elbow and neck issues. So it's likely the Dodgers are offering him an incentive-based deal. But he did have the lowest opponent batting average (.208) of any free-agent starter, and ranked second in WHIP (1.08) and strikeout rate (7.96 per nine innings).

If the Dodgers sign Padilla, it would, potentially, give them seven starting pitchers heading into spring training: Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Ted Lilly, Hiroki Kuroda, Jon Garland and John Ely.

I don't know if I'd exactly count Ely in this mix but the point remains, we've got five already. I'm okay with Padilla returning, though--if it gives us options to trade starting pitching for what will be much-needed offense later, that may not be such a bad thing. Just please, don't agree to a long-term deal, Ned Colletti!

(By the way, Dylan Hernandez tweeted at 10:20a today that "Last night, Colletti denied that the #Dodgers were close to re-signing Padilla." Which doesn't necessarily mean it's not on; it's just not close. Yet.)

Is Padilla Soap Bubble Due For A Correction?

Great off-day feature piece by MLB.com's Ken Gurnick on Vicente Padilla's "soap bubble" pitch, a term coined by Vin Scully to describe the ~50 mph soft toss that Padilla mixes in with his mid-90's fastball. Make sure to click through for a complementary Scully video, but here's an excerpt:

It's barely a blip on the sophisticated stadium radar guns, this high-arcing, slo-mo breaking ball of Padilla's. But whatever-you-call-it has coincided with yet another comeback in his unpredictable career. While observers might find it amusing, it's a serious weapon for Padilla.

Going into Tuesday night's start in Philadelphia, the former Phillies pitcher is duplicating the roll that helped the Dodgers down the stretch after his acquisition a year ago. After missing two months with an inflamed radial nerve in his forearm, Padilla has a 1.32 ERA since June 25, second lowest in MLB.

And the "Soap Bubble," which generally clocks in in the mid-50-mph range, has advanced from a gimmicky curiosity to a legitimate secondary pitch that complements Padilla's 94-mph fastball.

"It's slower than slow," said Dodgers manager Joe Torre, who remembers Pedro Borbon throwing a pitch just like it.

Scully said he named it the "Soap Bubble" as soon as Padilla started throwing it.

"It just reminded me -- you know the children's game where they have the little wire, and you dip it in the soapy water and you hold it up and you blow and this little bubble comes out?" said Scully. "And I was just looking at this, and I thought, 'God, it reminds me of a bubble,' and it just came out.

"We've never had any [Dodgers pitcher] throw that kind of a pitch. The guy who had the real one -- they call it the Eephus pitch -- that was a fellow named Rip Sewell, and that pitch was very high. And he would throw it once in a while and he threw it once to Ted Williams, and Williams hit it into orbit. But no, I never used [the term before] because we never had anybody with that pitch." [...]

According to the pitch tracker on MLB.com Gameday, Padilla has thrown the pitch 98 times this year, getting 27 outs while allowing only one hit, a home run. There have been 32 called strikes, two swinging strikes, five foul balls and 36 balls.

Here's hoping that particular bubble doesn't pop.

vPad vs. sPod (Aug 4, 2010)

AB	3	4
H	2	1
R	1	1
K	1	1
RBI	1	2
LOB	0	1
LAD BA	.200	.179
Other	Pitched two-hitter CG