Brazoban and Beimel both gone

The Dodgers tried everything they could to get Yhency Brazoban back to full strength. Unfortunately, it just wasn't meant to be. After being assigned to Minor League camp last week, Brazoban was released today.

Things were looking pretty good for him in 2005 as the fill-in closer for the injured Eric Gagne. He converted 21 saves as a power-throwing righty with a bright future.

Then it all came to a crashing halt in 2006 when he got Tommy John surgery. He followed that in 2007 with shoulder labrum surgery. He was never the same, battling weight problems every step of the way.

As for Joe Beimel, he settled on a 1-year, $2 million contract with the Nationals to be their 8th inning pitcher. There was talk of him re-upping with the Dodgers, but it's possible they never offered as much money. That's usually what it comes down to, so that's my guess.

The phenom has arrived

For the Dodgers, the future is NOW.

Clayton Kershaw has officially been called up and is set to make his Major League debut on Sunday against the St. Louis Cardinals. The 20-year-old is the best pitching prospect in the Dodgers' organization, and arguably in baseball as a whole.

The original report called for him to start the next time the Dodgers needed a 5th starter, which would have been Tuesday in Chicago. But, they decided that may not have been the best time to throw him in there, so Sunday it is. It's a good decision, even if it means I won't get to see him pitch when I'm at the Mets-Dodgers game on June 1. Oh well.

The move also means a bunch of other moves. To start with, Chad Billingsley and Hiroki Kuroda will now be pitching on Monday and Tuesday, respectively, against the Cubs. That's a good thing considering how well the Cubs have been playing. It also means that I'll see Kuroda against the Mets... vs. Johan Santana! Ugh...

For Esteban Loaiza, the move also means quite possibly the end of his Dodgers' career. He was designated for assignment, and he'll probably be given his outright release in 10 days. The team tried to make it work, but it just hasn't. He'll argue that he was never given consistent starts, which is true, but that's something that needs to be earned, and I can't say he's done that. Too many injuries along the way certainly didn't help his cause.

Yhency Brazoban will also be sent back down to Triple-A Las Vegas. He's only been in 2 games since being recalled on May 9, so getting him more appearances will be key. He'll be back.

I for one am really excited about tomorrow's game. It's a dream day for us Laker/Dodger fans - Kershaw's debut first, then Lakers going up 3-0 on San Antonio later. And a day off Monday!

Life, indeed, is perfect.

Loaiza hits the 15-day DL, Brazoban back

Esteban Loaiza was placed on the 15-day DL with "tightness and spasming" in his right shoulder. The move is retroactive to last Sunday, May 4. Fortunately for the Dodgers, with off days, they will not need to use the 5th starter until May 17.

It's been an up and down season for Loaiza, as he was originally the #5 starter coming out of Spring Training, beating out the likes of Chan Ho Park and Hong-Chih Kuo. However, he's only made 3 starts and made 4 relief appearances, gathering at 1-2 record and a 5.63 ERA. Of his 3 starts, only his one against Colorado on April 27 would be considered good, as he gave up 2 runs in 5 innings.

With Loaiza gone for now, Yhency Brazoban has received the call to return to the Bigs. Between AA and AAA ball, he had an ERA of 2.45 in 14.2 IP, including 17 K. I think he's proven that he's ready to be back in LA by now. Back before all of his arm problems, he was looking like the closer of the future with a dominating fastball. It'll be good to get him back in the mix with Beimel, Broxton, and Saito at the end of games. It's another great weapon to shorten games with.

There should be an official release on Brazoban's return soon, as I only saw that it was happening on the ESPN ticker.

Brazoban re-ups with Dodgers

The Dodgers have resigned RH reliever Yhency Brazoban to a 1-year/$540,000 deal, avoiding arbitration. There's a bunch more money to be made if he meets certain performance bonuses. He'll be one of the key power arms coming out of the 'pen once again this year.

Brazoban was practically an unknown up until the trade of Guillermo Mota (along with Paul LoDuca) to the Marlins in late August of 2004. After taking over a bigger role in the bullpen, he went on to appear in 31 games, going 6-2 with a 2.48 ERA and 1.22 WHIP.

2005 was an interesting year. With a preseason injury to then-closer Eric Gagne, he tried to fill in the closer role, but failed miserably. While he did have 21 saves that year, he was also 4-10 with a 5.33 ERA and 1.40 WHIP. '06 and '07 were complete throwaways because of elbow and shoulder problems. He appeared in only 9 games total those years.

Assuming he's healthy heading into this year (as big an IF as there is), he can slide into the 5-8 inning role along with Scott Proctor and Joe Beimel. He has shown in the past that he can really let it fly, but with arm problems, it remains to be seen just how effectively he can still do that. But, for relatively cheap money, and only a 1 year investment, it's a good signing and well worth the risk. It could pay off big time.