The Dodgers activated three men off the Disabled List today in Blake Hawksworth, Juan Uribe, and Marcus Thames. The question then turned to which players would be replaced.
After making some roster moves today, Dodger management made one thing clear: the youth movement is upon us.
Not only were those three men activated, but shortstop and top prospect Dee Gordon has been given the big league call. Designated for assignment were Juan Castro and Jay Gibbons. Sent back down to Triple-A Albuquerque were John Ely and Ivan De Jesus.
It's obviously a big day for Gordon, and most likely an unexpected one because there wasn't much talk of calling him up. But his time has come, and with Rafael Furcal sidelined once again, he will get his chance to show what he's got.
In 50 games with Albuquerque this season, he was hitting .315 with a .361 OBP, plus 22 steals in 25 chances. Stealing bases is his forte, as he stole an incredible 73 in '09 with Great Lakes, and 53 the next season with Chattanooga. That's some unbelievable speed.
The down side? He commits errors, and a whole lot of them. In four years of minor league ball (369 games total), he's made 106 errors for a .937 fielding %. I'm no expert, but that's not very good. The slight silver lining is that he's up to .949 this year, his highest mark.
In addition to Gordon's arrival, Jerry Sands will be staying aboard, as Gibbons was the one given the boot. There had been speculation that it would be the other way around in order to keep both men in the organization, but give the Dodgers credit for doing the right thing. Sands is only hitting .210, but after dominating the minors for a few years, he still needs more time to get comfortable and produce.
I was a fan of the Gibbons signing this past offseason, but it clearly hasn't worked out. First he had problems with his eyes in spring training, which delayed the start of his season. When he has played, he's hitting .255 with one homer and five RBIs. So much for being a power bat from the left side. I do like Castro, so hopefully he can hang around and get called back up at some point.
It's about time the Dodgers got some good news on the injury front, as they have just been hit hard all season long. So, it's nice to see Uribe, Hawksworth, and Thames back. Plus with Gordon coming up and Sands staying around, there's finally some reasons to get excited again. It's not like we're talking major contenders here, but maybe more guys not named Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier will give Dodger fans something to cheer about.
Showing posts with label Ely. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ely. Show all posts
Monday, June 6, 2011
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Ely sent back down, Link is back up
After getting pounded in his last two starts, the Dodgers have officially sent John Ely back to Triple-A Albuquerque. In his place will be Jon Link, recalled for the fourth time already this season.
Ely has ridden a roller coaster of success and failure this year. He was 3-1 in May with a 2.18 ERA, and looked like quite the hidden gem in the Juan Pierre deal. The rest of the league sure caught up to him and fast, because his ERA has shot up over two runs since the start of June.
The biggest issue has been his command. On June 1 after his seventh start, his ERA was at 2.54 and he walked only eight hitters. In seven starts since then, his ERA is up to 4.63 and he's walked 17 hitters.
He's shown the ability to gave good control, so maybe he just needs some time to get that confidence back. It's not like the Dodgers have a whole bunch of starters they can turn to, so if he figures things out in the minors, he'll be back.
The Dodgers won't need a fifth starter until June 19 against the Giants, and the early favorite appears to be James McDonald (remember him?). In 13 starts this season in the minors, McDonald is 5-1 with a 4.45 ERA. Keep in mind that playing in Albuquerque inflates numbers, so it's not quite as bad as it may appear. He's struck out 63 in 62 2/3 innings, a very good stat.
Of course, there's also the possibility of acquiring a starter via trade. Stay tuned on that.
Ely has ridden a roller coaster of success and failure this year. He was 3-1 in May with a 2.18 ERA, and looked like quite the hidden gem in the Juan Pierre deal. The rest of the league sure caught up to him and fast, because his ERA has shot up over two runs since the start of June.
The biggest issue has been his command. On June 1 after his seventh start, his ERA was at 2.54 and he walked only eight hitters. In seven starts since then, his ERA is up to 4.63 and he's walked 17 hitters.
He's shown the ability to gave good control, so maybe he just needs some time to get that confidence back. It's not like the Dodgers have a whole bunch of starters they can turn to, so if he figures things out in the minors, he'll be back.
The Dodgers won't need a fifth starter until June 19 against the Giants, and the early favorite appears to be James McDonald (remember him?). In 13 starts this season in the minors, McDonald is 5-1 with a 4.45 ERA. Keep in mind that playing in Albuquerque inflates numbers, so it's not quite as bad as it may appear. He's struck out 63 in 62 2/3 innings, a very good stat.
Of course, there's also the possibility of acquiring a starter via trade. Stay tuned on that.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Ely is back as Haeger gets DL'd
Charlie Haeger has been placed on the 15-day DL with plantar fasciitis, and John Ely has once again been recalled. Ely was originally sent down to make room for Jeff Weaver a few days ago. Even though players are supposed to wait 10 days to be recalled, since Ely's replacing an injured player of the same position, it's allowed.
Who knows how much this injury has affected Haeger, especially on Saturday night when he got yanked without recording a single out. His numbers are just putrid so far at 0-4 with an 8.49 ERA. I don't want to go so far to say that his injury isn't that bad because that wouldn't be fair to speculate. But, I'm sure the Dodgers are willing to take their time as he tries to figure his stuff out.
As for Ely, he pitched really well against the Brewers last week, so he deserves another chance. He'll get the ball on Tuesday in Arizona. Since the Dodgers are still searching for anyone to claim the final two spots of the rotation, it'll be his spot to lose.
Who knows how much this injury has affected Haeger, especially on Saturday night when he got yanked without recording a single out. His numbers are just putrid so far at 0-4 with an 8.49 ERA. I don't want to go so far to say that his injury isn't that bad because that wouldn't be fair to speculate. But, I'm sure the Dodgers are willing to take their time as he tries to figure his stuff out.
As for Ely, he pitched really well against the Brewers last week, so he deserves another chance. He'll get the ball on Tuesday in Arizona. Since the Dodgers are still searching for anyone to claim the final two spots of the rotation, it'll be his spot to lose.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
With returning veterans, Ely and Paul optioned
After helping the Dodgers win a couple games recently, John Ely and Xavier Paul received some tough, but not too unexpected news: both are being sent down to Triple-A Albuquerque. Jeff Weaver and Manny Ramirez came off the 15-day DL to replace them.
Ely was great on Thursday against the Brewers. He lasted 6 2/3 innings and gave up only a single run. A blown save in the ninth by Jonathan Broxton prevented him from getting his first big league win. The outing was especially impressive considering the Brew Crew just slapped around Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley the previous two nights. With the way the rotation has been going, look for him to be back at some point.
As for Paul, he seemed to take the news pretty hard. The Dodgers are 5-1 when he starts, and 4-0 when he leads off. But, he's still the odd man out. My guess is the decision came down to him or Garret Anderson. Anderson is hitting .133 in 45 at-bats playing part-time. But, this early in the season, the Dodgers simply weren't going to give up on him for the younger Paul.
Ely was great on Thursday against the Brewers. He lasted 6 2/3 innings and gave up only a single run. A blown save in the ninth by Jonathan Broxton prevented him from getting his first big league win. The outing was especially impressive considering the Brew Crew just slapped around Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley the previous two nights. With the way the rotation has been going, look for him to be back at some point.
As for Paul, he seemed to take the news pretty hard. The Dodgers are 5-1 when he starts, and 4-0 when he leads off. But, he's still the odd man out. My guess is the decision came down to him or Garret Anderson. Anderson is hitting .133 in 45 at-bats playing part-time. But, this early in the season, the Dodgers simply weren't going to give up on him for the younger Paul.
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