Tommy Lasorda To Represent Dodgers At Amateur Draft

The upcoming 2010 amateur entry draft will be held on June 7th. Tommy will be joined by senior adviser for the Dominican Republic Ralph Avila at the draft, which takes place in New York and airs at 4 P.M. PST on the 7th. Avila has been with the organization for over 40 years.

MLB.com will offer live coverage and analysis of the entire First-Year Player Draft on June 7-9 on MLB.com/Live. The first round and Compensation Round A will be broadcast live on MLB.com and MLB Network on June 7, beginning with the Draft preview show at 3 p.m. PT/6 ET.

MLB.com Draft expert Jonathan Mayo will join Greg Amsinger, Harold Reynolds, John Hart, Peter Gammons and Baseball America executive editor Jim Callis on Monday's broadcast.

Tommy's been an active participant of the amateur draft for a good stretch of the past decade, announcing the Dodgers' first pick every year but one since 2002.

You can follow Tommy's every move on Twitter: @TommyLasorda.

[Tommy Lasorda To Represent Dodgers At 2010 First-Year Amateur Draft]

[Image via Tommy Lasorda's World]

Josh Towers Released, Rafael Furcal Returning?

Josh Towers was released after opting out of his minor league contract upon having not been called up. He follows the lead of Luis Ayala.

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Rafael Furcal could return Sunday, which would greatly improve the Dodger defense.

"Only thing we're concerned about is stuff that may surprise his body, quick moves whether it's at shortstop or out of the box," Torre said. "One game is certainly not enough to get his timing, he'll have to get that here."

The Dodgers didn't want to send Furcal to Triple-A Albuquerque or Class A Inland Empire because the team can control the game action in extended spring training, potentially giving Furcal a look at as many or as few situations as it deems necessary.

Dodgers Notes From Wednesday's Game 5/19/2010

San Diego 10, Dodgers 5

Box Score.

• Ramon Ortiz was atrocious again, getting pulled after 3.1 innings (5 ER, 6 Hits, 1 K, 3 BB [1 IBB], 1 Balk, 76 pitches - 45 for strikes). He's still on the team. Why, exactly? #ReleaseOrtiz
• Bullpen: 5.2 IP, 5 ER, 8 Hits, 4 K, 5 BB [1 IBB], 2 HR Allowed, 1 WP, 1 Hit Batter. 4 Relievers.
• Casey Blake hit his 5th HR.
• Another Dodger goes down pregame: Manny Ramirez injured his left foot and was scratched, striking out in a pinch-hitting capacity. He's day-to-day.
• Russell Martin (Double, BB, HBP) and Blake (HR, 2 Singles) reached base 3 times, while Xavier Paul (Double, Single), Jamey Carroll (Single, BB), and Reed Johnson (2 Singles) each reached base twice.
• The offense struck out 5 times, drew 2 walks, and had 4 extra-base hits.
• The Padres stole 4 bases off of Martin and the pitching staff. Somehow Matt Stairs had a stolen base. I'm sad I missed what must have been awkward, clumsy, painful-looking glory.

Dodgers Links On A Sunday Night

Andre Ethier had a splint placed on his fractured right pinkie. He'll try to swing a bat, but if I were a guessing man, I think a DL stint is still more likely than not. [Ethier Has Splint Placed On Broken Finger]

"We're hoping he's able to function, but we'll see," Torre said before the exam. "It's sore today. The trainers have been in touch."

"Over the next couple days, we'll see if there's a comfort level for him. We'll give him a day or two to let the soreness out and see what he can do with it and decide if it's enough. The last thing we want is to have him go out and do something and get into bad habits and wind up with a bad situation."

Torre related how difficult it is for a hitter to swing a bat with a broken finger, even a pinkie like the right one Ethier broke Saturday night in batting practice. Ethier explained that the finger "contorted" under the knob of the bat during a swing and the pressure of the bat cracked the first knuckle.

Ramon Ortiz will get another start. He'll take the mound on Wednesday. OY. VEY. The moral of this story, again, is that being a veteran means your leash is ridiculously long with the Dodgers. Struggle n the majors as a veteran and you get shot after shot, but prove things in the bigs, as James McDonald and Scott Elbert have done in varying sample sizes, then struggle a bit in the minors, and you're doomed to minor league servitude. [Dodgers To Give Ortiz Second Start]

"Really, there's nobody other than him," said Torre. "Carlos Monasterios [who also made a spot start May 1] was under consideration. Probably because Ortiz is the most experienced guy. We started Monasterios one time and had Ortiz behind him. When [Ortiz] gave us 80-plus pitches [last Saturday], we had a better feel for what we'd get out of him."

Charlie Haeger made a rehab start for Class A Inland Empire on Saturday, going five solid innings. [Haeger Goes 5 Innings In Rehab Start]

He will need several bullpen sessions and at least three Minor League rehab starts before he returns, which manager Joe Torre said remains some time in July.

A great story about Dodger farmhands lending a helping hand to a downed motorcyclist. The minor leaguers included Rafael Ynoa and Elisaul Pimental. [Dodgers Farmhands Assist Motorcyclist]

Dodgers Notes From Friday's Game 5/14/2010

Dodgers 4, San Diego 3

Box Score.

• Ramon Ortiz made his first (and hopefully last) start of the season, going 4 innings (3 ER, 6 Hits, 4 K, 3 BB [1 IBB], 1 HR Allowed, 86 pitches - 54 for strikes).
• Bullpen: 5 IP, 0 Runs, 2 Hits, 5 K, 0 BB. 5 Relievers.
• Matt Kemp crushed his 8th HR of the season, a 2-run bomb to dead center.
• Kemp stole his 6th base of the season.
• Andre Ethier (Double, Single, 2 BB [1 IBB]) reached base 4 times, Kemp (HR, Single, BB) reached base 3 times, and Manny Ramirez (Single, BB), Russell Martin (Double, Single), and Jamey Carroll (Single, IBB) each reached base twice.
• The offense struck out 6 times, walked 6 times, and had 4 extra-base hits.
• Rafael Furcal was expected to be activated from the DL for today's game, but his hamstring didn't feel right in his rehab appearances, and he will most likely miss the entire weekend series in San Diego.

"In my mind, I don't feel I can do it the way I want to do it," he said about playing through the injury. "It's 80, 85, 90 percent. I want to be aggressive. I don't want to play and they take me out after two innings and they lose me for 60 days."

Rafael Furcal Progressing, John Ely Staying

Rafael Furcal went 0-2 with a walk in consecutive rehab appearances on Tuesday and Wednesday. Barring a setback, he'll be back Friday.

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John Ely will remain in the rotation for the foreseeable future. Putting up a 13:0 K:BB mark over 2 starts and 12.2 innings will do that for you.

"He's one of our starters right now," Torre said after Ely pitched six-plus innings. "[Vicente] Padilla is more than a month away. I don't see where he's [Ely] in any danger."

"His command has been terrific," said Torre. "He makes it look -- I don't want to say easy -- but simple. And that's the thing that's been escaping our club -- getting deep into the game. He's got us to the seventh inning each time."

Rafael Furcal, Charlie Haeger, and John Ely Updates

Rafael Furcal is ready to go on a rehab assignment. Hurry back Raffy, hurry back. The team hopes to have him back Friday.

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As obvious as it was becoming by the day, the Dodgers finally placed a pitcher on the DL in order to recall John Ely in time to start Tuesday in Arizona. The pitcher is Charlie Haeger, the injury is plantar fasciitis, the foot injured is his right.

The same article mentions Ramon Ortiz will almost certainly start Friday.

Ned Colletti Trashes Another Young Dodgers Player

A bit less publicly this time around, but still, Ned continues to show that he has no idea what constitutes a productive player or what logical team-building entails.

Blame me? No, it was that young productive player's fault.

Veterans, they're veterans you know. 

After choosing to send Xavier Paul to AAA instead of the atrocious Garret Anderson (at the risk of losing Anderson on waivers - oh what a gift shame that would be), in order to activate Manny Ramirez from the DL, Colletti informed Paul of why he was the player on the short end of the stick. Via Ken Gurnick (and thanks to Josh S. for pointing me towards this article), Colletti told Paul:

 Paul said he was told by general manager Ned Colletti to work on his mental approach to the game "and being a big leaguer."

For those of you who believe confidence is a key and something that can be lost in young players easily, this certainly can't help.

Paul said upon hearing the news:

"I don't fit here right now, that's it," Paul said after being consoled by teammates Casey Blake and Matt Kemp. "Right now, I just don't cut it here."

At least his mindset going forward is strong:

"As a player, I have to respect that. It's his team. At the end of the day, my thought is to keep working hard and keep playing like every day is my last. I know the situation with Manny coming back tomorrow. It is what it is. It's a decision they have to make." 

What exactly constitutes a "big leaguer". Because Paul can play all three outfield positions, has a cannon for an arm, can steal a base, has some pop in his bat, a solid eye at the plate, and clearly has room to grow and improve. Garret Anderson, on the other hand, has proven over his long career that getting on-base is not something he excels at, there's no room for growth, he's not suddenly going to find the fountain of youth, and oh yeah, he's horrid on both sides of the ball now. Paul's OBP is .323, Anderson's is .167 in 17 more plate appearances. Paul has earned a roster spot, Anderson has not.

So tell me Ned, if Paul has to work on his mental approach, why not tell Anderson to work on his being a productive player approach? Oh yes, I forgot, you won't do that, because Anderson is a veteran, and if you criticize him or cut him, it makes you look bad.

And all this time, I thought it was the General Manager's job to put together a team with the best chance of making the playoffs. I thought it was his job to put together a team that would win games.

Silly me.

Rafael Furcal, Dodger Rotation Updates

John Ely gets himself another start, this one coming this Thursday.

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Rafael Furcal will apparently hit the DL after all, and unfortunately, it's looking more and more likely it won't be Chin-lung Hu, excellent defender, taking his spot. Instead, Nick Green, awful defender, will get the call. Neither can hit a lick, but Green is a veteran! Oooh, veterans, so sexy and productive.

That last line is a direct quote from Joe Torre and Ned Colletti. At least I imagine that's what they would say.

Rafael Furcal & Carlos Monasterios Updates

Rafael Furcal will most likely not land on the DL with his hamstring injury. Which is excellent, because he had been playing and running well, and he's not Jamey Carroll. That last part can't be stressed enough.

An MRI on Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal's left hamstring revealed a "little strain," according to manager Joe Torre, who added that "it doesn't look like a DL thing."

Furcal suffered the injury trying to beat out a double-play grounder in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader.

Torre said Furcal would be examined by team Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Thursday, when it will be decided if he should receive a platelet-rich plasma injection to promote healing.

Furcal did receive the injection.

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Carlos Monasterios will make his first big league start Saturday against the Pirates. I had not anticipated Monasterios would get real consideration, but I'm glad he's getting the spot start, though his long-term future is strictly as a reliever.

Manager Joe Torre, said he hoped Monasterios could throw 70 to 75 pitches. If Monasterios struggles, Ramon Ortiz (0-1, 6.39), who was also a candidate to start the game, could work in long relief.

"I just told him, the last couple times you were out there you were free and easy, just go as hard as you can and then we'll come get you depending on pitch count," Torre said. "A lot of it's going to depend on how he starts out. If he runs counts up in the first couple innings, we may have to go get him earlier than anticipated."

Torre said he has not made a decision on who the team's fifth starter will be going forward -- Charlie Haeger, Monasterios or otherwise. The Dodgers can reset their rotation with an off-day Monday after a four-game series with Pittsburgh.

"I'll let you know when the time comes," Torre said.

Rafael Furcal Injured

Rafael Furcal injured his left hamstring (tightness is the current diagnosis) in Game 1 of the doubleheader, but finished the game out, though he would have been pinch-hit for if his spot came up at the end of the game.

"He didn't feel he tore it, it just felt tight," said Torre.

He's doubtful (and quite frankly shouldn't play) for the rest of the series and potentially for the weekend.

Of course, this can only mean one thing: Jamey Carroll!

Jamey Carroll, 36 years young-ish, who, before reaching base 4 times in Tuesday's doubleheader, had a .308 OBP and .261 SLG%.

Chin-lung Hu, where are you?

Vicente Padilla & John Ely

Vicente Padilla has been told to not throw for the next 7-10 days, as he recuperates from an irritated nerve in his right forearm.

"We'll have to wait a while before he throws," said Torre. "Possibly a week to 10 days. We have to let it quiet down and go from there. It needs to be paid attention to. We're not certain it's going to be better in a period of time. We'll have to wait and see."

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John Ely, acquired in the Juan Pierre trade and currently pitching in AAA, will more than likely start Wednesday's game against the Mets.

Vicente Padilla & Jeff Weaver Updates, Plus The Panda's Cup

Vicente Padilla, who currently resides on the DL, was originally reported to have a sore forearm, but further examinations have revealed an irritated nerve in the aforementioned forearm. True Blue L.A. goes in depth on the injury and the possibilities of what may lie ahead for Padilla. A quote from Padilla, from Ken Gurnick's article:

"In the past, in Spring Training, I was able to throw through the pain, but this is a little more serious. Since they haven't told me anything, I don't know if it's a tendon or muscle, and I don't know what to expect."

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Jeff Weaver, also on the DL with a back injury, threw a 50-pitch bullpen session.

Weaver said he felt fine and expected to throw off the mound every other day until he is eligible to be activated on May 7. Weaver is a likely candidate to then replace the injured Vicente Padilla in the rotation.

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A few days ago, I jokingly sent out a challenge to M.Brown of The Left Field Pavilion and Ferio of Juan Pierre's Oversized Hat to put their photoshop skills to work after linking to an article about Pablo Sandoval throwing his cup, which hit a photographer. M.Brown has responded with this beauty. Ferio, I still await your submission. Do not disappoint me young photoshopper.

Dodgers Links On A Saturday Night

Joe Torre has confidence in Charlie Haeger as his 5th starter. As he should: Charlie Knuckles can eat a ton of innings, provide relief support in between starts if necessary, which he has already done once this season, and when that knuckleball is dancing, can mow 'em down, to the tune of 12 strikeouts in his first start on April 11th against the Marlins. [Link not working, it was from the Dodgers Official Site]

Manny Ramirez has returned to LA for treatment on his injured calf. He was in the dugout for Friday's game, but will miss the rest of the road trip. [Manny Returns To LA For Treatment]

Chad Billingsley and confidence. Bleh. kensai over at Memories Of Kevin Malone has this one right: mechanics and pitch selection are ailing Chad. I'll include some thoughts from Torre regarding Bills. [Confidence Eluding Billingsley Early On]

"His stuff is good," said Torre. "We have a tendency to make such an issue of pitch count and throwing strikes, that you can become too concerned with that instead of trusting when he lets it go."

Russ Ortiz Is Gone!

Russ Ortiz has finally been designated for assignment, and Jon Link has been recalled to take his place. Link will almost certainly be sent back to AAA once Hong-Chih Kuo and Ronald Belisario return.

Ortiz's comments:

Ortiz said he asked if the club wanted to keep him and was told yes, but Ortiz said he's not sure he would accept.

"If it's for a specific purpose for the opportunity to come back, yeah," he said. "But I'm not going to go down just to put a uniform on. I don't need to put a uniform on to be happy."

Ortiz said he was undone by three bad innings, but acknowledged that he didn't pitch well enough to remain in the Major Leagues for the entire year, as was his goal.

"It's kind of incomplete for me," he said. "If anything, I let myself and my teammates down."

You were undone because you're an awful pitcher Russ Ortiz.

My ode to you, Russ, is no longer needed.

Thank god for that.

Links On A Saturday Morning

Hong-Chih Kuo, rehabbing his elbow, threw a scoreless inning and K'd 2 for Class A Inland Empire. [Kuo Impressive In One-Inning Rehab Stint]

Jackie Robinson and Don Newcombe. [Newcombe Honors His Idol Jackie In LA]

The Anaheim Ducks are having a fan appreciation sale Saturday, today, with prices slashed slashed slashed. I went last year, got a lot of great deals. Probably won't make it there this year. [Ducks Holding Fan Appreciation Sale]

Maybe Joe Torre Should Get Acclimated With Stats

Blake DeWitt did not start in Thursday's night game, being replaced by Jamey Carroll. Joe Torre's reasoning, reported by Ken Gurnick:

Manager Joe Torre first explained that DeWitt is "struggling" with his swing and "fouling off pitches that he should be putting into play."

Torre, however, also conceded that DeWitt's lifetime numbers against Haren -- 0-for-10 with five strikeouts -- were more than a small factor in the decision.

I've got no real problem with Torre's second train of thought, though I would have started DeWitt if the decision had been mine. However, Torre then said this:

"I only pay attention to stats if they get my attention," Torre said in Yogi Berra fashion.

Perhaps Joe should go back and look at those fancy statistics, and focus in on the one titled "O-B-P". Let's help old Joe out: it stands for on-base percentage, and is the single most important measurement of how productive a player has been offensively. A high OBP is more conducive to scoring runs than a low one, and scoring more runs than the other team is kind of important, or so I've heard.

Blake DeWitt's OBP coming into Thursday, through 7 games and 28 plate appearances: .429, good for third among regulars on the team. He's the most patient, or one of the two or three most patient hitters, on the team, and while he may not be swinging the bat up to the standards he would like to, he's still getting on-base, which is all that matters.

Hey Joe, does that get your attention? Because a .429 OBP should every day of the week.

Kuo Feeling Better

Great news.

"I threw harder this time," said Kuo. "It feels all right, normal, not too bad. It's getting better."

Ausmus To The DL, Ellis Recalled

Brad Ausmus, who turns 41-years-old next week, has been placed on the DL for the first time in his 17-year career, reports Ken Gurnick. The move is retroactive to Friday.

Ausmus has a pinched nerve in his lower back, as well as a history of back problems.

A.J. Ellis has been called up from AAA to sit behind Russell Martin and get into a game once in a blue moon.

Kemp Talks About Close Call

Ken Gurnick collects some quotes from Matt Kemp on his near collision with Reed Johnson in Thursday's game against Pittsburgh:

"That was scary. Really scary," said Kemp, who has the right to any ball he can reach as the center fielder. "It can be tough with new outfielders, and yesterday I had new guys on each side, with Garret Anderson in right. I'm used to working with [Andre Ethier], and with Manny [Ramirez], I know what he can get, and he knows when I can get to the ball, he backs off.

"Yesterday, Reed got a good jump, and I got a good jump at the same time. We both called for it, but when you're running and calling, you can't hear anybody else calling. And the wind made it tougher. And when I'm looking at a ball that I can catch, I'm not looking at anything but the ball, so I won't see another outfielder coming. That can be good, because I'm focused on the ball, but it can be bad, because I won't see a collision coming."

[AP Photos]