The Trolley Dodger

We had the opportunity to see Jason Schmidt pitch his rehab start tonight at San Bernardino. It was also Armed Forces Night, so there was a Dodger Camo Hat giveaway and several flybys from a Blackhawk helicopter. It also hovered over the outfield during “God Bless America” and the National Anthem, sending the warning track up in great boiling dust clouds and rendering the music, well, moot with the noise.

Still, a cool moment. As was seeing Jason Schmidt walking out to the mound, wearing #7 on his 66ers uniform. He got a nice round of applause as he was announced.

It was hot in San Berdoo, with a high over 100, which I imagine didn’t make the job any easier. Schmidt looked like he was doing pretty darn well, apart from a brief moment in the 2nd when either Schmidt was having trouble finding the strike zone, or the ump was.

He went 2.1 innings, giving up only one single and one walk, with no runs, three Ks, three flyouts, and one groundout on a difficult comebacker that hit him pretty hard in the 1st inning.

He had to spin around for a moment to find the ball, but still managed to throw the man out at first. Schmidt didn’t seem to be any worse for wear after the ball hit him, or at least he wasn’t letting on if it was. As he walked off, Eduardo Perez looked like he was asking him how he was, and Schmidt nodded and waved his glove as if to say “No problem.”

We left after the Lake Elsinore Storm put up six runs in the 4th, but according to the box score, the 66ers managed to pull out an 8-7 victory in the bottom of the 9th.

Appropriately on Mother’s Day, today’s lineup is mostly a bunch of kids. :)

1. Pierre, LF (Age 30)
2. Ethier, RF (Age 26)
3. Kemp, CF (Age 23)
4. Loney, 1B (Age 24)
5. Martin, C (Age 25)
6. DeWitt, 3B (Age 22)
7. Young, 2B (Age 25)
8. Hu, SS (Age 24)
9. Kuroda, P (Age 33)

And speaking of kids, how about the 66ers destroying the JetHawks last night to the tune of 25-1, 10 of which were in the 9th inning? Yikes!

In the midst of an article on MiLB.com on prospects who have made the leap to the bigs, is this tidbit on Cory Wade:

Cory Wade, RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers

CALLED UP: Recalled from Double-A Jacksonville on April 24 when infielder Blake DeWitt was sent down.

DEBUT: April 24 in a 6-4 loss to Arizona. The last of four pitchers, he tossed one hitless inning, striking out one and hitting shortstop Stephen Drew with a pitch.

NOTES: Originally a 10th-round pick in 2004 out of Kentucky Wesleyan, Wade put himself on the Dodgers’ map in 2007 when he posted a 2.45 ERA at Class A Advanced Inland Empire and a 1.36 ERA at Jacksonville, striking out 100 in 99 innings while walking just 28 and limiting hitters to below a .200 average. His strong Arizona Fall League showing earned him a spot on the 40-man roster and made it easier to call him up from the Suns bullpen when an extra reliever was needed.

Hey, if you missed out on the 50th Anniversary Dodger Blanket Giveaway last night at Dodger Stadium, fret not. With a little driving and luck, you can grab one at the Inland Empire 66ers game this Saturday:

The Dodgers and 66ers have teamed up to allow the fans of the Inland Empire to show that they really are true blue fans. The first 2,000 people through the gates on Saturday, April 19th at Arrowhead Credit Union Park in San Bernardino will receive a free Dodgers blanket!

Last season the 66ers also gave away a Los Angeles Dodgers blanket and fans came out in flocks! A line of fans snaked around the the stadium with the truest of blue fans lining up as early as 3:30 that afternoon.

They’re playing the High Desert Mavericks, who have replaced the 66ers as the Seattle Mariners’ High A affiliate.

Update: Looks like they should do Blanket Night more often!

The starting pitcher for Inland Empire, Tim Sexton dominated the Mavericks offense for six perfect innings. In a somewhat controversial decision to strictly follow the pitch count, 66ers manager Henry Cruz decided to take Sexton (2-2) out of the game before the seventh inning. Paul Koss pitched the next two innings, and while he did allow three Mavericks to reach base, he kept the no hitter in tact. The three runners that reached base got there on an error and two walks. The ninth inning, and the no-hit bit, was put in the hands of Francisco Felix who started off the inning strong with a strikeout. The chance for a no-hitter ended however when the Mavericks shortstop and highly touted prospect Carlos Triunfel knocked a sharp ground ball to the right side that was too hot for the first baseman Eduardo Perez to handle. Felix would end up striking out the side in the inning, which was little consolation for losing the bid at the no-hitter.

51s Roster, also available as a PDF. If you’re in Vegas this Friday, you might try to get to the game for Russell Martin Bobblehead Night.

Russell Martin Bobblehead Night will be presented on Friday, April 4 at Cashman Field. The first 2,500 fans in attendance will receive a “Martin Bobblehead” in a 51s uniform. The 51s will host the Salt Lake Bees, Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, at 7:05 p.m.

Suns Roster

“2008 Jacksonville Suns Roster Announced”

The 2008 Suns are fielding two top pitching prospects who each saw time in Jacksonville in 2007: right-hander James McDonald and left-hander Clayton Kershaw. McDonald, a 2002 draft selection, is considered to have the best curveball in the Dodgers minor league system. He posted 64 strikeouts in just 52 innings and carried a 1.71 ERA for the Suns in 2007 and will start for the Suns on Opening Day. Kershaw, a first round pick in the 2006 draft, is considered to have the best fastball in the Dodgers organization, along with a drop-off-the table curveball. He finished the season in Jacksonville after posting stellar numbers at Single-A Great Lakes last year, his first full professional season. The 20-year-old Kershaw has been projected as a starter for the Dodgers as early as this season.[...]

Loons Roster

“Loons’ Opening Day Roster Set”

The Great Lakes Loons, in cooperation with the Los Angeles Dodgers, have released the opening day roster for the second season of Loons baseball. The roster is highlighted by nine players who played for the Loons in 2007 returning to action at Dow Diamond and six players ranking in Baseball America’s Top 30 prospect list.

The 66ers have announced the opening day (Thursday) roster for the team.

66ers fans should remember the names and familiar faces of Ryan Rogowski, Gabriel Gutierrez, Drew Locke, Jordan Pratt, Javy Guerra, Alberto Bastardo and Brent Leach. Those seven players spent the 2007 season strictly with Inland Empire.

Other players that spent some time with the Dodgers advanced “A” affiliate last year include Josh Bell, Cody White, Jesus Rodriguez, Francisco Felix, David Pfeiffer, Garrett White, Bridger Hunt and Jaime Pedroza.

There are 12 players getting their first taste of being a 66ers.

View complete roster.

As the Dodgers wrap up Spring Training with a lovely shutout of the Red Sox this afternoon, not to mention an amazing event yesterday, I thought I’d look back in the Trolley Dodger archives to March 2007 to see what was in the news one year ago. Always an interesting exercise.

On 3/25/07, old friend Brett Tomko had won the fifth starter’s spot: “Tomko on tap-ko”. I compared the 2007 rotation to 2006’s as of opening day. Here’s this year as well:

2008

1. Brad Penny
2. Derek Lowe
3. Chad Billingsley
4. Hiroki Kuroda
5. Esteban Loaiza

2007

1. Jason Schmidt
2. Derek Lowe
3. Brad Penny
4. Randy Wolf
5. Brett Tomko

2006

1. Derek Lowe
2. Brad Penny
3. Odalis Perez
4. Brett Tomko
5. Jae Seo

We’ve come a long way.

Happy news and sad news. 3/28/07 — Nomar and Mia’s twins were born (happy belated one-year birthday!). “Captain, there be twins here!”. 3/29/07 Charley Steiner lost his mother, Gertrude.

Last, but not least, was an investigative report on how the Great Lakes Loons were standing up for all that is holy and good, in “Are the Loons fighting evil from Indiana?”

The Press-Enterprise has an article on Inland SoCal preparations for the eminent California League baseball season: “Workers scramble to ready Inland area’s minor league ballparks for play”, including various tidbits from the 66ers staff.

“It’s like a beehive here,” said Loren Foxx, general manager of the San Bernardino-based Inland Empire 66ers.

Opening night is Thursday, when his team will take the field against the Visalia Oaks.

“In order to get the field ready, our groundskeeper has been seeding it and treating it,” Foxx said. “We had some high school games out here the other night. During one of the games, we had hail.

“We’re standing on the pitcher’s mound, my assistant general manager and I, putting down sandbags to hold the tarp down. … If you play in the rain, you get brown footprints on the grass from the mud,” he said.

There are big changes afoot for the Las Vegas 51s, according to this AP story “New Las Vegas 51s owner outlines plans, wants new name”.

Apart from the name change, there are some new additions to Cashman Field, including a spiffy new video scoreboard and a party deck.

Longer term, there may be a replacement field, not to mention a new big league affiliation.

A new ballpark isn’t a top priority, [new owner Derek] Stevens said, even though Las Vegas’ affiliation with the Los Angeles Dodgers expires after this season and a renewal could hinge on plans for a new stadium.

“The Dodgers were very clear with us,” Stevens said. “The status of the stadium will be the most significant factor in their willingness to extend our affiliation.”

Stevens said a new ballpark will be needed “at some point” and talked about building a dome.

I’d vote for a pyramid, myself. ;)

Gah! Looks like our potential starting 3rd baseman is down for the count. According to Tony Jackson:

[Andy LaRoche] has a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb and will need surgery, which Ned said will take place in the next couple of days, probably in Los Angeles.

8-10 weeks is the word at the moment. Nomar’s been playing well, so thank goodness for that. Just have to figure out who the backup is.

On a nicer note, catcher Lucas May is getting some positive attention thanks to his performance this spring. We used to watch him catch 66ers games, so it’s awesome to see him get recognition.

Check out “Minor League Report: Lucas May” on MLB.com:

This is Lucas May’s first Major League camp and second Spring Training as a catcher, but he’s already starting to draw comparisons to Russell Martin.

Like Martin, May is a former infielder. Drafted as a shortstop, he was sent to the outfield before being moved behind the plate last year. He’s quickly become one of the best catching prospects in the organization, in part because of the power he showed while slugging 25 homers for Class A Inland Empire.

Another former 66er doing well is Ivan DeJesus Jr.:

Ivan DeJesus Jr. was plucked out of early Minor League camp to play in two Major League exhibition games, and he even started a split-squad game at shortstop when Rafael Furcal was nursing a strained hamstring. DeJesus went 2-for-3 with a double. He was a second-round Draft pick and is the son of former Dodger Ivan DeJesus.

We have a rule: never ignore players with Russian first names and Latino surnames.