Sons of Steve Garvey

photo by Jon SooHoo/Dodgers

Hey, I'm all for civil rights, and as a Dodger fan I certainly respect the legend and legacy of Jackie Robinson.

But is it just me, or is it weird that the "Civil Rights Game" is a meaningless exhibition game? It's almost like MLB is saying, "we support civil rights, so long as it doesn't impact the regular season."

Nice.

Bit of a bombshell here. From Tony Jackson at the Daily News:

Roster shocker: Kemp makes team, Bigbie doesn't

It ultimately came down to the fact Kemp was a right-handed hitter and Bigbie wasn't, and Ned and Grady wanted to balance their heavily left-handed bench. Bigbie has one more day to find a major-league offer and exercise his out clause -- something he can do even if he doesn't find a major-league offer. But if he decides to stay, he'll go to Las Vegas and be just like any other minor league player not on the 40-man roster. Kemp batted .246 for the spring, but also had four home runs, including a monster shot in Friday night's win over the Angels, and nine RBI.

Wow! Just when we were all set to continue bitching, Ned and Grady do the right thing. Don't expect seven home runs in his first 52 games, but finally we get to see what Kemp can do over (hopefully) a full season.

Now about getting James Loney onto the club....

Meanwhile, it'll be interesting to see Bigbie's reaction. I don't see him staying, not when he's gone through the trouble of negotiating that opt-out clause.

Jackson also reports that Rafael Furcal will start the season on the DL, giving Wilson Valdez a chance to impress.

Too bad Valdez is out of options—even though we previously said moving Nomar off first could be folly, seeing him at shortstop for a few games (Furcal is eligible to return for the Giants series) with Loney at first would have rocked from the westside to the eastside.

(Thanks to superfast commenters mike and dodgerfan in idaho for the tip!)

LA Angels 4, LA Dodgers 2

We knocked Wilson Betemit for being a defensive black hole at third base, but he's made some pretty impressive picks recently, including a diving stop in tonight's game. Here's hoping he keeps up the solid defense.

DODGERS 13, ANGELS 4

The future is when? You never want to wish injury upon anyone, let alone the boys in blue, but the sooner Matt Kemp and James Loney join Russell Martin as starters, the better.

LA Angels 6, LA Dodgers 1

Welcome to the club: New acquisition Brady Clark hit into a triple play in the seventh inning.

And was that newly thin fellow in the Angels' dugout Mike Scioscia?

To be fair, most of the Dodgers are back in Los Angeles, ready to play the Angels in tonight's Freeway Series opener. But the next-level Dodgers didn't fare too well in today's split-squad game.

James Loney and Matt Kemp (surprise surprise) had the lone Dodger RBIs, with Kemp's coming off a second-inning home run off of John Maine. Loney went 0-for-2 and now sports a .406 BA.

I'd criticize the four runs that Wright gave up in 2/3 an inning, or the six runs that Hoorelbeke gave up in 1 1/3 innings--but I can't find their first names at MLB.com. I guess you need a spring ERA south of 40.00 to be eligible for first-name status.

And when the next guy on the mound is Luis Gonzalez, who gave up only one run in one inning (facing six batters), you know this game was not taken seriously by the Dodgers. I am dying to know who Gonzalez's K was...please chime in if you know.

Blue Heaven: E-ticket bids a fond farewell to Dodgertown, the last great spring training complex

(Thanks to our very own Pedro Guerrero for the tip!)

Somewhere, Bud Selig is shrugging his shoulders. It's another baseball tie!

Dodgers 3, Tigers 3.

Highlights:

--Derek Lowe pitched four innings and gave up seven hits and three runs, including a meatball that Gary Sheffield clobbered for a three-run homer in the third. Lowe did have four strikeouts. Four Dodger pitchers (Rudy Seanez, Matt White, Jonathan Meloan, and Travis Smith) combined for nine strikeouts over the final five innings of play.

--Offensively, the Dodgers got three runs (two of them earned) off of Nate Robertson, with RBI from Andre Ethier and Tony Abreu. Juan Pierre and Luis Gonzalez each went 1-for-2 and Olmedo Saenz, in the DH slot, went 1-for-3. Russell Martin grounded into a double play; so did Larry Bigbie, who is still batting .352.

--James Loney went 0-for-4 to lower his average to .419.

--Gonzalez and Ethier both had assists from the outfield, the former of which was at home plate. Nice.

And once again, all of this turns into a no home-run, three-run game for the Dodgers. Get used to it.

According to Steve Henson's morning LA Times post:

--Nomar Garciaparra and Mia Hamm had a healthy pair of twin girls. Nomar missed the birth but made it in shortly thereafter. Congratulations!

--Brady Clark, the newly-acquired outfielder, is also expecting any day now and remains in Arizona for his child's birth.

--Rafael Furcal may indeed be ready for opening day, as he is running and throwing on his recently-injured ankle.

Can't get better than that. Oh, I suppose a win today would be nice; Dodgers are tied with the Tigers in the 6th, 3-3 (but have struggled to get only five hits, all singles).

Cards 3, Dodgers 0. Get used to this. Have I mentioned we need a power bat?

James Loney goes 1 for 3 and is batting .448 this spring. Andy La Roche goes 0 for 4 with a strikeout and is batting .173 this spring. Yet both are getting sent down. Hmm.

Brett #5 Tomko went five innings and gave up two runs, including a home run to Albert Pujols in the first. Though this would constitute a respectable start for other teams, with our anemic lineup, we will have to expect more from our starters if we are going to win a game.

LA Dodgers 4, Cleveland 3

From "Repko's prognosis takes turn for worse" by Steve Henson at the L.A. Times:

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Weeks have morphed into months. That's the grim prognosis for outfielder Jason Repko's recovery from a hamstring injury.

Manager Grady Little originally said Repko's time on the disabled list would be "measured in weeks." On Saturday, he amended the assessment after Repko had an MRI, saying, "It's going to be a long time. The MRI didn't look good."

And the injury parade continues....

Left-hander Hong-Chih Kuo has been shut down from all throwing because of shoulder pain.

With Brett Tomko or Mark Hendrickson likely to start the season as the Dodgers' #5 pitcher, don't be shocked to see Chad Billingsley move out of the bullpen before the All-Star break.

So maybe Ned Colletti was right...you can never have enough pitching. You can unpack those bags, Brad Penny.

LA Dodgers 4, Baltimore 2

From Steve Henson at the L.A. Times:

During batting practice, [Grady] Little was heckled by a fan about not removing Pedro Martinez from Game 7 of the 2003 American League Championship Series. Third base coach Rich Donnelly came to Little's defense and the fan was escorted out of the stadium.

Dodgers have total confidence in 'pen: Development of Billingsley adds to already solid relief corps (Dodgers.com)

LA Dodgers 6, Florida 2

Everybody's hurt.

Shoulder an issue for Kuo: Left-hander to get an MRI; fifth starter still up in the air (Dodgers.com)

Painful day for Dodgers Furcal, Repko: Shortstop injures ankle in collision; outfielder later hurts leg (Dodgers.com)

When your healthiest guys are Gonzo and Nomar, something's not quite right.

ORIOLES 8, DODGERS 0

METS 6, DODGERS 2