Dodger Stadium Gets It's Own Zip Code

Fresh off the press from Ken Gurnick is a very interesting development.

The U.S. Postal Service will designate Dodger Stadium and the associated property with a new signature ZIP code, 90090, the club announced Thursday.

The official unveiling will take place Saturday, June 6, before the Dodgers' 1:10 p.m. PT game with Philadelphia.

"Not only do more than three million citizens call Dodger Stadium their summer home each year but fans from all over the world send cards and letters to the Dodgers organization and their favorite players," said Gregory G. Graves, the Postal Service's district manager for Los Angeles, in a statement released by the club.

"ZIP codes are as important to the Postal Service as a smooth, accurate delivery is for a pitcher in baseball. The use of 90090 will assure fans of all ages that their mail will be delivered quickly and efficiently."

Dodgers CEO Jamie McCourt, instrumental in obtaining the unique code, encouraged fans to write letters to their favorite players, mailed to Dodgertown, Calif. 90090.

"We welcome letters in any language, from any person, anywhere in the world," McCourt said. "Baseball is a universal language; baseball is a unifying language.

This is just a great development and it's great to see ownership getting involved with the growth of the Dodgers. This is a great way to give back to the best fans in all of professional sports.

Jeff Weaver Is Back In Dodger Blue

Jeff Weaver's contract was purchased from the minors and called up from AAA today. Cory Wade was activated from the disabled list.

To make room for Wade, the club optioned Blake DeWitt back to Albuquerque. There already was room on the 25-man roster for Weaver because the club optioned reliever Scott Elbert to Double-A Chattanooga on Wednesday night. To make room for Weaver on the 40-man roster, the club moved injured infielder Doug Mientkiewicz to the 60-day disabled list.

Some may not even care about news out of Dodger camp today. I happen to like this guy and I am very glad to see Weaver back in a Dodgers uniform. Weaver had one of his best years as a Dodger who came over from the Yankees in the Kevin Brown trade. He has bounced around all over the place between the minors and majors the last several seasons, who last appeared in the majors at the end of the 2007 season.

Weaver was a opening day candidate as a non-roster invitee. However do to the 40 man roster issue and with players out of options he didn't make the cut. I saw him as a clear favorite to win the long relief role and spot start on the opening day roster. He had a great spring and has been doing well in the minors. Weaver may just be the Jose Lima, and Wilson Alvarez of 2009. It's also early enough in the season to maybe earn himself a Comeback Player of The Year Award.

Dodgers Rumors: New Look

Dodgers Rumors got a facelift this evening. I want to take a moment and thank Danny Valdez at www.dmvcomics.com for the banner. I could not have pulled that off for a serious amount of time. I owe you a couple Dodger Dogs for sure.

Manny's Mammoth Shot

This is the biggest shot I have ever seen, and it's a beautiful thing. Manny just flat out owned Roy Oswalt on this one.

Manny's Mammoth Shot

Dodgers Rumors Now On MySpace

Dodgers Rumors landed in MySpace land today. I continue to try and get the message out, and I hope that someday Dodger fans will be able to use this site as a source for all of their Dodgers updates.

Please visit www.myspace.com/dodgersrumors

Dodgers Looking At Mark Mulder

Source L.A. Times

Mulder is working out and hoping to get signed as early as one week. Mulder is reportedly ready to throw 100 pitches in the majors in as little as a couple weeks. The Dodger are one of the six to eight teams interested in the veteran. The A's and Nationals have reported interest as well, while the Angels are totally out of the running.

Wade Joins The DL Party

Cory Wade joined the DL over the weekend after his shoulder was still bothering him after his one and lone appearance this season. Wade struggled with discomfort in the same shoulder during spring training, and caused him to miss ten days of spring ball. Wade reports that it's minor and this should be taken as strictly precautionary, and he is expected back on April 27th. Torre is hoping that Wade will take the time to get healthy and close to 100% as possible.

Elbert has been recalled from AA and will be used out of the pen. Elbert was starting in the Minors and had a 3.38 ERA in two outings with Chattanooga. He's expected to pitch as soon as Sunday with McDonald on the mound to finish off Colorado.

Dodgers Off To Hot Start Hold 2nd Best Record In Majors

The Dodgers are riding a seven game winning streak. They have the best record in the NL West, and have the second best record in the majors. The Dodgers are playing well, Manny got his first homer of the season in today's win and the bats are blazing hot. Martin and Blake continued on their slow starts, which should turn around shortly. While Hudson, Kemp, Loney, and Ethier continue on their impressive starts.

Could this be the season? It's still a little early to predict the outcome of the season. However if the team continues to play like this they could certaintly repeat as NL West champs. There are few people who don't believe the West is the Dodgers division to lose. The Dodgers are playing well as a team and making every moment count.

The pitching staff is making every attempt to quiet the negative speculation about the young staff. They are simply dominant in every aspect and letting the performance on the field speak for itself. Broxton is the best closer in the game right now and is just lights out. Stults is stepping up in the abscence of Kuroda. Quite frankly the depth and attitue of this team is just plain scary and I am very proud to be a Dodger fan. This team is off to a solid start and look for them to get their second sweep of the season against Colorado tomorrow.

DeWitt Recalled From AAA

The Dodgers promoted infielder Blake DeWitt from Triple-A Albuquerque on Friday to replace the injured Doug Mientkiewicz, who dislocated his shoulder with a head-first dive Thursday night and will undergo reconstructive surgery Monday.

DeWitt returns to the Dodgers after being optioned to AAA on Monday because the club wanted him to play every day and not be a bench player in the majors. Now he will sit on the bench in Los Angeles, which is totally contradicting the move on Monday. DeWitt has got to be frustrated and thrilled at the same time. Losing his starting job to Hudson and now this back and forth business. Hopefully the kid can hang in there and prove he needs to stay in the bigs.

The decision wasn't made until Friday, as the staff apparently was split -- with some preferring to promote outfielder Xavier Paul, who is hitting .571 at Triple-A. Not a big surprise here and I am sure we will see the X Factor in 2009.

Prospect Report: Josh Lindblom

Starting off a new series where I will give updates on top prospects in the Dodgers minor league affiliates. First up in the series is my favorite young prospect Josh Lindblom.

On March 25th, 2009 Ken Gurnick from MLB.com wrote this about Lindblom. Nobody in the Dodgers organization is willing to call 21-year-old Josh Lindblom a candidate for fifth starter, but watching the way he's pitched and the way manager Joe Torre is using him, figure he'll get the job sooner or later.

To follow up on this a bit I am going to guess sooner as in 2009 sooner. After the spring he had I thought it was a clear choice to put him as the 5th starter. I like everything about this kid and I will go out on a limb and guess we will see him as soon as All-Star game time or as a September call-up. If the injuries continue to pile on we could see him sooner with Stults already in the bigs currently.

Right now it seems the Dodgers just want to get the big right-hander (6-5, 220 pounds) consistent starts in the minors. Lindblom was a second round choice in last year's draft out of Purdue. In college, he was a dominant closer and he definitely has the stuff to handle that kind of role. I believe the Dodgers view him more as a starter with his repertoire with an excellent fastball, a sharp slider, a change, and a splitter to keep batters off balance. He changes speeds often and has great command. He is a natural and makes himself look like a seasoned veteran always keeping composure. He reminds me of Derek Lowe without the nasty sinker. He will likely start the season in AA Jacksonville and move his way up to AAA by June. Look for him to be the 5th starter by seasons end, and will crack the opening day rotation as a starter in 2010,

In closing I see him being a solid 3rd starter behind Billingsley and Kershaw by opening day 2011.

Mientkiewicz Dislocates Shoulder

An update this morning on Mientkiewicz he actually separated his shoulder last night after he slid head first into second on his line drive double. He is going to spend at least two to three months on the DL. In 5 AB's this season he had a double, 2 RBI's, batting .400 with a .600 SLG% his prescence off the bench will be missed. This guy has the heart of a champion, he actually tried to stay in the game after the slide. Head trainer Stan Conte had made Mientkiewicz put his hand in the air which he did with ease. It took about sixty seconds after the coaching staff left the field for Mientkiewicz to call time and was escorted off the field.

I hope for a speedy recovery and as the injuries are starting to pile up a bit lets take a look at a likely replacement.

The obvious is Blake Dewitt his young and hungry prescence makes him the favorite, especially with his versatility to play several positions. Torre would be losing a backup 1B with this move, but I don't see a need to take Loney out of any lineup. Loretta can play first along with Casey Blake if needed. We may see Xavier Paul get his first shot at the bigs as well, I would not be totally surprised to see Paul get called up at this point. Dewitt really should be playing everyday and spending time on the bench isn't good for anyone at this point. The move should be made sometime today or tomorrow.i

Doug Mientkiewicz Goes Down Hard

It's the top of the 7th inning and I just Mientkiewicz slide head first and it didn't look pretty. Vin was going on about how he hates when guys slide in to bases head first. Vin went on to discuss several topics surrounding the subject, gotta love Vin. I am not sure how Doug is doing after the slide as he seemed fine after spending a few minutes on the ground. Torre and the coaching staff ran out, Conte followed shortly. Mientkiewicz stayed in the game but not for long as he called time shortly after the game resumed. He seemed to have hurt his shoulder on the head first dive and well that just can't be good. I will keep you posted as I get any information from Dodger Town. My guess he spends some time on the disabled list. With no adequate backup 1B or capable bench bat lets hope he is just day to day.

Kuroda Hits The DL

Kuroda hit the DL on Wednesday, and he is reported to be out for awhile. This is a troubling blow to the Dodger pitching staff. The opening day started that made the Padres look like a 30 win team, is gone for at least two starts.

Kuroda's discomfort is on the left side of his rib cage, typical for a right-handed pitcher, according to Conte. Kuroda was allowed to play catch Monday, but Conte said he backed off Tuesday and Wednesday pending an examination by Dr. Neal ElAttrache before Wednesday night's game.

Trainer Stan Conte said Kuroda is progressing, but still "showing symptoms" from the oblique strain, which is not an injury "to push through" because it can linger for months. The last time I heard a pitcher was progressing was Jason Schmidt, shall I continue. I am speculative against anything that Conte says these days, however this injury is considered minor in the grand scheme of things.

Speaking of Schmidt Conte said that disabled pitcher Jason Schmidt threw a five-inning, 73-pitch game in extended spring training on Wednesday. If he comes out of it healthy and is able to throw a bullpen session Friday, at least one more extended spring outing is likely before he would begin a Minor League rehab assignment.

Maybe Schmidt can come to the rescue for the pitching staff and ride into October with them. I will not be holding my breath. I am going to hold out and hope for a Lindblom promotion or better yet a trade that brings a capable starter that can eat some innings. Pedro is still available and you gotta figure at least some dialog has taken place between Ned and the former Mets ace. I was somewhat dissapointed by the DYoung trade to Pittsburgh. I was really frustrated that we traded a great trade chip without getting a capable pitcher in return. It's early still and we all must be patient and trust in Torre and Ned to make the right calls. For now Kuroda should hit the DL or bench in your fantasy leagues and hope for the best.

Dodgers Trade Delwyn Young To Pirates

In a rather disappointing move today, the Dodgers traded Young to the Pirates for a pair of players to be named. The Dodgers broke the official news early Wednesday morning. The Dodgers seem to be pairing well with the Pirates lately. It is also possible it's the only team that will trade with Colletti under reasonable circumstances. Young was out of options and had to be released or traded to make room for Juan Castro. Wait! What? Juan Castro the journeyman who is basically on a downward spiral in his professional career. Young has great potential on a team that won't give him a position or an opportunity to play. Sure he is probably not the next Alfonso Soriano but the kid can play baseball a heck of a lot better than Juan Castro. Hopefully they can pick up at least one decent prospect to stock up the farm yet again.

Hudson Hits For The Cycle

On 04/13/2009 Orlando Hudson hit for the cycle. He became the first player in Dodgers history to hit for the cycle at Dodger Stadium. A cycle hasn't been hit by a Dodger in almost 40 years, Wes Parker last did it in 1970. And Parker's cycle came on a 10th-inning triple, so Hudson was the first Dodgers player to accomplish it in a nine-inning game since Gil Hodges did it on June 25, 1949. Hudson became the 9th player in the Dodgers history to record a cycle.

Hudson had a brilliant outing against former teammate Randy Johnson. He single handedly led the Dodgers offense to victory. The O-Dawg is off to a career start batting in 8 games; 11 hits, 2 doubles, 2 triples, 2 homeruns, 3 stolen bases, with a .333 AVG and .697 SLG. Hudson is blazing so far in 2009, and if Hudson can stay healthy and keep up this pace he will help lead this team to October. I guess that wrist is going to hold up after all.

Dodgers Ready To Strike Against Dbacks

Torre and company are looking to strike first on the Dbacks . It's pretty clear to most that the only real competition for the Dodgers in the NL West is the Diamondbacks. That is of course assuming that the Giants offense doesn't show up in 2009. Which unless there are several breakout seasons just simply won't happen. It's easy to argue the Giants have the best pitching in the NL but they just can't seem to generate offense. After finishing out against the Padres in a very dissapointing loss with the bullpen faltering slightly. The offense is off to an expected slow start in the early stages of the season. The Dodgers as a whole seem to be playing very well as a unit and you can see the chemistry under the bright lights. This team can play some baseball and it should be interesting to see how this all plays out.

The Diamondbacks have lost Webb for the series with an sore shoulder. You had better believe the Dodgers will look to capitalize on this situation. The Dodgers will get Garland, Petit, and Haren. McDonald makes his first start in the majors on Friday against Garland. McDonald has made it to the show and it's his time to shine. It's also his time to prove he earned the spot in the rotation and wasn't given to him by default as some believe to think. The offense needs to get started early against Garland, as this will allow some room to breathe for McDonald.

Now lets take a moment to see just how slow of a start the offense has gotten off to. The Dodgers ended up beating Peavy which is only the second time ever, so the question is asked how slow of a start is it really? Well the Dodgers currently rank 9th in the NL offensively. Last year the Dodgers ranked 13th in the NL with 4.32 runs scored per game. The revamped lineup projects to score a healthy 4.98 runs per game, according to CHONE projections. Such production would've ranked 2nd in the NL last year. He also reduced the opening day payroll by $18MM. Not a bad job at all for the team that is on the field currently. Kemp, Loney, and Ethier are off to a very solid start while paving the way for the offense. While Manny and Martin are off to a very rough start. This is a marathon though and it's not just one game it's 162 games and there will be peaks and valleys throughout the season.

Greg Miller Back In Blue

According to Ken Gurnick Greg Miller has been resigned. He was released on Monday to make room for Will Ohman and others. Greg Miller has been assigned to the minor leagues. It was only two years ago that Miller was one of the top rated pitching prospects in the Dodgers organization. In 2004 Baseball America had him as the number 8 overall prospect in all of baseball. That was 2004 however and after two shoulder surgeries and his inability to make an impact in March, he has found himself playing in the minors. I have read up quite a bit on this guy over the last several years and this guy can pitch. His stuff is solid and there is no question he may be on a MLB rotation in the future. I am really pulling for Miller, this guy is the real deal and has been derailed by the shoulder that sidelined him. If he can turn this around and stay healthy we could see him in the majors in 2010.