Nathan Eovaldi made his Major League debut on Saturday and was outstanding. The 21-year-old went five innings while giving up four hits, allowing two runs, walking two and striking out seven on 77 pitches. It was quite a debut for a guy not many had as a 2011 contributor to the team.
I went back and watched his performance and his poise on the mound -- something for which he's always been praised -- was similar to that of De La Rosa. Even though he's 21, he looks like he belongs, much like the 22-year-old De La Rosa.
He struck out Kelly Johnson and Justin Upton in the first inning. Not too bad for the youngster. He did get lucky in the second inning after hanging a slider to Chris Young. If Young had hit it on the sweet spot, it would have been a home run.
Even if Eovaldi were to fail as a starter, he'd have no trouble being a back-of-the-bullpen guy with his power arm and makeup.
Now, it's his first start and I'm sure he'll get knocked around a little. However, a 2013 rotation of Clayton Kershaw, De La Rosa, Chad Billingsley, Eovaldi and someone like Allen Webster or Chris Withrow is looking quite intriguing.
Oh wait, Ted Lilly is signed to a 3-year deal. Unless he's traded, he'll be in there. Silly Ned Colletti 3-year contracts.
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Just when we thought Dee Gordon was OK after hurting his shoulder on Saturday, he goes and hurts his shoulder again last night.
He needs to sit until he's 100 percent healthy. I could see him landing on the disabled list. If he does, the Dodgers should recall Ivan DeJesus and just let him get some playing time at shortstop (which he's been playing a bit of at Albuquerque) and second base.
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Allen Webster got roughed up last night: 3 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 1 BB, 3 K. It was his worst start since being promoted to Double-A and raised his season ERA to 4.12. Still, he's probably the next Dodger pitching prospect in line for a promotion, but that probably won't happen until next season.
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Angelo Songco has been on a tear and needs to be promoted to Chattanooga. I looked at his future after he hit for the cycle in May.
"The fact that Songco is tearing up the California League thus far while guys I had ranked above him aren't playing as well bodes well for his chances. But, we're two months into the season. There's still a lot of baseball to be played. If Songco keeps it up, he could get a promotion to Double-A before season's end."Here we are in August and he's still ripping the California League, hitting .308/.363/.559. While his batting average and on-base percentage have dipped a little since my May write-up (.328, .389), his slugging has increased nearly 30 points. Bottom line: the guy is an extra-base hit machine. He has 24 home runs, 36 doubles and three triples. The doubles are the most of any Dodger minor leaguer and the home runs are second-most (Trayvon Robinson, 26).
Songco started as my No. 22 prospect, worked his way up to No. 11 in the midseason rankings and is now my No. 10 Dodgers' prospect (see list in the left sidebar).
There's a logjam of outfielders in front of him, though. Scott Van Slyke, who's leading the Southern League in doubles (36) and is sixth in on-base percentage (.410), should be promoted to Albuquerque. Alfredo Silverio, who leads the SL in triples (14), should also be promoted.
With Robinson traded and since recalled to Seattle (he hit his first home run on Saturday), the Dodgers decided to promote Brad Coon instead.
Well, I'm sure these guys will be promoted someday. The minor league season ends in less than a month. It'd be nice to see guys get a taste of the next level -- especially guys who could still be viable prospects.
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Here's a nice piece by Chris Jaffe of Hardball Times about a the Dodgers losing a game 20 years ago yesterday on a walk-off hit-by-pitch. Well, as nice as a piece as a Dodger loss can be, I suppose. To make matters worse, it was a 13-inning game against the Giants that ended 1-0.
In fact, Aug. 9 is quite the significant day in baseball history. Jaffe lists a number of events which happened today.
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