Live Dodger Spring Training Updates

Our friend Lou Olsen over at the Brewers site Reviewing the Brew is at the Dodgers/Brewers game today and will be providing our readers with his observations from watching the Dodgers in person.

Todays notes: Tony Gwynn Jr led off the game with a HR to right field.

In the 3rd inning the Dodger offense exploded, Dioner Navarro doubled home Aaron Miles, then scored on an Andre Ethier double. Matt Kemp followed that up with a “long home run to right-center field,” according to the Brewers radio team.

Jay Gibbons then did what he does best and grounded out, he finished 0-3 and is now batting a robust .083 this spring, someone please explain to me what he brings to the Dodgers that Xavier Paul doesn’t? Ivan De Jesus Jr followed Gibbonswith a double to the left-center field gap, but was stranded, he added a single in his next AB.

In the bottom of the 3rd Matt Kemp made a great running/leaping catch where he hustled to back up Jay Gibbons who misplayed the ball, according to the Brewers play by play man Brian Anderson, but fortunately a hustling Kemp ended up making a great catch. IDJ followed that up by making a great play on a ball hit up the middle and made a strong throw to get a hustling Craig Counsell at first base.

Aaron Miles of all people then added a long ball of his own with a HR to center-field in the 4th. What in the hell has gotten in to Miles? Good news is through 4 innings the Dodgers lead 6-0 and their bats seem to have woken up with 3 home runs.

Andre Ethier added a solo HR in the 5th, his 1st of the spring.

John Ely gave up 1 hit over 3 scoreless innings and, Ron Mahay, the supposed lefty specialist entered the game and promptly gave up a “mammoth” home run to Prince Fielder, Mahay has now given up 2 long balls in his 3 outings, not exactly what your looking for out of your lefty specialist. 5 Dodger relievers combined to give up 3 hits the rest of the way to seal the W.

Jerry Sands watch, Sands got 1 AB and walked. His OBP is a staggering .588 through 10 games.

Look for Lou’s live in person feedback later this evening on Reviewing the Brew 

***Update***

Well nothing so far from Lou I will link up his comments as soon as we hear from him. Perhaps he, like the rest of the Brewers, are still a little sore from the events that transpired at the end of the 6th inning today, courtesy of Adam McCalvy at MLB.com 

“Tempers flared briefly at the end of the sixth inning, after Brewers third baseman Casey McGehee struck out with the bases loaded. Dodgers reliever Ramon Colon pumped his fist after the inning-ending whiff and McGehee took issue. The benches cleared, and Fielder had to be restrained, but no punches were thrown.

Afterwards, McGehee and Colon met outside the visitors clubhouse, where they patched things up.

“To me, it’s not a big deal,”McGehee said. “He got excited, I got excited. He told me where he was coming from and I told him where I was coming from.

“There’s a lot more important stuff to get [ticked] off about than a Spring Training game.”

Ironically McGehee and Colon played together in the Minors for the Royals in 2008. I have scoured the net for a photo of the incident and the only one I could find was here on ESPN.

The Dodgers face the Seattle Mariners tomorrow and the game is actually scheduled to be televised on Prime Ticket! I never thought I’d be so excited to watch a spring training game, but trying to describe events by listening to them on the radio vs watching them on television is quite the challenge. Hong-Chih Kuo is scheduled to make his first appearance, James Loney and Jamey Carroll are also expected to return to the lineup for the Dodgers.