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Couple of big stories today as the Dodgers seek to even the series at one game a piece. Dodger center fielder Matt Kemp will try not to hold down the Dodger offense when he returns today, and Nathan Eovaldi will be making his 2012 major league debut in place of the injured Ted Lilly. Eric will have more on both of those activations in a few hours.
Eovaldi will not be the only pitcher making his debut, as the Brewers recalled Michael Fiers to take the rubber for them. Fiers got his feet wet in 2011, but tonight will be his first 2012 appearance. Here is the BaseballHQ scouting report on Fiers:
Michael Fiers (RHP, MIL)
His numbers in the minors have been stellar—2.80 ERA, 2.4 Ctl, 9.6 Dom—but he doesn’t have overpowering or dominant stuff that projects well in the majors. Fiers thrives with a very deceptive delivery that keeps hitters off guard. His fastball only sits in the 88-92 mph range, but he locates it with precision down in the strike zone. He rounds out his deep arsenal with a fringy curveball, slider, and solid-average change-up. Fiers possesses well above average control and consistently gets ahead in the count.
STATS: Nashville (AAA) – 10 gs, 1-3 4.42 ERA, 55 IP, 2.7 Cmd, 2.9 Ctl, 8.0 Dom, 6 HR, .243 oppBA
CURRENT ROLE: Starter
POTENTIAL: #4 starter
Besides the injuries one of the reasons for the Brewers struggling can be found at second base. Richie Weeks has had slumps before but I doubt if he's ever had a slump of this magnitude. If you have been listening to Vin Scully you know that Weeks has been having trouble making contact (62 K's) but did you know just how bad it has been for Weeks?
Player OPS+ PA HR BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS Emmanuel Burriss 45 116 0 9 18 .212 .278 .221 .499 Rickie Weeks 59 200 5 29 62 .156 .290 .293 .583 Marco Scutaro 62 198 1 13 13 .247 .305 .324 .629 Orlando Hudson 63 131 1 8 27 .211 .260 .317 .577 Freddy Galvis 73 173 3 6 25 .236 .263 .382 .645 Danny Espinosa 78 194 5 19 59 .213 .302 .349 .651 Neil Walker 85 185 2 14 34 .263 .315 .347 .663 Darwin Barney 90 175 2 10 20 .259 .306 .389 .695 Daniel Descalso 93 101 2 10 24 .227 .320 .386 .706 Brandon Phillips 99 173 5 13 23 .272 .326 .418 .743 Aaron Hill 102 191 5 18 29 .263 .340 .415 .756 Daniel Murphy 102 202 0 16 25 .297 .351 .368 .719 Mark Ellis 106 154 2 18 18 .273 .373 .364 .736 Tyler Greene 108 113 4 10 29 .235 .310 .461 .771 Jose Altuve 120 206 3 13 26 .302 .351 .455 .806 Dan Uggla 121 215 7 32 56 .260 .372 .436 .809 Omar Infante 133 165 6 7 19 .321 .352 .532 .884
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 5/29/2012.
Three second baseman lead the National League in strikeouts. Weeks (62), Espinosa(59), and Uggla(56). Yet those three have combined for only 17 home runs. You'd think you'd get more bang for your buck when you whiff amuck.
Dodger Notes:
RBI MACHINE: Andre Ethier went 2-for-4 and gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead in the first inning with his two-out RBI double, driving in his National League-leading 42nd run of the season. Ethier has hit safely in seven of his last eight games, batting .375 (12-for-32) with three runs scored, three doubles, a home run and six RBI since May 29.
FUN BOBBY: Bobby Abreu went 2-for-4 with run scored and a stolen base, raising his average to .339 (20-for-59) in 22 games with Los Angeles. Abreu has also drawn 12 walks as a Dodger and has posted a .451 on-base percentage with the club.
MAKE IT 11: Javy Guerra relieved Aaron Harang in the sixth and retired all three batters he faced for his 11th consecutive scoreless appearance (11.0 IP).
Also be sure to check out this recap of the incredible Angel game last night. You might have heard of the writer.