Dodgers’ Julio Urias arrested on domestic violence charges

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias was arrested and charged with felony domestic violence charges late Sunday night.

Urias, 27, was taken into custody after 11 p.m. Sunday night and released just after 1 a.m. Monday morning on $50,000 bond.

Urias was previously involved in a domestic violence incident in 2019, when he was accused of pushing a woman he was with.

The lefty was not charged, as the alleged victim told investigators she fell.

Urias was suspended 20 games by MLB under the Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Policy.

Dodgers sign 2B Kolten Wong to minor league deal

After making a number of effective but unheralded moves at the trade deadline, the Los Angeles Dodgers made another addition Friday when they signed infielder Kolten Wong to a minor league deal.

Among the Dodgers’ previous moves were acquiring versatile defenders like Enrique Hernandez from the Boston Red Sox and Amed Rosario from the Cleveland Guardians. Wong is primarily a second baseman but does have some outfield experience.

Wong, 32, was in the midst of his worst season since establishing himself with the St. Louis Cardinals earlier in his career. He was batting .165 with a .241 on-base percentage in 67 games with the Seattle Mariners before he was released on Aug. 3.

Los Angeles Dodgers retire Fernando Valenzuela’s No. 34 jersey in ‘long overdue’ ceremony

Fernando Valenzuela emerged from the Dodger Stadium dugout Friday night in true Mexican fashion: serenaded by mariachis playing the classic “Viva México” as the crowd took part in shouting “¡Viva!” during the chorus.

It was an entrance fit for “El Toro.”

After years of wondering if it would ever happen, the Los Angeles Dodgers honored one of their most culturally significant players in franchise history with the retirement of Valenzuela’s No. 34 jersey.

Along with family, some of Valenzuela’s closest people in the organization – like former catcher Mike Scioscia and Hall of Fame Spanish announcer Jaime Jarrín – were on hand to congratulate the left-handed pitcher on his achievement. Dodgers radio announcer Charley Steiner was the host of the ceremony and said the name “Fernando” is one synonymous with the Dodgers, like “Jackie” and “Vin.” He also mentioned what Valenzuela did for the team away from the field.

“The man we honored tonight transcends what he did for the Dodgers,” Steiner said.

Dodgers Acquire Shortstop Amed Rosario From Guardians for Noah Syndergaard

Even after trading for Kiké Hernández on Tuesday, the Dodgers said they weren’t necessarily done trying to add a bat.

As it turns out, they waited barely 24 hours to go get another.

The Dodgers on Wednesday acquired Cleveland Guardians shortstop Amed Rosario in exchange for struggling pitcher Noah Syndergaard and cash considerations.

Two guys not playing as well as they used to, so an old-school change-of-scenery trade.

Dodgers Have Shown Interest In Lucas Giolito

The Dodgers are among the teams showing interest in White Sox righty Lucas Giolito, tweets Jon Morosi of MLB.com. It’s a natural fit, given the Dodgers’ need for rotation reinforcements and the White Sox’ status as likely sellers of short-term pieces. Giolito is a free agent at season’s end.

Giolito, who’ll turn 29 tomorrow, figures to be of interest to a wide variety of contending clubs. He’s in the midst of a strong season, is earning a $10.4MM salary this season, and has a strong track record dating back to his 2019 breakout. Similarly, the Dodgers figure to cast a wide net as they survey the trade market for starting pitching help. While it’s certainly of note that they’ve shown some interest in Giolito, there’s also no indication that there have been any advanced talks for the righty or that he, in particular, is being pursued more aggressively than the many other starters expected to popular the trade market. In some regards, it’d actually be more surprising to learn that the Dodgers weren’t interested in Giolito, given how logical the pairing is.

Astros reliever goes berserk after balk call brings in winning run vs. Dodgers

There are a lot of ways to lose a baseball game, but the Houston Astros managed to lose to the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-7 on Saturday night in one of the most annoying ways possible: a balk.

Let’s set the scene. It’s the bottom of the eighth inning, the score tied 7-7. Astros reliever Ryne Stanek is pitching to Miguel Rojas with runners on second and third with two outs. The game hangs in the balance. Then, the home plate umpire calls a balk, which brings in the go-ahead run for the Dodgers. Stanek is not pleased.

What happened to the Dodgers’ pitching? Inside the team’s historic struggles

“In a lot of ways, we have built a lot of our successful teams on elite pitching,” said Friedman, the Dodgers president of baseball operations. “And we’ve fallen short of that to this point.”

So far, their search for answers has met nothing but dead ends, the club spinning its wheels with a shorthanded rotation, an overmatched bullpen and a revolving door of young pitchers struggling to fill the gaps.

“There’s a lot of different layers to why, collectively, we haven’t performed,” pitching coach Mark Prior said. “Some of that is certain individuals’ ability to execute pitches at different times has not been great. Some of it has been the lack of depth from our starting rotation, as far as getting deeper into games.”

The one thing everyone can agree on: “We have not pitched well,” Prior said. “There’s really no sugar-coating it.”

And until it turns, the Dodgers’ ability to be a true contender, and make a legitimate push for a World Series, will remain in question.

Here are four observations on what has gone wrong, and how the Dodgers are trying to fix it.

No pitcher has ever started a career quite like this

Bobby Miller was so impressive through his first three career starts that he hadn’t needed to worry much about pitching his way out of big league jams.

Turns out, that’s not much of an obstacle for the Dodgers’ top pitching prospect.

Miller danced around some early trouble Saturday afternoon before settling in to continue his historically dominant run to begin his career. The 24-year-old right-hander tossed six scoreless innings to lower his ERA to 0.78—and to lead the Dodgers to a 9-0 win over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.

In doing so, Miller became just the third pitcher in AL/NL history to go at least five innings and allow no more than one run in each of his first four career games within the same season. The last to do so was Kenta Maeda in 2016 (also with the Dodgers), while Cody Anderson also did so in 2015 with Cleveland.

Dodgers Dugout: Would you ride a gondola to Dodger Stadium?

Colleague Bill Shaikin wrote a story this week about a proposed gondola that would take fans from Union Station to Dodger Stadium. Many of you have already read it, and if you haven’t, please read it before we continue. To sum up the story, quoting Shaikin:

“Get to Union Station, hop aboard a spacious cabin that could arrive every 23 seconds, soar high above the city, and arrive at Dodger Stadium in seven minutes. The climate benefit is easy to envision: fewer fans in cars powered by gasoline; more fans in gondolas powered by electricity.

“Near Lot G at Dodger Stadium, along the long slog from the outer reaches of the parking lots to a stadium entrance behind left field, a colorful model of a gondola cabin awaits you. You can step inside the 24-seat cabin, then imagine a ride that would allow you to skip traffic to the ballpark and instead, as the signage reads: ‘GET THERE BY AIR.’ ”

Proposed cost: North of the estimated $300 million estimated in 2020. The apparent mastermind behind this plan: Frank McCourt, who owns the Dodger Stadium parking lots. The proposed cost to ride the gondola: Free.

Inside the ‘secret’ baseball academy the Dodgers are running in Uganda

It’s unlikely the team will be able to keep the academy secret for long, though, because as the first big league franchise to plant its flag on soil that is rapidly becoming rich in baseball talent, the Dodgers are uniquely positioned to begin harvesting those riches.

“The baseball there is getting better,” said the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Tom Gillespie, who has been scouting Africa for 12 years. “There’s a high level of competitiveness and because there’s not a lot of formalized sports in a lot of places in Africa, when there is baseball available, you’re drawing the best athletes. That’s not true in a lot of places.”

Only two Africans have played in the majors, with infielder Gift Ngoepe and pitcher Tayler Scott, both South Africans, combining to appear in 62 games from 2017 to 2022. (Scott is a reliever for the Dodgers’ triple-A club in Oklahoma City this season.) The Dodgers are hoping to change that, having signed two Ugandans — Ben Serunkuma, a 21-year-old reliever, and Umar Male, a 21-year-old outfielder — last year. In January another academy player, infielder Nicholas Alumai, joined the University of St. Thomas in Houston on a baseball scholarship, becoming the second Ugandan recruited to play at the Division III school in the last three years.

Trea Turner might have stayed in L.A., but Dodgers never made him an offer

Despite his Florida roots and East Coast inclinations, Trea Turner would have been open to staying with the Dodgers long-term this past winter — to potentially spend the prime of his career with a juggernaut in Los Angeles.

“I would’ve entertained it,” Turner said. “They were definitely in my top few teams.”

The inevitable happened instead.

In what has become a common theme for a franchise that has watched a parade of premium talent walk out the door in recent years, the Dodgers never came very close to keeping Turner in the Southland.

Despite having all of last year to work on a potential extension for two-time All-Star shortstop after the Dodgers traded for him midway through 2021, the sides failed to make enough traction in contract negotiations to strike a new deal.

And once Turner did reach free agency over the winter, the Dodgers effectively bowed out of the sweepstakes for the 29-year-old star, failing to make him any formal offers before he signed with the Philadelphia Phillies for 11 years and $300 million in early December.

“I don’t know if surprise is the right word,” Turner said Monday when asked about the Dodgers decision not to heavily pursue him this winter. “I had conversations with them in spring training last year, and that didn’t work out. Once that happened, anything is possible. It’s a business ... It just didn’t work out.”

Clayton Kershaw is superb in joining 200-win club as Dodgers blank Mets

“There’s been a lot of pitchers that have pitched well but maybe don’t have the team behind them,” Kershaw said. “Just reflecting on that, and just thankful for being part of great teams, that’s what wins signify to me.”

That’s why the Dodgers’ 5-0 victory over the New York Mets on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium carried so much extra meaning for the 35-year-old left-hander, who picked up his 200th career win in dominant style and historic fashion.

Not only did Kershaw become the 117th major league pitcher to reach the 200-victory club, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, but he got there with a higher career winning percentage (.694) than any other member, improving his career regular-season record to 200-88.

L.A. Times: The Dodgers, Clayton Kershaw, Tim Tebow and Jesus Christ

Kershaw is a devout Christian, though unlike Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, he is hardly in your face about it. Kershaw and Tebow are two highly famous young professional athletes who outwardly approach their strong faith in markedly different ways.

If there is a showy, look-at-me aspect to Tebow and his kneeling in prayer on the football field and near zeal off it, Kershaw is more understated in his approach, if no less sincere.

I’ve never heard him bring up God in postgame interviews or seen him point to the sky after a big strikeout. Yet, I still have a clear understanding of his commitment.

“I think everybody has different approaches to it,” Kershaw said. “For me, everything I do has a purpose to it beyond what’s in this lifetime. At the same time, on the field I have a job to do and that’s what I’m focused on.

“I guess you could say I’m a little more understated than Tim is. Not to say either one is wrong, that’s just kind of my personality a little bit.”

Indeed, even if it’s not exactly his way, Kershaw admires Tebow for using his high-profile platform to bring attention to his faith.

“I have a lot of respect for Tim,” Kershaw said. “I don’t know him personally, but I think what he’s doing is special. I think what he’s trying to do should be recognized, in whatever way that you try to do it. He’s playing football but I think there’s more to it than that.

MLB Trade Rumors: Bartolo Colon Agrees to Sign With Unknown Team

Bartolo Colon has agreed to a deal with an unknown club reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today (on Twitter). The right-hander wouldn’t divulge the team because he has not yet passed his physical.

Pretty sure it’s either the All-Stars or the Champs.

L.A. Times: Helping baseball’s scouts in a post-‘Moneyball’ world

In the front offices of major league clubs, the statistics-vs.-scouts debate ended long ago. No club today could imagine winning without tapping the resources of the increasingly sophisticated statistical tools available as well as the experience of scouts trained to look at a kid today and project his tomorrows.

Yet that debate was very much alive in 2003, sparked by the book “Moneyball,” and by author Michael Lewis’ portrayal of how Oakland Athletics General Manager Billy Beane and assistant Paul DePodesta challenged the hegemony of the scouting community.

“Billy had his own idea about where to find future major league baseball players: inside Paul’s computer,” Lewis wrote. “He’d flirted with the idea of firing all the scouts and just drafting the kids straight from Paul’s laptop.”

The response from some owners was all too predictable. The A’s won, at less cost, with fewer scouts. In the winter following the publication of “Moneyball,” 103 scouts lost their jobs, according to veteran baseball executive Roland Hemond.

There was some small consolation in the timing. Hemond was among several baseball lifers concerned about how the sport treated scouts — the talent seekers living in chain hotels and eating fast food all summer, for wages so low that a savings account might be an extravagance.

Dodgers, Fox Sports Reach Settlement

A bankruptcy judge on Wednesday approved a settlement between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Fox Sports that clears the way for a sale of the team.

The settlement approved at a hearing in Delaware ends a contentious legal battle between the ball club and Fox.

Under the settlement, the Dodgers are giving up plans to sell media rights to games starting in 2014 and sticking with their existing contract with Fox, which gives Fox exclusive rights to try to negotiate a contract extension starting later this year.

Major League Baseball and the Dodgers’ committee of unsecured creditors support the settlement, which allows the team to be sold by April 30.

Long national nightmare #2397 finally on course for a wake-up call?

Mattingly: Braun shouldn’t be MVP if PED appeal fails.

Throwing that bogus 4.2% bump in HOF voting weight around already, eh Donnie.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said he hopes that Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun is successful in appealing his positive test for a banned substance, but that it would “make sense” to revote on the MVP award, or strip Braun of the award if it is found that he indeed used a banned substance.

“In the end, I hope the appeal it’s something that was a mistake. I don’t want to see anything bad come out of it for him,” Mattingly said.

When asked if a player who tested positive for a banned substance should be stripped of the MVP award, Mattingly answered, “I don’t know. It makes sense though, a little bit. It’s not 10 years later, it’s a month later.”

...Mattingly said he thinks Kemp should’ve won the award in the first place.

“To me Matt was the best player in the game last year,” Mattingly said. “Ryan had a great year too.

“But you guys (the media) always ask me about unwritten rules, about catchers and stuff like that. Then we have the unwritten rules about voting, because he wasn’t on a winning team. You guys gotta get your unwritten rules together.”

Shaikin: Disney family to bid for Dodgers, sources say

Iwerks for the Dodgers and only the Dodgers!

The Disney name graced the last World Series champion in Southern California. The Disney name could grace the next World Series champion in town too, if Stanley Gold succeeds in his bid to buy the Dodgers.

The family of the late Roy Disney has partnered with Gold, entrusting the man who runs the family investment firm to lead the charge for the Dodgers and try to restore prominent local ownership to the team.

The partnership was disclosed Saturday by a person familiar with the bid but not authorized to discuss it. Neither Gold nor any member of Roy Disney’s family would comment Saturday, spokesman Terry Fahn said.

With a star-studded and deep-pocketed roster of bidders that could feature the likes of Magic Johnson, Joe Torre, Mark Cuban and Peter O’Malley, outgoing owner Frank McCourt appears to believe the Dodgers can sell for at least $1.6 billion.

Gold is in discussions with potential investors, according to two people familiar with the talks. Roy Disney, the nephew of Walt Disney, had a net worth of $1.4 billion in 2007, according to Forbes, before his divorce. The current net worth of the Roy Disney family is unclear.

WSJ: Drinking With Mike Piazza

Domaine de la Rombacne Conte…mmm, squeezisito!

Mr. Piazza made this assertion halfway through a recent lunch at Gotham Bar and Grill in Manhattan. The ex-Met lives in Miami with his wife and two daughters but was back in New York for a few days, making a charity appearance and visiting friends. “I love coming back to New York. It’s always really emotional for me,” said Mr. Piazza, taking up a glass of Pierre Gimonnet Blanc de Blancs Champagne that Gotham wine director Eric Zillier had just poured. Mr. Piazza sniffed the wine. “That smells really good. I love Champagne—Cristal, Dom Pérignon.” He laughed. “As an athlete you’re drawn by the status.”

...But any potential wine project would have to wait until he was finished with his memoir, “Open Mike” (“I stole the title from an L.A. columnist,” he admitted). The book, which will be published in 2013, covers his time as a player and his philosophy of life. What else was he doing with his time? Well, there were his two young children. And there was golf. He’d been playing a lot of golf. “It’s a really humbling game,” he said.

My last question was perhaps even more obvious. Where did Mr. Piazza rate himself on the list of all-time great catchers? In the top 10? Top five? “I’m a humble person, but I’d definitely put myself in the top five. I’d say Johnny [Bench] first for his charisma and talent—then I’d say Roy Campanella—he won three MVPs, after all. And Yogi Berra. If I put myself over Yogi, people would say, ‘Who does he think he is, he put himself over Yogi?’ ” Who indeed? On the other hand, Mr. Piazza has that other possible future title: the Garibaldi of Sicilian wine.

The Greatest Animated Sports .GIFs of 2011

32. Cliff Lee declines to run out his own grounder

I’m a firm opponent of the designated hitter rule, because just as I love to watch a punter try to scoop up a bad snap and try to throw it, or see a 7’1” center with no range try to chuck up a last-second three, I love watching pitchers hit.

Never will I come closer to seeing what it would be like if someone with my skill set tried to perform on a professional level. I mean, how nuts is this: in the National League, five to 10 percent of all at-bats are taken by men who, by everyone’s admission, are profoundly bad at it! It’s Dada performance art, and the ubiquity of such comical nonsense—over the course of a game, a season, and the history of baseball—is unrivaled by anything in any other sport.

This GIF features a delightful bonus: the catcher starts jogging to the dugout well before the play ends. It’s beautiful.

Andy Carey, helped preserve Larsen’s perfecto, dies

RIP,

Andy Carey, a former Yankees third baseman who helped preserve Don Larsen’s 1956 perfect game, passed away on Dec. 15 in Costa Mesa, Calif., his family announced. He was 80.

A career .260 hitter, Carey played in 11 Major League seasons from 1952-62, beginning with the Yankees at age 20 in ‘52 and spending nine seasons wearing pinstripes.

Born on Oct. 18, 1931, in Oakland, Calif., Carey signed with the Yankees after spending a summer playing semi-pro ball in Weiser, Idaho. As New York’s everyday third baseman in ‘55, Carey led the league with 11 triples and was known as a solid defender and clutch hitter.

Carey played on four Yankees World Series teams, winning rings with the 1956 and ‘58 squads. He is remembered as playing a key role in Larsen’s Oct. 8, 1956, perfecto against the Dodgers at Yankee Stadium.

hardball talk: Dodgers’ Ethier high on Theo’s wish list

The Cubs are looking for another outfielder long-term and a guy like Andre Ethier could be a good fit.

Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune says Ethier is high on Theo Epstein’s wish list and the Dodgers may not have enough funds to keep him around when his contract expires after 2012 now that they gave Matt Kemp a huge payday and have a contract extension for Clayton Kershaw looming.

But, the former second round pick is still superb at getting on base, with a career .364 OBP, thanks in part to a .291 career AVG. He won’t turn 30 until the 2012 season’s second week, so there are still several years left of his prime.

If Epstoyer can make a deal for Ethier in 2012, I wouldn’t be surprised if they made that move. But that might be hard to do. What do the Cubs have that the Dodgers want? Not much in the way of young talent to trade.

But if Ethier hits free agency this fall (man, feels weird to say that now that it’s 2012), expect Epstoyer to go hard after him.

The Cubs already have David DeJesus for the next two seasons (with an option for a third year) and Brett Jackson quickly ascending through the system, but if Theo and Jed Hoyer are somehow able to deal Alfonso Soriano and Marlon Byrd, Ethier could be a great fit. He could play right and push DeJesus to left.

A starting outfield of DeJesus, Jackson and Ethier in 2013 would be mighty nice.

Ross Newhan: Who Needs Another Out of Town Owner?

The Out of Towners? Why, that had Sandy Baron and Sandy Dennis in it…on Sandy Koufax’s birthday no less!

The latest name to emerge is that of billionaire Steven Cohen—first revealed in the Wall Street Journal and expanded on in Wednesday’s editions of the Los Angeles Times. Cohen, 55, is the founder of SAC Capital Advisors, a Connecticut-based investment firm that controls $14 billion in assets. In September, Forbes estimated Cohen’s net worth at $8.l3 billion. According to multiple sources who talked to me only on the bases of anonymity Thursday, Cohen has built his hedge fund operation on the basis of total control and, at times, a volcanic temper. Two of his former managers have pleaded guilty to insider trading. and the SEC, according to a lawyer involved in the federal investigation of suponeanaed records, confided that the government continues to look into those record but that no charges have been filed against Cohen or his company.

  Since league owners have final say in approving bidders, it isn’t clear whether that investigation will or would create discomfort among owners if Cohen comes up for a vote. It certainly has not stopped Cohen from looking into the possible purchase of the Dodgers. According to The Times’ story he has met with several owners regarding the challenge of owning a sports team, retained Steve Greenberg, the former deputy commissioner and now a sports broker with Allen & Co. in New York and he has been accompanied in his meetings with the owners by noted player agent Arn Tellem, who is based in Los Angeles and could be a potential executive with the Dodgers if Cohen secures the team. Cohen has also retained Populous, a sports architecture firm, to suggest possible changes to Dodger Stadium that would improve comfort and safety.

...Both O’Malley and Gilbert refused comment Thursday, having signed the confidentiality agreement required of potential investors who have received a breakdown of Dodger finances from Blackstone Advisory Partners, the firm handling sale of the club, but the key question is rhetorical anyway. Why go to Connecticut or anywhere else when there are potential and quality owners in the neighborhood?

A Departing Q & A with George Vecsey

See ya, ol’ George! Gotta run…mom’s sending me down a righteous dish of escamoles!

Q. Was there any sports figure in particular that took issue with your column, enough to verbally abuse you; or threaten to harm you physically?

A: Really, only one. During the week of Watts in 1965, the Dodgers were pretty shook up, particularly African-American ones. A young pinch-runner named Willie Crawford missed 3B…costing a run, and, as I recall, a game. Afterward, in the clubhouse, we went to ask him about it. From the far end of the clubhouse, Willie Davis said (in the most gorgeous baritone), “Leave the kid alone.” I said, rather nicely, we had a job to do. Davis did not agree, and pretty quickly charged down the aisle of the clubhouse, looking like a man about to take a swing. From his own locker, John Roseboro stepped in and took the charge, as he did at home plate, saying, “Ummm, gentlemen, this is not the time or place for this.” (Or something like that, very calmly, in his own mellow voice.) Davis never got to me, for which I am grateful.

A day or two later, Roseboro got hit on the head by Marichal. Larry Fox of the Telly and I found Roseboro at the Dodger plane at the airport (we knew the clubhouse guy) and his bandages were covered by a Giant cap—Willie Mays’ cap. Willie was disgusted with what Marichal did. I tell this story often, to make the point of what a wonderful man Roseboro was. He should have been a manager.

...Q. How optimistic are you for the future of the U.S. Newspaper Industry?

A: Not. Newspapers are the engines that drive the Web. Without editors planning assignments and copy editors fixing mistakes, reporters quickly deteriorate into Underwear Guys writing blogs from their den. The sad thing is that everybody knows it—even politicians and business people know they need some source of actual information, even if they get whacked once in a while. But the economics and timidity of the newspaper business are working against that future. And the bloggers brag about knowing how things work from the sanctity of their dens.

Thanks to Lisa Swan.

L.A. Times: Hedge-fund executive Steven Cohen is bidding for the Dodgers

Steven Cohen, a billionaire eight times over, is bidding for the Dodgers in a process tilted toward the high bidder.

However, the East Coast hedge-fund executive is not content to let his wealth speak for itself. He has engaged one of America’s notable sports architecture firms to propose renovations to Dodger Stadium, allied himself with one of baseball’s power brokers, secured the support of at least two prominent Angelenos and met with several major league owners.

He was joined in those meetings by Arn Tellem, an influential sports agent who could run the Dodgers if Cohen were to buy the team.

The developments were confirmed by several people familiar with the Dodgers sale process, each of whom said he could not comment publicly. Jonathan Gasthalter, a spokesman for Cohen, declined to comment.