"We've done it before," Angels spokesman Eric Kay said of playing San Diego.
The Dodgers are still looking for opponents to fill a few gaps in their
schedule, including the final weekend that is usually filled with games against
the Angels.
Major League Baseball is entertaining thoughts of holding some spring
training games in China, and the Dodgers are one of the teams being considered
for play in Beijing. With a decision still pending, the Dodgers have not been
able to give the Angels a firm commitment to continue the Freeway Series.
"It just didn't work out for either team," Dodgers official Josh Rawitch
said. "We still have a lot of holes to fill in our schedule and the Angels
wanted to finalize their schedule. It's not like there are any bad feelings
between the two teams."
The Freeway Series began in 1962, and with the exception of a three-year gap
from 2000-2002, it has continued to thrive.
But don't expect the Freeway Series to return in 2009. The Dodgers are
expected to move their spring training home from Vero Beach, Fla., to Glendale,
Ariz., by 2009. Once that happens, the Dodgers and Angels will play each other
regularly during the exhibition season and have no real need for a Freeway
Series.
Also, interleague play allows the Dodgers and Angels to play six times during
the regular season.
The Angels have beaten the Dodgers 54 times in exhibition games while losing
43. There have been three ties.
Notes and Quotes
--RHP Jonathan Broxton missed his goal of finishing the 2007 season with a
2.50 ERA. The hard-throwing relief pitcher threw a career-high 82 innings, going
4-4, but he ended the season with a 2.84 ERA. Broxton's ERA goal for the 2006
season was 3.00 and he finished that season at 2.59.
--OF Jason Repko, sidelined for the entire 2007 season with a torn left
hamstring, was sidelined after one week in the Arizona Instructional League
because of pain in his right ankle. Repko suffered a high ankle sprain in 2006.
He is optimistic about reporting healthy to spring training.
--INF Chin-Lung Hu was batting .273 through 10 games in the Arizona Fall
League before slightly pulling a muscle in his midsection. The injury is
considered to be minor, and he could be playing again shortly.
--OF Delwyn Young, who batted .382 in 19 games last season, was the starting
designated hitter in Team USA's first Arizona Fall League game on Oct. 25. Team
USA is preparing to play in the World Cup in Taiwan next month and is using
games in the Arizona Fall League to prepare for the tournament. Young singled in
his first at-bat.
--LHP Greg Miller, who was plagued by control problems that led to his
demotion from Class AAA to Class AA in 2007, was 0-2 with a 13.50 ERA after
three starts in the Arizona Fall League. Miller gave up two hits, one run and
had three strikeouts in a two-inning start on Oct. 24. Miller was selected to
play for the West Team in the Arizona Fall League's Rising Stars Showcase on
Oct. 26 in Surprise, Ariz.
--The Dodgers promoted De Jon Watson to assistant general manager, player
development on Oct. 24. Watson was the team's director of player development in
2007.
By the Numb3rs-- The number of Dodgers (past and present) representing
Team USA in the World Cup next month in Taiwan: manager Davey Johnson, coach
Reggie Smith, 3B Andy LaRoche and OF Delwyn Young.
Quote to Note-- "It's not like picking the lesser of two evils." -- OF Delwyn
Young on the prospect of missing the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing because he
would be on the Dodgers' 25-man roster.
Looking for Power-- The Dodgers will go into the offseason singing a familiar tune. Whether the
song has a happy ending remains to be seen."Since I've been here, I've been singing the same refrain about a middle-of-the-order bat," Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said. "Everybody in the league looks for pitching. We're no different. I think we're in a better spot than most clubs. But if you go back to last spring, everybody was saying we had eight starting pitchers. We needed 10. Eight wasn't near enough."
Biggest Needs-- The Dodgers need a hitter who can reach the outfield walls and
beyond. 2B Jeff Kent led the club with 20 home runs in 2007, which ranked last
among home run leaders in the National League. The free agent market will
feature some heavy hitters, but most of them are in the outfielders. The Dodgers
can create some space in their outfield, but only by trading some of their
up-and-coming talent.
Free Agents-- INF Olmedo Saenz, INF Ramon Martinez, OF Luis Gonzalez, RHP
Roberto Hernandez, LHP David Wells, INF Mark Sweeney, RHP Rudy Seanez, INF Shea
Hillenbrand. Saenz and Martinez struggled in 2007, which may lead to their departure from Los Angeles. That could lead the Dodgers to retain Sweeney, who is second on the
all-time pinch-hit list.
Plus pitcher Zach Hammes and catcher Chad Moeller accepted minor league assignments while Tim Hamulak opted to become a free agent as the Dodgers made room on their 40-man-roster for Yhency Brazoban, Hong-Chih Kuo, Jason Schmidt, Chin-hui Tsao, Randy Wolf and Jason Repko who had been on the disabled list.
Arbitration Eligible-- LHP Joe Beimel, LHP Mark Hendrickson, RHP Yhency
Brazoban, RHP Scott Proctor, OF Jason Repko, RHP Chin-hui Tsao.
Beimel lost his arbitration hearing last winter but is in a much better
position to come out ahead should things go that way this offseason. Beimel cut
his hand and was unable to play in the 2006 postseason for the Dodgers, but he
appeared in 83 games this year, becoming one of the more reliable components in
the bullpen.
In Limbo-- C Mike Lieberthal, OF Matt Kemp, LHP Randy Wolf.
Lieberthal is waiting to see if the Dodgers will pick up his option for $1.4
million or buy out the contract for $100,000. Chad Moeller played during the
final week of the season as a tryout to be the Dodgers' backup next season. If
the Dodgers find the power they're looking for, and it happens to be in an
outfielder, the thought is that Kemp could find himself playing for another team next season. Wolf is coming off of shoulder surgery, and though he would like to come back, he is waiting to see if the Dodgers will pick up his option (at $9 million).
*M*A*S*H* 4077 Report
INF Tony Abreu (sports hernia surgery in October 2007) will recover for six
to eight weeks before re-engaging in baseball activities.
SS Rafael Furcal (slightly bulging disk in back) missed the final two weeks
of the 2007 season but won't need surgery for that or his sprained left ankle.
Rest and rehabilitation should have him ready to go by spring training.
RHP Jason Schmidt (shoulder surgery in June 2007) could begin a throwing
program early in the offseason. Early indications were that he had healed from
his surgery.
OF Jason Repko (left hamstring surgery in March 2007) missed all of the 2007
season. He has been sidelined in the Arizona Fall League due to a right ankle injury.
LHP Hong-Chih Kuo (left elbow surgery in July 2007) had begun a rehab program
before the end of the 2007 season.
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