Found May 07, 2012 on Fox Sports West:
Closer Javy Guerra was well rested on Sunday against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, but that didn't help him stop his recent slide. Guerra had four days' rest before his outing on Sunday, when he entered with a 3-2 lead. Guerra allowed a walk and two hits, including a game-tying double by Tony Campana in the bottom of the ninth. The game might have ended with a Cubs win but David DeJesus was thrown out at the plate on a terrific relay throw by Mark Ellis. It was the fourth game in which Guerra has allowed at least a run in his last five outings, and it was his third blown save of the season. When Guerra struggled on the last home stand, manager Don Mattingly was reluctant to remove the pitcher, who now has a 5.84 ERA on the season, from the closer role. Kenley Jansen, who normally pitches in the eighth inning, has a 2.70 ERA with a bullpen-best 27 strikeouts in 16 23 innings. "You can sit there and question all you want. Our ballclub has confidence in Javy," Mattingly said last week. "The game will tell us what to do with him. If he has trouble there, we'll put him in a different spot." But given that Guerra has allowed six runs and 12 hits in four innings over his last five appearances, it might be time for a change. NOTES, QUOTES Kemp's starting streak ends, but playing streak hits 393 --CF Matt Kemp was scratched from the starting lineup on Sunday with a tight left hamstring, snapping a string of 123 consecutive starts. Kemp did appear as a pinch hitter, extending his streak to 393 games played, the longest active streak in baseball. --IFOF Jerry Hairston Jr. left Sunday's game with a strained left hamstring. Hairston felt something while running to first base on a single in the second inning, then immediately grabbed his left hamstring upon reaching the base. --3B Juan Uribe was held out of the starting lineup for a fifth straight game on Sunday with a sore left wrist. Uribe will be examined by a specialist in Los Angeles on Monday. --RHP Ronald Belisario pitched a scoreless inning against the Cubs on Saturday, including one strikeout, in his first major league appearance since Oct. 1, 2010. Belisario was suspended for the first 25 games for violating baseball's drug policy. --C A.J. Ellis has reached base via hit or walk in a career-high 18 consecutive games. BY THE NUMBERS: 3 -- Blown saves by Javy Guerra after allowing a run in the ninth inning on Sunday against the Cubs, QUOTE TO NOTE: "I hate this place." -- CF Matt Kemp laughed about Wrigley Field on Saturday after hitting a 400-foot fly ball to the base of the center field wall, just shy of a home run. ROSTER REPORT MEDICAL WATCH: --IFOF Jerry Hairston Jr. (left hamstring strain) left the May 6 game in Chicago in the second inning. --3B Juan Uribe (sore left wrist) did not play May 1-2. He appeared as a pinch hitter May 4. Uribe was set to be examined by a specialist in Los Angeles on Monday. --RHP Matt Guerrier (right elbow tendinitis) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to April 19. --2B Ivan De Jesus Jr. (torn left oblique) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 26. --RHP Blake Hawksworth (arthroscopic right elbow surgeries in January 2012 and February 2012) went on the 60-day disabled list March 27. --RHP Rubby De La Rosa (Tommy John surgery in August 2011) went on the 60-day disabled list March 26.
THE BACKYARD
BEST OF MAXIM
AROUND THE WEB
RELATED ARTICLES

Jansen replacing Guerra as Dodgers closer

Kenley Jansen will replace Javy Guerra as the Dodgers closer, Manager Don Mattingly announced before his teams series opener against the San Francisco Giants on Monday. Its not a move you want to make, Mattingly said. In his last five appearances, Guerra was 0-2 and has blown two of this three save opportunities. His earned-run average in that span was 13.50. "I still have...

Elbert, Guerra among Dodgers' bullpen worries

Coming into the season, I thought the Dodgers' bullpen was going to be a strength for the team. I even made fun of the Cleveland Indian broadcast team during Spring Training when it said the bullpen would be a "huge question mark." "Indian broadcasters said Dodger bullpen will be "a huge question mark." It's one of the strongest parts of the team...

Kemp scratched from Dodgers' lineup

CHICAGO Matt Kemp was scratched from the Dodgers' starting lineup against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday due to tightness in his left hamstring. The move was seen as precautionary for Kemp and he was available to pinch-hit, the Dodgers said. Tony Gwynn Jr. replaced him in center field. ...

Los Angeles Dodgers week: First place is back page news

Star outfielder Matt Kemp is hampered by a strained hamstring. The hope is he won't have to go on the DL. Talk about your well kept secrets.  In any other year, chances are the Los Angeles Dodgers being in first place would warrant page one of the local sports section.  On Monday, their story couldn’t be found until about page 7. The Dodgers are used to losing space to the...

What Is Andre Ethier Worth?

Andre Ethier will be the first major question for the Los Angeles Dodgers’ new ownership. The 30-year-old outfielder will become a free-agent at the end of the season, and he has recently indicated that he would be willing to sign an extension with the club. Since 2006, Ethier has emerged as a mainstay in the Dodgers’ outfield, and he has become one of their most integral players...

Jansen replaces Guerra as Dodgers' closer

Three blown saves and a recent spate of poor outings have cost Javy Guerra his role as the Los Angeles Dodgers' closer. Manager Don Mattingly made the change Monday, meeting with Guerra before the game against the San Francisco Giants. "He came in early and told me he figured it was coming. He said, 'You don't even have to explain it, I understand,'" Mattingly...

Dodgers activate De Jesus from DL, option to Triple-A

The Los Angeles Dodgers have reinstated second baseman Ivan De Jesus from the 15-disabled list and optioned him to Triple-A Albuquerque. There won't be a move involved for De Jesus, who began a four-game rehab stint with the Isotopes on May 3. In those four games, he went 2-for-13 at the plate with a stolen base. He was placed on the disabled list on March 26 with strained...

Dodgers' Kemp pinch-hits to keep streak alive

Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp was left out of Sunday's starting lineup because of a tight left hamstring, but he pinch-hit in the game against the Cubs to keep alive his streak of consecutive games played. Kemp has now played in 393 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the Major Leagues. Kemp was injured while making a sliding catch on Geovany Soto...

Matt Kemp won't rush back into the lineup

CHICAGO Matt Kemp said he hoped the hamstring injury that kept him out of the Dodgers' starting lineup Sunday will last only a day or two, but he's not pressing the issue. "It's something that maybe just needs to be rested one day," Kemp said. "If I try to go out there and do something stupid and pop it, it could end up being two weeks. "I'll...

Dodgers and Yankees-centric Card Draft Additions, Plus a Contest Pimp!

Another 9 cards added to the draft. The nine-pocket page I used went all crazy on me near the Davis and Everett, but beyond a bit of corner wear on the Davis, both are fine. The Wayne relic is numbered 122/299, and the Salmon is one of those mid-90s non-card stand-up things. A bit of wear but it still functions as it was intended to. All of the sign-up information can be found here...

GIFcap: James Loney’s Outstanding Diving Stop

Well, at least James Loney has value somewhere

Scott Elbert & His Slider

After posting a 2.43 ERA and 2.73 FIP in 33.1 innings out of the bullpen last year, it seemed as if former top prospect Scott Elbert had found his future in the bullpen. This year though, he has struggled, posting a 5.87 ERA and a 6.35 FIP. So what’s wrong? His slider, apparently. “I feel

Projecting the Series: Giants vs. Dodgers

The first Giants vs. Dodgers series of the season and it comes with even more meaning as the Dodgers are currently leading the NL West over the second place Giants.  The Giants are coming off a nine game home stand where they managed to go .500 but really didn't play well and sandwiched between series wins against the Padres and Brewers was a brutal sweep at the...

Dodgers Don Kenley; Take It Easy, Javy

Don Mattingly said that Kenley Jansen is now his closer.  His exact words were, “There was a time and a place to put a closer in the setup role and an inferior pitcher in the closer role and that time has past.  I will no try to figure out why I ever shaved my mustache.  Things were much easier when Joe Torre was in the dugout managing the team and not on speed dial.  ‘Ooh...

Kershaw earns 1st loss of season against Giants

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Ryan Vogelsong pitched into the eighth inning for the first time this season, Brett Pill hit a two-run homer off Clayton Kershaw and the San Francisco Giants defeated the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 Tuesday night, ending a streak of 12 straight winning decisions at home by the reigning NL Cy Young winner. Kershaw hadn't lost at home since April 16...
THE MLB HOT 40
Today's Best Stuff
For Bloggers

Join the Yardbarker Network for more promotion, traffic, and money.

Company Info
Help
What is Yardbarker?

Yardbarker is the largest network of sports blogs and pro athlete blogs on the web. This site is the hub of the Yardbarker Network, where our editors and algorithms curate the best sports content from our network and beyond.