In 2010 Carlos Gonzalez was a hero to all of his fantasy owners. He paid out his owners who likely drafted him above the 10th round a pay day of #1 on the player rater. In all likelihood this will not happen this season, but let us take a look at some of the names who might generate some buzz and have the potential to join the ranks of the top 10. Before we get into whom may...

Short post for midnight – putting up decorations and the tree this evening with the family then heading to some friends. I saw earlier today that we picked up Marte, Brown, and Nieve. I mentioned a few days ago I heard we had signed some org fillers and I guess these are the guys. None of these guys are in the rumor circuit so whoever we have had a couple of talks with for a starting...

Who’s that on the mound — a position player? Nope, it’s Kyle Drabek, who made his MLB debut last night and in the process became the first single-digitized MLB pitcher since, I believe, Josh Towers (which I guess means the Blue Jays are really specializing in this quirk). I wasn’t near a computer most of last night, so I’m not sure why Drabek went with the unusual...

The Dodgers have released 33-year old righty starting pitcher Josh Towers. Towers started 8 games in AAA-ball for the Dodgers this year and he was 2-5 with a 8.05 ERA and a 1.79 WHIP. He allowed a stunning 62 hits (9 of which were homers) in only 38 innings this season in the minors. I guess the Dodgers could bring back Towers if they need a batting practice pitcher as that appears...

Josh Towers was released after opting out of his minor league contract upon having not been called up. He follows the lead of Luis Ayala.------------------------------Rafael Furcal could return Sunday, which would greatly improve the Dodger defense. "Only thing we're concerned about is stuff that may surprise his body, quick moves whether it's at shortstop or out of...

MLB.com's Ken Gurnick reports that Los Angeles has granted Josh Towers his release.  The right-hander signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers last December, and Gurnick said the contract contained a clause where Towers could opt out if he wasn't on the major league roster by this point in the season.

Triple-A Albuquerque pitcher Josh Towers was granted his release by the Dodgers and replaced in the rotation by Seth Etherton, a first-round pick of the Angels in 1998 out of USC.

The Salt Lake City Bees stung Albuquerque starter Josh Towers for nine runs in the second in a 10-4 win. Rain and lightening washed out the second game but Chattanooga stopped Mobile 6-1 in the first contest. Inland Empire used four homers, including the game winner in the 10th inning by Clay Calfee, to edge High Desert 6-5. Great Lakes was held to three hits in a 4-1 loss to Bowling Green.

Josh Towers pitched Albuquerque to a 5-4 win over Round Rock. Chattanooga topped Tennessee 4-3 behind he pitching of Mario Alvarez. Visalia broke the game open late to gain an easy 12-3 win over the 66ers. Christian Lara, Angelo Songco and Jerry Sands homered as Great Lakes topped the league-leading Lake County Captains 8-0.

Hiroki Kuroda is paired up against Johan Santana for the first game of the day, which probably doesn't make him feel so great this morning. ****************************************************************************** Game Thread ****************************************************************************** -As you've likely heard by now, Vicente Padilla avoided...

With the news that Vicente Padilla has been sidelined with a strained forearm and will hit the 15-day DL, the question becomes who will replace him in the Dodgers rotation? Who will Joe Torre and Rick Honeycutt deem worthy enough to replace our venerable Number 4 1/2 starter?First, confirmation from the Dodgers that Padilla is Padidown (/wah wah), and a fairly troubling quote from...

The Isotopes scored four runs in the first and six runs in the fourth, helped by Xavier Paul's first home run, and went on to top New Orleans 14-8, winning their first home game of the season. Chattanooga lost 7-4 to Huntsville despite Dee Gordon's four hits. Inland Empire lost 4-3 to High Desert, and Great Lakes lost 4-3 on a late-inning rally by Lansing.

As many of you have doubtless noticed, our old chum and Bauxite Emertus Craig Burley posted a piece on the Jays over at The Hardball Times that might be described - well, that can only be described - as a venomous screed: It was Beeston who installed the recent office gofer in the GM's chair, in a move which reminds one of nothing so much as The Hudsucker Proxy. Beeston (long a courtier...

Cincinnati jumped on Josh Towers, who was still battling for a slot on the Dodgers roster, collecting a dozen hits and scoring ten runs, nine earned, in his four-inning start. The game was played in Las Vegas, and for some reason not announced, it will not count in the Cactus League standings. The Dodgers lost both ends of the two split-squad games.

Josh Towers, who is trying to make the Dodgers as a non-roster player, allowed nine runs on 10 hits in the first two innings, though he was also the victim of some subpar fielding.

The first five Reds hit singles off Josh Towers in the first inning. Chris Dickerson led off with a single, and later belted a long two-run homer into a 35-mph wind. Joey Votto and Jay Bruce each hit a single and double in the first two innings.

Nick Green greets Argenis Reyes in yesterday's game. From Dodgers.com: While [today's earlier split-squad] game is ongoing, another squad of Dodgers will fly to Las Vegas, where it will play the Cincinnati Reds in a 7:05 p.m. PT start. Pitching in that game will be four pitchers fighting for jobs -- Josh Towers, Carlos Monasterios, Ramon Ortiz and Justin Miller. Manager Joe Torre...

GA and Matt Kemp in the dugout before yesterday's game. Andre Ethier flashes the form that made him a St. Mary's legend. James Loney fields a sticky wicket. (Yes, it's an inexact analogy.) Kuroda lookin' badass. From Dodgers.com: While pitching staff candidates Ramon Ortiz and Josh Towers continue their tryouts for the Dodgers on Thursday at 1:05 p.m. PT on MLB.TV against...

Starter Josh Towers gave up only three hits in four innings and Jason Repko hit a home run in a split-squad game. At Surprise, Ariz.

Rookies Lucas May and Xavier Paul knocked in the tying and lead run in the eighth and Josh Towers, Ramon Ortiz and Jon Link each had a hand in pitching the Dodgers to a win in the afternoon half of a split-squad Saturday.

Manny Ramirez makes a leaping catch in Thursday's game. From Dodgers.com: The Dodgers will be busy on Saturday with a day-night split-squad doubleheader. They play a day game on the road against Texas, where Ramon Ortiz will continue his quest for the fifth-starter job, followed to the mound by Josh Towers. Then they play a night game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale against the...

To paraphrase SoSG regular Josh S. during the Game Thread for the rained-out, canceled Dodgers game in Taiwan: So, let's recap this trip: A loss. A canceled game. National hero Kuo scratched from his only appearance with elbow soreness.WHAT A FANTASTIC IDEA THIS WAS. And about that sore elbow of Hong-Chih Kuo: TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Hong-Chih Kuo said he "almost cried" when he told...

The Giants topped the Dodgers 3-2 in 10 innings, with Chad Billingsley and Clayton Kershaw both giving up one run in two innings on three hits.  Matt Kemp hit the first spring home run for LA, and Blake DeWitt went 2-for-2 with a double and two walks.  Josh Towers and Carlos Monasterios, long-shots for the fifth rotation slot, both threw two scoreless innings. Casey Blake had to...

As you may recall from the lead-up to the Super Bowl, the NFL is introducing a new logo system for the big game. Turns out they’re also revising a bunch of other logos and graphics. Let’s take a look: • The new conference logos: The new letterforms are fine — an improvement, even — but the new treatment of the stars is a classic case of overthinking. Did anyone...

An expected inch of rain and unplayable fields forced the Dodgers indoors on Sunday, marking the first time that the club has had an all-indoor workout at Camelback Ranch. Clayton Kershaw joined Eric Gagné, Josh Towers, Russ Ortiz, Jeff Weaver, Charlie Haeger, Jon Link, Brent Leach, Cory Wade, Juan Perez, Javy Guerra and Kenley Jansen in throwing bullpens in the covered batting cages.