Richard Anthony Dick Allen was born on March 8, 1942, in Wampum Pennsylvania. The family actually lived in the small hamlet of Chewton. Wampum is 30 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. Dick was one of 9 children and was raised by his mother, Era, who supported the family by working as a domestic. As a child, Dick would spend hours hitting rocks as he announced every hitter in the Brooklyn Dodgers lineup until he would get to his favorite player, Jackie Robinson. His mom was forever paying for windowpanes in the town. It got to the point where neighbors would not even ask who did it, they would just show up at her door and tell her it was Dickie again.
She would know it was true because there were no baseball fields in Chewton or Wampum that could hold a stone if he hit it well. Allen would say later that his mom did a swell job raising the family. Allen was an outstanding athlete at Wampum High School. He was a starting guard on the basketball team which achieved national prominence in the 50s. He and his older brothers, Hank and Ronnie, played on the team together. All three would achieve All-State honors in basketball, be signed by the Phillies, and play major league baseball.
Allen focused on baseball because back then baseball paid better than basketball and the Allen kids wanted to buy their mother a new house. His prowess on the field caught the attention of Phillies scout, John Ogden. Ogden knew right away that Allen was something special. He endeared himself to the family and did not let Allen out of his sight. Upon graduation from high school, Dick signed with the Phillies for 70,000$. The first thing Dick did was buy his mom a new house.
He and his brother Hank began their professional careers at Elmira. Signed as a shortstop he was soon moved to the outfield and told he needed glasses. He hit .281 his first year and wore glasses from then on. In his first three minor league seasons, he hit 49 homers and drove in 245 runs.
At the major league level, the Phillies were terrible. They finished last from 1958-61. And they endured a 23-game losing streak in 61. To say that the Phillies had a poor history with race relations would be an understatement. When Robinson broke into baseball in 1947, their treatment of him was disgraceful. The 1950 Whiz Kids were the last NL Championship team without a player of color.
Many of their players of color were Cuban, Mexican, or Panamanian. Their first African American player of significance was Wes Covington who was acquired in a trade with the A’s in 1961. The Phillies AAA team relocated from Buffalo to Little Rock Arkansas in 1963. Without telling anyone the Phillies decided to integrate the team.
For Allen, who had grown up in a racially tolerant town, Little Rock was a startling experience. As the first black player to play there, he experienced racial segregation and pressure on a daily basis. He did not know anything about the racial tension, nor did he care. But unlike Robinson, who had the situation explained to him by the Dodgers, Allen was on his own. The Governor attended the first game and fans waved signs saying Let’s not Negroize our game. On the first play of the game, a fly ball was hit to Allen and he dropped it.
The racial tension scared him. He was harassed and called names; threatening notes were left on his car. He was afraid to go anywhere in town. Coming from a town where the races basically got along and occasionally fraternized, it was a shock to him. He considered quitting the team. His brother Coy came down and told him that if he quit he would have to work in the mines.
He stuck it out. By the end of the season, he was voted the MVP of the Travelers by the fans. He hit .289/33/97 and was called up to the Phillies and made his debut on September 3, 1963, against Denny Lemaster. He went 1-3 with a double. He got into 10 games but only showed his power once in Los Angeles on the 28th with a 3-4 performance in a 12-3 Phillie win.
In spring training in 1964, manager Gene Mauch decided to move Allen to third base. He insisted on calling Dick, Richie. The reason for the move was simple. The Phils were a predominantly left-handed-hitting team. They had traded their only RH power hitter, Don Demeter over the winter to the Tigers for Jim Bunning. Mauch preferred to play Don Hoak at third, but Hoak was having a terrible spring and Allen was tearing it up. He has good hands, so playing there should be pretty easy for him Mauch said.
Allen was the talk of baseball early on in the season, but in one of the first controversies involving him, he complained about being called Richie. The Phillies used that name on all printed rosters, scorecards, and team correspondence. Allen said, “I do not know where it started. My name is Richard, but I have been called Dick in the minor leagues. Anyone who knows me calls me Dick. Richie makes me sound like a 10-year-old kid and I am 22 years old.”
The Phillies were caught up in pennant fever in 64. Allen was being touted as the Rookie of the Year. The Phils built up a 6 1/2 game lead by September 20th. World Series tickets were being printed. But then the Phillies lost 10 in a row. Allen did his part with an 11-game hitting streak. On the final day with the Phils needing a win and a Cardinal loss to force a playoff, Allen hit 2 homers in a 10-0 win over the Reds. The Cardinals though beat the Mets and clinched the pennant. Allen slashed .318/29/91 and earned the Rookie of the Year award. It was little consolation to him and his teammates.
The fans though booed him many times during the year because of his shoddy fielding at third. He had 41 errors in 520 chances. A .921 fielding percentage. He also set an NL record with 138 K’s. And the roller coaster ride was just beginning.
Phillie is a tough place to play for any player, but one with the skills Allen had they would expect to be perfect most of the time. So when he wasn’t, they reacted negatively. Alas, 1964 was the closest Allen would ever come to playing for a pennant winner.
In 9 years playing with the Phillies, he would slash .290/204/655. On July 3, 1965, an incident during batting practice at Connie Mack Stadium would forever alter Allen’s relationship with the fans. As Frank Thomas took his swings in the cage, Johnny Callison was kidding him about his failure to lay down a bunt the night before. Thomas yelled out to Allen, ” who are you trying to be? Another Muhammad Clay?” The racially tinged remark struck a nerve with Allen. When he came to the cage to hit, he confronted Thomas. Words were exchanged and Allen hit Thomas squarely in the jaw. Thomas, a big man, grabbed a bat and hit Allen on the shoulder with it. The two had to be separated by teammates.
After the game, the Phillies announced that Thomas had been placed on irrevocable waivers. Mauch threatened to fine any player who talked about the incident to the press 1000$, while Allen was told he would be fined 2000$. When asked about Thomas’s release, Allen replied ” why should I say anything about it? I do not work in the office.”
From that day on Allen was booed incessantly by the fans. Although 36, Thomas was a popular player even though he had been replaced at 1st by Dick Stuart. Allen was unjustly blamed for the incident and fans even showed up with “We want Thomas” banners.
The Phillies would finish 6th in 65. Over the next 4 years with the Phils, controversy would follow him like a starving dog. He missed games, came in late, and forced the firing of Gene Mauch when Mauch said to Phillies management, him or me. He caused another manager, Bob Skinner to resign because he felt management was not backing him in his handling of Allen. He kept asking to be traded because he wanted out of Philadelphia so badly. But he continued to be a handful for NL pitchers. Finally, on Oct 7, 1969, he was traded along with Cookie Rojas and Jerry Johnson to the Cardinals for Curt Flood, Byron Browne, Joe Hoerner, and Tim McCarver. Flood refused to report challenging the reserve clause. So the Cardinals sent Willie Montanez and Jim Browning to the Phils to complete the trade.
After a short contract dispute with owner Augie Busch, Allen reported to spring training and said he was there to play ball. Allen by this time was wearing a batting helmet even when on the field, a result of having items thrown at him while in Philly. He missed almost three weeks of spring but was more than ready when the bell rang. He went 3-5 with two homers against the Expos in a Cardinals win.
St. Louis fans were ecstatic with their new slugger and when the team came home, a crowd of 47,568 gave their new hero a standing ovation prior to the game. After all the years of boos in Philadelphia, it was a heartwarming feeling for Allen. He said he just hoped he would do enough to deserve it.
He was well on his way to a stellar season when on August 14th he tore a hamstring sliding into second base. The injury was slow to heal, and Allen played in just 5 more games that season. Rumors began to surface that the Cardinals were upset with his slow recovery and were anxious to trade him. Red Schoendienst denied the rumors but four days after the season ended, Allen was traded to the Dodgers for Ted Sizemore and Bob Stinson. GM Devine said that the trade was made because Sizemore was needed to replace the aging Julian Javier at second.
As a result of the trade, the Dodgers were seen as possible pennant contenders since he was the RH power threat they had not had for years. Putting on the Dodger uniform was special for Allen. They had been a favorite of his since childhood. And his family had traveled to Pittsburgh many times when the Dodgers played there, and they lived 30 miles away.
Allen was a huge part of LA’s success in the 1971 season. Coach Danny Ozark said he was the best baserunner he ever coached and had no problem sending him. I don’t think he was thrown out the entire year Ozark said. On the other side of the coin, Allen wanted no part of the public-relations commitments that owner Walter O’Malley expected of his players. He felt it distracted from the job of winning games on the field. The Dodgers would finish second to the Giants, one game back.
Partly because of his off-field stance, Allen was traded once again on the 2nd of December to the White Sox for Tommy John and Steve Huntz. It was his third trade in 3 years. The White Sox were a mediocre team but they were managed by Chuck Tanner, a Pennsylvania man who was a longtime friend of the Allen family.
Allen had three solid years with the Sox slashing .307/85/242. But after the 1974 season, they traded him to the Braves for Jim Essian and cash. But Allen wanted no part of the south and told the Braves he would not report. He stayed home and let it be known that he would not mind playing for the Phillies again. Finally, the Braves traded Allen, and Johnny Oates to the Phillies for Jim Essian, Bobby Bonnell, and $150,000.
Allen was way past his prime though, and his two seasons in Philly did not see him return to his former self. He managed to hit 27 homers and drive in 111 runs over the two years, but at the end of the 1976 season, he was released. He signed with the A’s as a free agent, but only played in 54 games and was released again. This time he called it a career.
Allen’s final numbers are impressive. .292/351/1119. He was not elected to the Hall and never received more than 18.9% of the vote. But he has missed the election by the veteran’s committee by one vote twice. I have to believe all of the controversies in his career led to some animosity from the press. But one cannot know for sure.
After his baseball days, Allen endured some personal tragedies and estranged himself from the game. But in the 1980s he began to rebuild his life. He loved horses and he also had a pleasant singing voice. He released some music in the ’70s. He began appearing at baseball card shows and in old-timers games. He was a coach briefly for the Rangers and the Phillies. He was elected to the Phillies Wall of Fame in 1994 and the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame in 2010. Allen spent his last years with his wife Willa in Los Angeles and Wampum. He died at his home in Wampum in December of 2020 at 78 years old. He will be eligible to be considered for election to the Hall again in 2026.
Awesome Bear! Thank you. He was my favorite player growing as a kid in PA. I remember him as Richie in Philly and didn’t know about his feelings about his name. That 64 season was heartbreaking! He received a lot of racial abuse in Philly and their organization and I think it really scarred him. But my could he hit and that 40 ounce bat! If he would have been brought up in the Dodger organization his career and life would have been much different! Hall of fame! He had that kind of talent!
Great article, Bear. I didn’t know much about Allen. Just looked at his stat page on FG. I don’t think there was another player in his era who was as consistently good offensively as he was. Had he been a better defensive player, and had his career been longer, I think is inclusion to the HOF would have been almost a given. Just did a comp with McCovey, who’s a 1rst ballot HOFer. I’d say Allen was close to his equal during their respective primes – lower peak HRs, but more consistently good year over year.
Great job OldBear! I don’t really remember him well, but the name stands out. I probably had a baseball card or two. I really enjoyed this one learning about a player that I didn’t know too much about.
Baseball is a funny game. The Pirates take the season series last night after being our whipping boys for years it seems.
I don’t go to AC’s site very often, but since it was brought up yesterday, I decided to stop by this morning. I can only shake my head after reading his exchange with our favorite Giants fan. Here are the points that made me laugh…
“I read this a couple weeks ago, I just can’t remember where.” – I’m detecting the smell of BS in the air.
And the contraction comes…
Curious, when I respond I am being defensive. But not you? No double standard there, right?
You came here to argue with me, not the other way around. If Mark does not like what I say, he is a big boy and he can come here. He doesn’t need you as his surrogate. The last time you felt a need to stick up for Mark you said that his personality was like a bull in a china shop and that he is like that (in part) to drive conversation. Nobody denies that. But you would deny me the same opportunity. Double standard again?
Need more double standard? The first sentence in the post is…
Can we just forget this nonsense that Walker Buehler’s velo is down so that he can be more effective?
So, if Mark doesn’t like what AC says, he can come here. But, he basically wrote a post on his own site to rebuke what Mark said here.
Well, it was more entertaining than informative. AC was an awesome writer over here a few years ago. He hasn’t been the same ever since the Dodgers blew past the Salary Cap. I guess that’s what happens when you choose your hill to die on.
Well, Mark failed to bring luck to Chavez Ravine last night. 2 game losing streak now at the hands of our two best pitchers. Neither pitcher looks like their old dominant selves so far this season. One striking thing that really stands out is their K rates. Both solidly below 9/9 and both below career lows in that area. Both ran out of gas at the end of last year.
It makes me wonder if this is by design to some extent with a sprinkling of trying to get used to a new strategy? We know that Walker says his problem is mechanical. I believe him. The spin rate and velo being slightly off suggests this. But, could it also be that they are consciously trying to pitch to weak contact like some of the great pitchers in the past? I watched a video of Dave Stieb the other day. It was actually a Rickey Henderson video, but Stieb was the opposing pitcher. Some may not remember that Stieb was the second winningest pitcher in the 80’s. He was very good. While watching him, I noticed that he didn’t throw particularly hard. Perusing his stats, he did not K a ton of guy, never surpassing the 200 mark even while eclipsing the 250 inning mark for 4 straight seasons.
Julio and Walker just lost two straight games to the Pirates. Afterwards, their ERA’s sit at 2.89 and 3.22 respectively, which isn’t chopped liver. To put that into perspective, the Braves beat us last year and their best pitcher, Max Fried, had an ERA of 3.04. Just about halfway between where Julio and Walker sit now. So, far this season, he sits at 3.10.
I acknowledge that Julio and Walker don’t look like the dominant pitchers they were last year. On the bright side, Julio had a 3.61 ERA at the end of May. Walker was better with a 2.66 at the same time. At that point, Julio had 11 starts, and Walker 10. Both made their first starts on the season early, April 3 for Walker and April 4 for Julio. This year, Walker has 10 starts with his first start on April 8. Julio has 10 starts with the first on April 10.
Both pitchers have had a condensed schedule and short Spring compared to last year. Could this have something to do with their suboptimal performance?
Back to AC’s site. It’s pretty amusing that people post something here, then go over there and make the same point. Definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. This explains so much.
Hey AC, if you have a problem with what Mark says over here, be a big boy and respond here. Don’t take your ball and go home. Geesh.
I don’t want to make too big a deal over that exchange with AC or create drama. He gets a little defensive easily, but I don’t doubt he’s a decent fellow. His posts are well thought out and effectively use data, but using passive aggressive callouts of what Mark writes over here to create content over there, without acknowledging the source material, is a little lame to me. I don’t think anyone would have a problem with him directly addressing an argument Mark makes over here. Debate and discussion is good. Just do it transparently and respectfully. I think it would be better for his site.
Uh oh! Julio’s fastball velocity is down over 1 full MPH from last year. I guess we’re going to be talking about Julio’s decline for the next two weeks now. (“He pitched too many innings last year!!!”) Buehler’s janky UCL was yesterday’s news.
I read there but only post one place.
He says he no longer reads here. That sounds like a slam on me, but it’s a free web, so he can say whatever he wants. Why he feels compelled to say that I can only guess, so I won’t. But for someone who doesn’t read here, he sure has a lot to say about me… and Patch is free to go to any site and say whatever he wants, so I don’t get what the issue is.
One of the last things he posted here was “I continue to read about the sensational LAD prospects. Mark has the Dodgers as a top 10 MiLB organization while no major publication does.”
We had several other commenters that used to be on this site (who also left) say the same thing. Here’s a direct quote:
None of the baseball talent evaluators list the Dodgers as a top 10 farm system. We’ve had this discussion before. AC addressed the issue pretty comprehensively. My sense is that posters here value Dodger farmhands more because they are emotionally invested in them and because they have seen them more.
They were wrong! So, I guess they heard it from me first! There you go… maybe he should read here, but he does know a lot… so I will give him that!
Patch,
You may be right in your assessment.
I was the first to back your argument about the farm system. Timing is everything. Right after you made that statement, all the publications updated their prospect ranking for the new year and low and behold, pretty much all of them had the Dodgers in the top ten.
I’ll give you credit for saying it first, but I will pat myself on the back being just about the only one that agree with you at that time. No one is perfect, we all take a L with our takes from time to time. But, some of us are more like the Dodgers, and others are more like the Reds with their takes.
No issue at all about people who feel the need to post the same take on both sites, just making an observation.
Which assessment?
I can post wherever, and, I’ll say it again, AC has a good baseball mind, but sheesh! I just want funny banter, with the opportunity to pontificate every once in a while.
If that site focuses on the negative – on having to rebut or disparage what goes on here and attracting like minded haters – it’ll run the risk of turning into Scott’s site, which became a miserable, soul eviscerating cesspool.
So much boils down to “I have to be right!!” … and so much butthurt when people don’t agree. BTW, I pointed out the other day that I didn’t think that the Nats would trade Soto. They’re rebuilding, yes, but what better player to build around than a still very young Soto? Why would you trade him now unless you’re poor and don’t think you’d ever sign a star? The announced they have no intention of trading him. See! I was right.
… maybe they are just denying it to drive up the price.
So there is that!
Personally, I have no opinion. 😉
Thank you for the props guys. I really appreciate them. I get my new computer sometime today so I can start getting some posts ready again. I lost all my research material and will have to retrieve it on the new computer. Kersh and Heaney could make rehab appearances this weekend, Maybe I get lucky and see one of them at Rancho on Saturday. Stories on Yogi, and many others in the works and especially for Patch, some of the 80’s players he remembers. And some old time Dodgers also in the works. Have a great day guys. Will probably be my last post until I get the new one up and running.
I liked Dick Allen back in the day. My friend was a Phillies fan and Allen was his favorite player. He had a tough time as was indicated in the article. Got a reputation as a sullen guy. He often would be seen in the dugout with a woolen hat pulled down over his face. He did much better once he escaped The Phillies. I was happy when we got him, he had a great year, but only lasted one year.
Alston did not care for him much. He had the same problem dealing with Allen as he did with Frank Robinson.
Great stuff Bear on Dick Allen. As a player in the minors when “Richie” was in Philly, the stories about him were legendary. He was Paul Bunyan with that 40 oz bat and mysterious aura. There were lots of silly stuff like he had forearm surgery and they couldn’t cut through his forearm muscles. And remember late in his career when he caused grief to baseball when he was photographed in the dugout smoking a cigarette on the cover of SI. I do know he got some special treatment and perks. The big league uniforms in those days were sent down for use in the minors. Especially in the early 70’s when they were transitioning from those old wool, horse blanket unis to the new fabrics and logo. Well, I had “R Allen” wool pants that made there way down the chain. I loved them and they kept that old scratchy, uncomfortable wool off the legs. The reason – they were lined with white silk. No scratchy pants for Richie. (or me)
Keep up the good work Bear and good luck with that new computer.
Thanks Phil. I really like it when you guys enjoy a post.
About last night:
* It would be nice if we could get to the 3rd inning without being down by 3 or 4. Maybe we need an opener for the first 2 innings for Buehler and Urias? How are these guys warming up? Urias settled in finally, as did Walker, but Urias has the worst body language ever when he’s getting roughed up. His immaturity and emotional highs and lows are part of his character but he wears the lows on his sleeve. I’m all for pitching north but it’s killing Uriah’s before he settles in. He can’t continue to try to pitch up in the zone and miss center cut at the top of the zone. It’s BP. Get the ball down (or up). But not there..
The Pirates have some nice players to build on. I’m impressed with Hayes and Chavis. Mitch Keller is a total enigma. Looks awesome and dog shit from pitch to pitch. He was a 2nd round pick who was great through the minors from 2014 – 18 with a winning record and a 3.13 ERA. He got to the Bigs and hit the wall. Did he have arm issues? How does he have a 6.00 ERA with his stuff. His inconsistency, pitch to pitch and batter to batter is remarkable. When right, his stuff plays. With the exception of Trea’s HR, he had us eating out of his hand for 6 innings.
In fact, their whole staff has been tough, striking out 21 Dodgers in 2 nights. They are doing a nice job living on the edges and minimizing mistakes.
The Dodger’s streaky hitting can be a head scratcher. It might be time to tweak the approaches a bit. Good pitching should force adjustments, especially in-game, and we haven’t done that. We take alot of hittable pitches early in counts. Our patience and selectivity are usually a strength. But not lately. We take “our” pitch and hit in disadvantage counts the rest of the AB. We take too many called strikes, bitch about the calls too much and aren’t aggressive early. Let’s adjust and hunt pitches earlier in the count and let it eat.
The difference between living at the top of the zone is 95 vs 92. Stop with the fad diets! Go eat what you used to eat when your legs rubbed together. I don’t like skinny Julio as much as liked Fernando Julio.
The difference between being selective at the plate or needing to be aggressive is the distance of the umpire’s strike off the plate. If you often swing at those, you’re out anyways. Be patient and get pitches in the zone. Protect the plate and swing at that shit when you’re behind in the count and go with the pitch. The biggest problem is not going with the pitch. Everyone wants to pull and elevate. Sometimes you got to take what they give you.
I agree that the Pirates have some good players. You’re bound to when you’re picking in the top of each round and trading all your good players for other prospects. It sure would be nice if they took advantage of that window every so often.
Ah, selective versus agressive. I must not have explained myself clearly. By no means am I suggesting an approach that expands the strike zone and swinging at “pitcher’s pitches”. We are saying the same thing, Still be selective and swing at strikes. My point is swing earlier in the count at strikes, when possible. Stop taking hittable pitches early. Especially in advantage counts. 1&0, 2&0, 2&1, are green light specials. Really, get your first, best fastball and let it eat. We’re taking to many cock-shots and than expanding the zone. Swing early.
I agree with going with the pitch but we are not a team that’s good in that area with some notable exceptions. We like to pull the ball over the fence
I looked at the Dodgers minor league stats. As far as pitching goes I like the stats of Landon Knack and Bobby Miller. Both their minor league career stats and overall career stats are impressive. Especially Landon Knack. Gavin Stone’s stats look good too.
Landon Knack career WHIP under 1.0 and K/9 above 11.0.
My Top 3 would probably be:
1 Landon Knack
2 Bobby Miller
3 Gavin Stone
Out of the three, I like Bobby Miller the best. At 6’5″, he’s a beast and I love 100 on the gun.
But, based on performance, age and level. You’re rating looks more than reasonable.
With Grove, Pepiot and May, we can let our entire rotation walk with free agency. Pretty crazy how stacked we are with pitching.
Oh shit, I forgot, we need to trade for pitching!
Johnny Depp wins defamation suit against Amber Heard
The jury unanimously found that Heard could not substantiate her allegations against Depp and that she knew her claims of abuse were false when she published her 2018 essay.
The jury determined that Heard acted with actual malice when writing her op-ed. The jury awarded Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages in his defamation suit.
I read she got something like 2 million in a partially successful counter suit.
Love at first fight!
It seems like a frivolous case between two movie star narcissists, but it’s maybe important if it means the pendulum has swung away from the #MeToo “believe all women” (no matter what) excess.
A lot of damage done to the ACLU, too.
Just can’t resist?
Too tempting I guess.
But if you have the quantity, you can go after the extra quality.
I mean, if you are going for a championship now, would you rather put Montas on the bump or guys like White and Grove?
Soon Kershaw and Heaney are expected back–but for how long?
How did Gonsolin and Anderson become better (it seems) than Buhler and Urias?
If Graterol is suddenly over the hill, and Graterol still not ready, who closes? Down in last place, the Cubs might want to move David Robertson.
Other Dodger minor league pitchers at least at AA ball with career stats that are decent/good.
4 Clayton Beeter
5 Ryan Pepiot
6 Marshall Kasowski High career K/9 and decent WHIP but 27 years old.
7 Cameron Gibbens High career K/9 but not so good WHIP and 26 years old.
Jordan Leasure Should be on my list too.
Leasure has a shot at being a very good closer.
8:10 PM ET
Pirates (21-27)
Dodgers (33-16)
SP Mitch White R
0-0 4.60 ERA 15.2IP 15K
Confirmed Lineup
RF Mookie Betts R
1B F. Freeman L
SS Trea Turner R
DH J. Turner R
CF Chris Taylor R
3B H. Alberto R
C A. Barnes R
LF Kevin Pillar R
2B Gavin Lux L
Clear-day
0% Rain
82° Wind 8 mph Out
NO Bellinger
Dodgers Nation
Dodgers: Cody Bellinger Out of the Lineup Again Wednesday
Brook Smith
Jun 1
The Dodgers will take on the Pirates once again on Wednesday night looking to avoid the sweet. After Pittsburgh took the 2 first games, Los Angeles will be sending out Mitch White to try and get the win against Jose Quintana.
But the Dodgers will also be without Cody Bellinger in the starting lineup again on Wednesday. The Dodgers centerfielder has been out since Sunday after going 0-for-3 on Saturday night against the Diamondbacks. He has been sitting with what the team is calling a left adductor strain.
Originally, Bellinger was going to be in the Dodgers lineup on Wednesday. That decision might have changed based on the matchup against the southpaw Quintana.
Cody Bellinger said he will be available off the bench tonight. #Dodgers
— David Vassegh (@THEREAL_DV) June 1, 2022
But the good news is that Dave Roberts did say Bellinger would be available off of the bench tonight. That means the Dodgers do think that he is healthy enough to play, which is a very good sign. Roberts had also said that a trip to the injured list was not something they were considering.
The Dodgers have been going with Chris Taylor in center with Cody out. He made a running catch on Tuesday night that ended in him colliding with the wall. Based on initial reports, that doesn’t appear to be an issue today.
Who needs Bellinger when Pillar is raking! And good thing for Buehler and Urias that they won’t have to face that murderous Pirate lineup in October. Just think what our record would be if Pennsylvania never came to Dodger Stadium!
I don’t know Cassidy, with expanded playoffs we might get them if they get past the Wild Card series.
1-9 is raking? Sorry old man, not even close
I’m pulling my tongue out of my cheek as you’re writing this Bear. Tho it’s good to have Bellinger back and raking tonight as usual.
San Diego lose again to the Cards. They were swept. Let’s get this win tonight at least.
Already looking past this series to the Mets. BRING IT!!!
Looking past this series is exactly why we’re going to get swept.
What a frustrating game…
Yikes!
Got the new computer about 10 minutes ago.
Back to business tomorrow. Gonna Mess with the Mets. Bring it!! Mookie ends it on a high note.
Well at least we’ll be up against a good team now and Dodgers seem to play better against winning teams. Do they lack killer instinct? I can’t call it.
David Vassegh
@THEREAL_DV
Dave Roberts said Kevin Pillar’s left shoulder “popped” in and out sliding and swinging tonight. Pillar will be examined tomorrow. IL is a possibility. #Dodgers
Clayton Kershaw Throwing Bullpen Sessions, Could Start Rehab Assignment This Weekend
By Anthony Franco | June 1, 2022 at 8:08pm CDT
Clayton Kershaw threw a 30-35 pitch bullpen session this afternoon, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times). It marked the star southpaw’s second bullpen work of the week, as he also tossed 35 pitches on Memorial Day. The team will monitor how Kershaw feels over the coming days, but it’s possible he heads out on a minor league rehab assignment as soon as this weekend.