Dodgers Dugout: Some random thoughts after the Dodgers-Giants series

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell, and I’m wondering when they will have Lance Rautzhan bobblehead doll night.

Random thoughts

Just some things that came to mind while watching the Dodgers lose two of three to the Giants:

--Here’s what seems like a typical at-bat for many Dodgers: Take pitch down the middle for strike one. Swing and miss at pitch low and away for strike two. Take a fastball up high for ball one. Foul off tough breaking pitch. Take fastball down the middle for strike three.

--Here we are on June 13, and only two Dodgers are hitting over .250 for the month, Corey Seager (.297) and Trayce Thompson (.278).

--The other Dodgers this month: Yasmani Grandal (.235), Kiké Hernandez (.217), Joc Pederson (.200), Chase Utley (.188), Adrian Gonzalez (.171), Justin Turner (.158), Howie Kendrick (.154), A.J. Ellis (.125), Austin Barnes (0 for 4), Scott Van Slyke (0 for 9).

--Dodgers catchers this season are hitting .186.

--It’s getting to the point that if someone throws a no-hitter, he still might not win.

--Julio Urias is going to be OK folks, he’s only 19 and improving in every major-league start. But he is also proving just how special Fernando Valenzuela was when he was 19.

--After a slow start, Zack Greinke is now 8-3 with a 3.84 ERA.

--Jake Peavy had a 6.41 ERA before pitching against the Dodgers. Now it is 5.83.

--“Yeah, but a lot of those outs were on balls that were hit hard” has become the team’s new catchphrase.

--Despite all that, the Dodgers are only one game under .500 this month (5-6).

--Dodgers starting pitcher ERAs this month: Clayton Kershaw (1.29), Kenta Maeda (1.38), Urias (5.02), Scott Kazmir (5.40), Mike Bolsinger (6.97).

--The Dodgers are five games behind the Giants. In one-run games, they have five more losses (12) than the Giants (7). Coincidence?

The magic number

Each week I will look at a uniform number a current Dodger is wearing and go through the history of that number with the Dodgers. When I was a kid and went to games, I was always curious who wore the number of my favorite players. Then again, I was a strange kid. For “best Dodgers to wear the number,” only the stats a player compiles while he was with the team and wearing that number count.

Next up is:

No. 23 (Adrian Gonzalez)

Best Dodgers to wear No. 23 (other than Gonzalez): Claude Osteen (1965-73), Kirk Gibson (1988-90), Eric Karros (1991-2002).

Others to wear No. 23 with the Dodgers: Charlie Perkins (1934), Johnny McCarthy (1935), George Jeffcoat (1936-37), Eddie Wilson (1937), Wayne LeMaster (1939), Cy Buker (1945), Ed Head (1940-46), Dan Bankhead (1947), George Dockins (1947), John Hall (1948), Pat McGlothin (1949-50), Clyde King (1951-52), Erv Palica (1953), Ed Palmquist (1960-61), Gordie Windhorn (1961), Willard Hunter (1962), Don Zimmer (1954-59, 1963), Marv Breeding (1963), Bart Shirley (1964), Luis Alcaraz (1967-68), Jim Wynn (1974-75), Ted Martinez (1977-79), Dave Sax (1982-83), Rick Honeycutt (1983), R.J. Reynolds (1983-85), Enos Cabell (1985-86), Tim Leary (1987), Robin Ventura (2003-04), Derek Lowe (2005-08), Casey Blake (2009-11), Bobby Abreu (2012).

What Vin Scully means to me

I asked you to tell me your best Vin Scully memory, and I got a lot of responses. I will publish selected ones in each newsletter. And keep emailing them to me.

Mike McCoy: Two days before Christmas 1997, my business partner told me he had an early Christmas present for me. It was to be a surprise – and I had to get in a truck and go with his brother to the “surprise” somewhere north of us in L.A. Being curious and since it was slow because of the season, I got in the truck with his brother, who was a VersaClimber sales rep. My surprise was we were going to install a VersaClimber at Vin Scully’s house!

I had the good fortune that Vin was home. I was told Vin had purchased the machine for his wife and asked that Cary come and install it in his home. Cary knew my love of the Dodgers and decided for this install, he needed a “helper.” Lucky me!

I remember both Vin and his wife were delightful. Both were as down to earth and easy to talk to as talking to your longtime next door neighbor. The Scullys make you feel in person the same as Vin makes you feel when you listen on the radio – like you have known each other forever. Vin put Cary to work on the Climber, and showed me around their beautiful home. My favorite takeaway was something I saw in Vin’s trophy room. He did not call it such, but there was a room that was filled with memorabilia – trophies, awards and photo after photo of Vin with famous athletes, stars, politicians – absolutely unbelievable. My favorite was a photo of Vin Scully standing with a familiar man in a golf tee box, both holding drivers in their gloved hands. What really caught my attention was that the photo was not posed like most of the others – in this one, both men were standing there but looking straight up in the sky. The signature was what made it my favorite memory of that wonderful day: “Vin, they are still looking for your ball! – signed George H.W. Bush.” In explanation, Vin told me a Secret Service man had snapped the photo of them just as Air Force One flew over. The story was as simple and enjoyable as the thousands of anecdotes I have heard him share with us over the years – pure Vin Scully.

The TV situation

If you would like to complain about the Dodgers’ TV situation, you have three options: The Dodgers, Time Warner Cable and whatever local cable or satellite provider you have that doesn’t carry the Dodgers. Here’s who to contact:

For the Dodgers, click here or call (866) DODGERS ([866] 363-4377). (I hope you like form letters).

For Time Warner, click here.

For DirecTV, call (800) 531-5000 or click here.

For your local cable or satellite provider, consult your bill for the customer service number and for the website.

And finally

The Dodgers chose high school shortstop Gavin Lux with their first pick in the draft Thursday. I was going to tell you about him, but Andy McCullough did a better job than I would have done. Read all about Lux here.

Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me and follow me on Twitter: @latimeshouston