Dodgers Dugout: Looking back at Game 1 of the Giants series

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. What happened to that nightly reality show that was on NBC the last couple of weeks? It was set in Rio and featured the wacky antics of a character they obviously made up named Ryan Lochte. Did they cancel it?

Game 1 of the Giants series

I will be sending out a newsletter after each game of the Giants series. Here are some Game 1 thoughts:

-- It’s nice to have Adrian Gonzalez hitting for power again. Where has he been all season?

-- Since Aug. 1 (20 games), Gonzalez is hitting .385 with six homers and 22 RBIs. He is also slugging .705.

-- If the Dodgers claim their division and win a lot of games down the stretch, Corey Seager should be given serious consideration for NL MVP. He has Rookie of the Year locked up.

-- Gonzalez, Seager and Justin Turner went seven for seven against Madison Bumgarner.

-- I’d rather see Rob Segedin or Andrew Toles in the lineup than Josh Reddick.

-- Kenta Maeda didn’t have his best outing, but he always seems to pitch well enough to win. He is 13-7 now.

-- Maeda earned an extra $1.75 million Tuesday: $1.5 million for making his 25th start, and $250,000 for surpassing the 140-inning mark. He has made a little over $9.15 million this season.

-- I hope having to use Kenley Jansen for an inning and a third won’t come back to bite them.

-- The Dodgers put Brett Anderson on the disabled list, which is the biggest help he has been to the team this season.

-- The worst that can happen now is that the Giants leave town tied for first place. But it sure would be nice to head into the Cubs series with a four-game division lead.

-- Rich Hill is supposed to start for the Dodgers tonight. I’ll believe it when I see it.

Kershaw’s almost back

Clayton Kershaw threw a 40-pitch bullpen session for the Dodgers. He did not feel discomfort in his back afterward, which is great news. The next step is a 60-pitch bullpen session, followed by a rehab start in the minors.

Kazmir’s out

The Dodgers put Scott Kazmir on the disabled list because of an inflamed neck. I will not make a joke that he hurt it watching all those line drives hurtle past him in his last start. Kazmir is the 27th player put on the DL by the Dodgers this season, tying a major-league record. The 28th person should get some sort of incentive, like a free Ace bandage or something like that.

The magic number

Each week I will look at a uniform number a 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. 47 (Howie Kendrick)

Best Dodgers to wear No. 47: Andy Messersmith (1973-75, 1979).

Others to wear No. 47: George Pfister (1941), John Purdin (1964), Vicente Romo (1968), Candy Maldonado (1981), Greg Brock (1982), Larry White (1983-84), Jose Gonzalez (1986-87), Tom Goodwin (1991-93), Gary Wayne (1994), Trent Hubbard (1998-99), Bruce Aven (2000), Shawn Gilbert (2000), Jess Orosco (1988, 2001-02), Wilson Alvarez (2003-05), Tim Hamulack (2006), Chad Moeller (2007), Mark Sweeney (2008), Cory Wade (2008-09), Jerry Sands (2011), Luis Cruz (2012-13), Ricky Nolasco (2013), Paul Maholm (2014).

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. Keep emailing them to me.

Jeff Fritzen: I became a Dodgers fan in 1962, drawn to them at the age of 9 by the names of Koufax, Drysdale, Wills, Roseboro, Snider, et al. Trouble was, I lived in Normal, Ill. (still do). I had to work hard to learn as much as I could about my new favorite team and, fortunately, their success in those years drew the attention of the national media. Of course, Vin Scully already was famously being heard on transistor radios throughout Dodger Stadium, and that was among the discoveries I made as I uncovered nuggets of treasure about the Dodgers.

After Sandy Koufax’s perfect game against the Cubs in 1965, Danny Goodman Concessions offered a 45 RPM record of the game’s highlights. I was a regular mail-order customer with my lawn-mowing earnings and allowance and ordered the record. When it arrived, I heard Vin Scully as if I were listening live on the radio. What a thrill to relive the moment over and over again. Three years later, a 33 1/3 LP of Don Drysdale’s scoreless inning streak was produced, highlighting each of the big right-hander’s shutouts on his way to the record. More Scully and more inside exposure to the Dodgers to measure up with my Cub and Cardinal fan friends.

Fifty years later, with a subscription to MLB.TV, I now can watch the Dodgers and hear Vin almost nightly throughout the season. It’s wonderful, but there was something about having to work at being a Dodgers fan from afar and only getting a taste of Scully that will always remain magical.

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 whom 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

Vin Scully is broadcasting a game when the Stanley Cup is brought in to the booth. Watch and listen to it here.

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