Dodgers Dugout: Looking back at Game 2 of the Giants series

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. There was this strange sight on TV last night: A bunch of guys wearing Dodgers uniforms running around and playing baseball. I haven’t seen something like that on TV in ages.

Game 2 of the Giants series

I will be sending out a newsletter after each game of the Giants series. Here are some Game 2 thoughts:

--There was a Rich Hill sighting last night. Hopefully he isn’t like Brigadoon and appears only once every 100 years.

--If Hill continues to pitch like that and if Josh Reddick snaps out of his slump one day, that trade is going to look pretty good.

--A rotation of Clayton Kershaw, Hill and Kenta Maeda in the playoffs is pretty good.

--My favorite part of the game was Dave Roberts letting Joe Blanton pitch to a left-handed batter. It had to provide a lift for Blanton that his manager has enough faith in him to leave him in. That could provide a huge dividend in the playoffs.

--Yeah, I know Blanton gave up a deep, scorched fly ball to Brandon Crawford, but the bigger unsaid message, “I have faith in you,” is still there.

--Of course, if Crawford had gotten a hit, I’d be blasting Roberts for not bringing in a left-hander. See how much fun second-guessing is?

--With big hits like last night, Justin Turner keeps adding to the dollars he will be able to demand when he becomes a free agent after the season.

--In 32 games since the All-Star break, Turner is hitting .333 with 11 homers and 30 RBIs. In 86 games before the break, he hit .256 with 13 homers and 44 RBIs.

--Don’t look now, but the Dodgers are tied for the fifth-best record in baseball and are on pace for 91 wins. Pretty impressive for a team that has had more than a full roster of players on the DL and lost their ace for two months.

--The Dodgers are 30-19 since Kershaw was injured.

--I’d still rather see Andrew Toles or Rob Segedin in right field than Reddick.

--Here’s something the Dodgers and all the people involved in the TV situation need to understand: Seeing them on ESPN last night was nice, but we want to be able to hear Vin Scully on TV, not the three guys on ESPN who were more interested in making each other laugh than talking about the game.

--The Dodgers are guaranteed to have at least a two-game division lead when the Cubs come to town. But a four-game lead sure would be nice.

--Tonight’s scheduled starters are Matt Moore for the Giants and Ross Stripling for the Dodgers.

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.

Dan Feldman: So this was at least 20 years ago. I am delivering some printing to a client in Beverly Hills. A very upscale women’s clothing store. I have my then-young son Jake with me. He must have been around 6 or 7. So we walk in and who is at the counter? Vin! I quietly say to Jake, “Jake, you know who that is? He cocks his head and says, Chick Hearn?” “No, that is Mr. Vin Scully!” So we go up to say hello.

He was buying what seemed to be quite a bit of merchandise for his wife, so I walked up and told him the usual stuff that we would all tell him if we met him. He was very polite, but seemed like he wanted to get going. But then he looked down and asked who this nice young man was standing next to me. I introduced Jake and then he did something that no adult ever has done when meeting Jake. He got down on one knee so he could be eye-to-eye with him. He shook Jake’s little hand and said, “Hiya Jake. Do you like baseball?” So they had a little chat and he was so gracious and patient with my little guy while they talked baseball for what seemed liked 15 minutes. It was probably 90 seconds. Anyhow, he shook both our hands and said it was a pleasure meeting us! Imagine that.

Fast-forward about 15 or so years, I am making a delivery to the same client and who do I see in the parking lot? Vin again. I walk up and say hello, reminded him of our meeting years ago in the same store he is about to go into. He says he remembers and how is my son? Quite honestly, how could he remember? I think he was just being kind to a fan, but nonetheless what a thoughtful thing to say. I tell him my boy is in medical school and Vin just clasps his hands together and says in that wonderful voice of his, “Isn’t that wonderful! You tell him hello for me.” Oh I did.

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 welcomes baby Robinson Segedin into the world. 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