Column: Adrian Gonzalez makes adjustments to get ready for opening day
Fans celebrate as the Dodgers open their 2017 season against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium.
Adrian Gonzalez extended his right arm, displaying a black band about an inch under his elbow.
This is what tempered the symptoms of the tendinitis in his elbow. This is what allowed him to play Monday more or less pain-free.
“With the pressure, I almost feel close to 100%,” he said. “When I don’t have pressure on it, check swings will really hurt me.”
He was relieved. The Dodgers should have been too.
They can’t play the San Diego Padres every game. They will have to overcome competent opposition to reach the World Series, which will almost certainly require offensive contributions from the five-time All-Star first baseman.
The Dodgers’ cleanup hitter, Gonzalez doubled, walked twice and scored a couple of runs in the 14-3 victory, but what he did wasn’t as important as how he felt.
Gonzalez turns 35 next month and continues to deal with neck problems. As the Dodgers went into spring training, there were whispers about how the anticipated emergence of prospect Cody Bellinger could affect Gonzalez’s role on the team. Gonzalez’s elbow flared up in camp, fueling further speculation.
However, the 21-year-old Bellinger struck out in 20 of his 58 at-bats in the exhibition season. He didn’t look anywhere near ready to be an everyday first baseman.
Gonzalez had to be healthy. Or else.
Gonzalez didn’t know what to think.
“That was a concern,” he said. “I didn’t know.”
He experimented with various treatment methods.
“It’s still a work in progress,” Gonzalez said. “The pregame exercises weren’t good for it and made me feel weak during spring training games. We had to back off from pregame exercises and do more of a soft-tissue type of deal, to get it warmed up, get it loose.”
The left-handed hitter also adjusted his swing.
“I changed a little bit of my mechanics to be more top-hand heavy,” Gonzalez said. “It could be a blessing in disguise. It will make me stay back on the ball, make me do things I haven’t been doing. If it feels good, I might stick with it because by me staying back, I can track the ball a little better.”
The returns Monday were promising. He bounced a ground-rule double into the left-field stands in the second inning and later scored to tie it at 1-1. He was walked intentionally in a five-run third inning for the Dodgers. He was walked again, this time unintentionally, in the fourth. He grounded out in the fifth.
No frills
This was about a low-key an opening day as Dodger Stadium has hosted in some time. This was the start of the Dodgers’ 60th season in Los Angeles, but there was barely any mention of that. Instead of Sandy Koufax or Vin Scully, the ceremonial first pitches were delivered by Wally Moon and Tommy Lasorda.
Still, there’s really no place like Dodger Stadium on opening day, except for maybe the Las Vegas Strip on an early Saturday afternoon. The only time there could be as many people here for a day game would be in the postseason.
Opening day here isn’t much a baseball game as it is a social event, which is why the stadium concourses are packed to where you can move only a half-step at a time. Many fans were holding alcoholic beverages. Others held up traffic by snapping pictures of themselves with their phones. Some did both.
Walk it off
I’m no baseball purist, evidenced by how I recently argued for that Major League Baseball should use the international tiebreaker to decided extra-inning games in the regular season. But I really don’t like the new intentional walk rule, which allows a manager to put an opposing hitter on first by flashing a sign to the home plate umpire.
The Padres intentionally walked Yasiel Puig in the second inning and Gonzalez in the third. Both times, I missed the signal from the Padres bench. Both times, I looked elsewhere for a moment, only to see suddenly see a new hitter when I turned back to the batter’s box.
Part of baseball’s charm was that it didn’t require the viewer’s undivided attention at every moment. Also lost was the anticipation for the next at-bat, which used to gradually heighten as the pitcher lobbed the four balls to his catcher.
New meat
Dodgers beat writer Andy McCullough couldn’t conceal his disgust as I unwrapped the free hamburger in the press box.
“That is vile,” he said.
On appearance alone, my colleague was right. The hamburger in question was the Dodger Burger, the new offering at the Buds & Burgers stand on the third base side of the field level. The culinary Frankenstein experiment is made up of a beef patty smothered in BBQ sauce, topped with four Dodger Dog slices, caramelized onions and a couple of jalapeno poppers.
Thankfully, the Dodger Burger tasted considerably better than it looks. It’s quite good, actually. I don’t know if it’s worth the $13.50 price, but, then again, everything else in the ballpark is also marked up.
Follow Dylan Hernandez on Twitter @dylanohernandez
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