Dodgers have to be liking the dreamer in Matt Kemp

Why you need to dream big ... sounds like the title of 32 different motivational books.

Matt Kemp, however, is dreaming really big. Record big. You’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me big.

His 2011 cry of “40-40” was impressive stuff, and he nearly became the fifth player in major-league history to pull it off, finishing the season with 39 home runs and 40 steals.

Now he’s upped the ante.

“Fifty-fifty,” Kemp said.

That’s his 2012 goal. And hey, why not? Yahoo Sports’ Tim Brown examines and applauds Kemp for giving himself lofty goals. Fifty-fifty never has been accomplished in a single season by any player in baseball history.

Of course, hitting 50 homers can get a little in the way of stealing 50 bases. Hard to steal when you’re trotting around the diamond.

Also on the Web:

-- Jonathan Broxton told the Associated Press he’s happy to be in the Kansas City camp and isn’t worried about his post-surgery velocity: “I could come out this year and throw 100 or come back and throw 95. You never know what your velocity is going to be.”

-- The Times’ Bill Shaikin reports on the Bryan Stow family charge that the Dodgers are using bankruptcy court to shield them from their liability claim.

-- In a Fox video, manager Don Mattingly looks to the team’s coming season.

   

 -- Veteran baseball writer Tony Jackson is ESPN/L.A.’s new Dodgers bloggers, and here reports on Rubby De La Rosa’s progress.

-- True Blue L.A.’s Eric Stephen is scheduled to be with the Dodgers all spring, and reports on Jerry Sands arriving at camp and wanting to start.

-- The Dodgers have claimed speedy outfielder Matt Angle off waivers from the Orioles, and in a corresponding move, placed De La Rosa on the 60-day disabled list to create roster room.

-- Mike Petriello gets in touch with his optimistic side in this look at the Dodgers’ coming season.

-- Reid Forgrave at Fox looks back on the historic effect of Dr. Frank Jobe’s ground-breaking Tommy John surgery.

-- Remember, he can play first! Jay Gibbons has signed a minor-league deal with the Brewers.

-- In a video from MLB, excited closer Javy Guerra says he thinks the Dodgers can win it all.

-- Steve Dilbeck

The offensive emptiness that is the Dodgers 2012 bench

Look real hard and you can find it. It’s there, just not exactly under the spotlight. Maybe not in hiding, though you could make the argument that the Dodgers will try it.

It is the Dodgers’ bench, such as it. And as it is, it’s wholly unimpressive.

Presenting your 2012 Dodgers in reserve: catcher Matt Treanor, infielders Jerry Hairston Jr. and Adam Kennedy, and outfielders Tony Gwynn Jr. and Jerry Sands.

There’s some versatility and some nice defensive elements, but offensively there just isn’t much there. The power hitter is Sands, he of the 194 career at-bats? The left-handed bats are Gwynn and Kennedy?

This is all as currently scheduled, of course. And these things almost never go as scheduled. Which would explain why the Dodgers started last season with Xavier Paul, Hector Gimenez and Ivan DeJesus Jr. on the roster.

General manager Ned Colletti said he thinks this year’s bench can be superior to last season’s, before quickly asking which Dodgers’ bench he should reference.

"Unfortunately our bench ended up playing," Colletti said. "The bench was really the second bench."

Which is why the 2012 edition is so scary. Chances are, some of them are going to have to play more than expected. And this is what manager Don Mattingly will have to choose from based on last season’s numbers:

Player                         Avg.                OBP                 SLG

Treanor                      .214                .338                .291

Hairston                     .270                .344                .383

Kennedy                     .234                .277                .355

Gwynn                        .256                .308                .353

Sands                         .253                .338                .389

And as a group, it’s not like it’s a bunch of kids approaching their prime. Kennedy is 36, and Treanor will be in March and Hairston in May.

Plus you have to remember the Dodgers’ regular everyday lineup is already going to have its risks. Rookie shortstop Dee Gordon batted .304 last season but in only 224 at-bats, so we’ve yet to see if pitchers adjust to the slight Gordon. And A.J. Ellis is going to be the main catcher, and has a career .262 average with zippo power in 206 career at-bats.

There’s not a strong pinch-hitter in the group, either. Career averages as pinch-hitters: Treanor .200, Hairston .174, Kennedy .223, Gwynn .288, Sands .000 (only four at-bats). There's not really a reserve shortstop.

Last year the Dodgers wanted to start the season with a bench of Dioner Navarro, Jamey Carroll, Aaron Miles, Tony Gwynn Jr., Marcus Thames/Jay Gibbons. Navarro and Thames were busts, and Gibbons couldn’t overcome vision issues. Yet they still might prove a better group.

The Dodgers 25-man roster is basically set. If everyone makes it through spring healthy, there are no position openings.

 ``If it goes the way it’s planned, the team has some flexibility to it but not a whole lot,’’ Colletti said.

On days when Juan Rivera or James Loney don't start, the bench will get a boost but it could use plenty more. It could have used a Coco Crisp, but Colletti denied an interest in the outfielder before he re-signed with the A’s.

``Never had a conversation,’’ Colletti said.

Colletti is operating under budget constraints unworthy of a team playing in the second-largest market in the country, but such are the times when your team is in bankruptcy court.

And such is the bench.

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-- Steve Dilbeck

Photo: Dodger Stadium. Credit: Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times.

Dodgers fire hitting coach Jeff Pentland; offensive woes cured!

Right, that was the problem. The hitting coach. No possibility it was just lousy players.

No matter. In an oddly timed move, the Dodgers fired hitting coach Jeff Pentland on Wednesday morning, just a couple hours before their afternoon game in San Francisco.

They named Dave Hansen as interim hitting coach. Previously Hansen served as Pentland’s assistant, with the title of hitting instructor. Which was the same title Pentland had the previous three seasons, serving as Don Mattingly’s aide.

Now there’s little doubt the Dodgers are a miserable hitting team. In Major League Baseball they rank 27th in runs, 26th in slugging percentage (.361), 22nd in home runs and 17th in batting average (.250).

Something surprisingly positive about Dodgers -- Tony Gwynn Jr.

And now amid the Dodgers’ losing streak, their getting knocked out of the race with more than two months left in the season and Wednesday's looming courtroom drama, we bring you a bit of unexpected good news:

Tony Gwynn Jr.

Did you see this coming? OK, I did not. Not after his batting average dipped below .200 by the end of May. Particularly following his .204 mark last season.

Yep, I was ready to give up on the Gwynn experiment. Ready to even call Jay Gibbons back up or give Trayvon Robinson a whirl.

Only, since June 25, Gwynn has been one of the Dodgers’ best hitters. Now maybe you think that’s not saying much since most of the team, as Tommy Lasorda famously said about Kurt Bevacqua, couldn’t hit water if it fell out of a boat.

But since June 25, Gwynn has hit .355, raising his average from .215 to .262. All while playing some outstanding defense. And adding speed to the bases.

With a sinking team that’s 14½ games out, maybe it’s a small thing, but it’s a positive thing in a Dodgers’ season in which that’s in short supply.

-- Steve Dilbeck

Photo: Dodgers outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr. Credit: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times

Dodgers' latest, greatest left-field idea: Juan Rivera's in, Marcus Thames is out

Jeez, not even a little, "Welcome back, Steve!"

Just -- boom! -- off the boat and a deal is made. One of those yeah-I-guess, why-not? deals.

The Dodgers picked up Juan Rivera from the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday and designated Marcus Thames for assignment. That poor All-Star game, overshadowed by the Dodgers again.

Not exactly the kind of move to turn a season around, since these days Rivera and Thames seem pretty much the same guy, but safe to say the original plan hadn’t worked out so well.

That was Jay Gibbons and Thames, a makeshift platoon in left field when the Dodgers couldn’t stumble into any other solution.

Gibbons struggled with vision problems, never could get it going, was designated for assignment June 6 and ultimately accepted a triple-A gig at Albuquerque, where he remains today (.293, 3 HRs, 17 RBI).

Thames missed time with a quadriceps strain, and though he hit OK against left-handers, never could really get it rolling (.197, 2, 7) for the Dodgers.

Attempting to decipher the mysterious black hole that is the Dodgers and left field

It's quantum physics meets Rep. Anthony Weiner meets "Ulysses" meets Charley Steiner.

Are some things really not meant to be understood?

I am referring, naturally, to the Dodgers and left field. Somebody has to play it, it just seems like figuring it out is as challenging as understanding Sarah Palin on the ride of Paul Revere.

The Dodgers have started six different players in left, but be patient, it's still early June.

The Times' Dylan Hernandez asked Manager Don Mattingly about the left-field situation and he said: "It hasn't really panned out."

Sort of like Charlie Haeger and his knuckleball.

Hernandez said the Dodgers entered Thursday's game with their six-headed left-field combo having combined to hit .216 with two home runs and 16 RBIs. And then Tony Gwynn Jr. went zero for four.

This for a position that normally provides power, on a team in dire need of some extra pop.

Gwynn is apparently the starting left fielder against right-handers, though, hold on, because these things tend to change by the day.

The original master plan was for Jay Gibbons and Marcus Thames to platoon in left, but Gibbons missed the start of his season with vision problems and then Thames went on the disabled list with a strained quadriceps.

Dodgers send down Jerry Sands, call up Trent Oeltjen

So, about the Dodgers' amazing youth movement ...

Yeah, well, one step forward. It seems, however, that Jerry Sands was deemed to have taken one step too many backward, and, really, that's tough to argue.

Since his second -- and most recent -- home run May 24, he has three hits in 35 at-bats, all singles.

He is struggling, which is to be expected for a rookie in his first time up. And, as they say, he needs regular playing time. That is something he is not likely to see now that right-handed batting Marcus Thames is off the disabled list.

So before their game Thursday at Colorado, the Dodgers optioned Sands to triple-A Albuquerque and recalled left-handed hitting outfielder Trent Oeltjen.

It's not as though this is some permanent move for Sands, nor he was a major bust. Still, he was not exactly the phenom Dodgers fans were hoping for either. He heads back down hitting .200 with two home runs and 17 runs batted in in 125 at-bats, and with a .294 on-base percentage and a .328 slugging percentage.

He did have 10 doubles, which was third best on the club, so it's not as though he was never driving the ball.

Still, he clearly could benefit from some extra Carnauba. He will play regularly at Albuquerque, work on those things he now knows need attention and return a more confident player, and most certainly this season.

This also, of course, means the Dodgers are going to give Thames a real shot at playing and earning the faith they put in him when he was signed in the off-season.

Then, he was supposed to be paired in a platoon in left field with Jay Gibbons, who was designated for assignment Monday. Now, Tony Gwynn Jr. and Oeltjen (.339, eight home runs, 34 RBIs, .429 on-base percentage, .583 slugging percentage) will be the left-handed complements to Thames. And you have to wonder how long his rope is.

To make room for Oeltjen on the 40-man roster, the Dodgers outrighted right-hander Luis Vasquez, 25, from Class-A Rancho Cucamonga.

The Dodgers remain plenty youthful and Sands is a huge part of their future. His make-up, his approach and his ability remain untarnished. For the moment, though, this feels like the right move.

-- Steve Dilbeck

Yikes, Dodgers go young: Call up Dee Gordon, keep Jerry Sands as Jay Gibbons, Juan Castro designated for assignment

Even as the Dodgers activated two players older than 30 Monday, they managed to get younger with a series of stunning moves.

Suddenly, this is not the same Dodgers organization you’ve known the last two seasons. Kids were everywhere.

On Monday the Dodgers elected to keep rookie outfielder Jerry Sands and designate veteran Jay Gibbons for assignment, while calling up shortstop prospect Dee Gordon and also designating veteran infielder Juan Castro.

Busy on the roster front, as expected they also activated infielder Juan Uribe, outfielder Marcus Thames and reliever Blake Hawksworth.

Then they optioned infielder Ivan De Jesus Jr.and right-hander John Ely back to triple-A.

If you were screaming for the Dodgers to go with youth, Monday was your big day.

Gordon has been one of their top prospects for the last couple of years. The rail-thin infielder has zero power but is lightning fast. At triple-A Albuquerque, he was batting .315 with 22 steals in 25 attempts. His glove work, however has been suspect.

Still, the Dodgers did not bring Gordon up to sit him. With Rafael Furcal again on the disabled list, he figures to see his share of starting time at shortstop. Monday against the Phillies, however, they continued to start Jamey Carroll at short and Aaron Miles at second.

Uribe was back in the lineup at second, Thames in left (and batting third) and Sands in right for Andre Ethier against the left-handed Cliff Lee.

The Dodgers had agonized over whether to return Sands to Albuquerque. Sands has not been the sensation some hoped for but has shown promise (.210 average, two homers, 17 RBI, 10 doubles in 119 at-bats) and now figures to get a prolonged chance to stick.

After a comeback year at Albuquerque in 2010, Gibbons, 34, struggled with vision problems this year. He was hitting .255 with one homer and five RBI in 55 at-bats.

Castro, who turns 39 later this month, had two hits in 14 at-bats and was an emergency fill-in. He was reliable with the glove and a classy guy to have in the clubhouse, but this may end his career.

-- Steve Dilbeck

Photo: Dodgers rookie Jerry Sands in congratulated by third baseman Casey Blake after throwing out a Cubs baserunner earlier this season. Credit: Charles Cherney / Associated Press

Running down the Dodgers' second team on the DL

Here’s an overview of the 10 -- count ’em, 10! --  Dodgers currently starting their new squad on the disabled list, and any factors possibly related to their status.

Will leave connecting any dots up to you.

-- Jonathan Broxton: Bone spur, bruise on left elbow, first time on DL. Listed at 300 pounds.

-- Rafael Furcal: Left oblique injury sends him back to the DL for sixth time as a Dodger and second time this season. He is 33.

-- Jon Garland: Also his second stint, this time with an inflamed shoulder. During the off-season, said teams shied away from long-term contract offer because of MRI exam on shoulder. He is 31.

-- Hector Gimenez: Forget about him? Had knee surgery after appearing in just four games. He is listed as 28.

-- Blake Hawksworth: Hip impingement has him on DL for first time in career. Expected back next week, though was originally expected back last week. He is also 28.

-- Kenley Jansen: Inflamed right shoulder. He’s just 23, but converted catcher only in his second full season as a pitcher. Have to wonder about arm strength.

-- Hong-Chih Kuo: Sadly, after four elbow operations, the DL is his second home. This time he’s out indefinitely with anxiety disorder. Turns 30 next month. Is throwing at Phoenix camp.

-- Vicente Padilla: On for the second time this season, this time with a sore forearm following surgery last spring. Padilla, 33, was scheduled to come off Friday, but remained on with the same neck pain that plagued him last season. Has been on the DL 10 times in his career.

-- Marcus Thames: Has a quad strain, but expected back next week. He is 34.

-- Juan Uribe: Strained left hip flexor. Uribe, 32, is expected to be activated Monday.

Previously on the DL were Casey Blake (37), Jay Gibbons (34) and Dioner Navarro (27). The Dodgers have used the DL 18 times in 58 games.

-- Steve Dilbeck

Photo: Former All-Star reliever Hong-Chih Kuo delivers a pitch against the Giants in the eighth inning of a game at Dodger Stadium in early April. Credit: Gus Ruelas / Associated Press

Dodgers have seen this one before: Bodies and runs disappear in 2-1 loss to Reds

It was like old times Friday for the Dodgers, or at least those less-than-pleasant times from the last month.

Bodies kept coming up lame, scoring remained a concept, and just for a little throwback to last season, Matt Kemp had a brain cramp on the bases.

It added up to a tough 2-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds, tough losses increasingly becoming the Dodgers’ specialty.

Before the game the Dodgers learned right-hander Jon Garland was headed for the disabled list, reliever Vicente Padilla wasn’t ready to come off the DL, and, to make matter worse, they lost shortstop Rafael Furcal in the second inning with a side injury.

And then they went out and struggled to score against a pitcher who hasn’t been able to get anyone out in a month.

Cincinnati starter Bronson Arroyo entered the game with his right arm almost dragging on the grass. He was 3-5 with a 5.74 earned-run average, and in his last three starts he had surrendered 19 earned runs in 12 2/3 innings.

Friday night, he was practically Johnny Vander Meer. He held the Dodgers to one run in six innings, holding them to five hits and one walk.

Of course, he easily could have allowed two runs, save for Kemp having that inexplicable 2010 flashback.

The Dodgers loaded the bases with no outs in the fourth after Andre Ethier and Kemp singled and Jay Gibbons was hit by a pitch.

James Loney then lifted a sacrifice fly to Fred Lewis in medium left. Ethier tagged and scored easily. Which should have been that, only Kemp drifted almost half way to third. It was one of those what-are-you-doing moments that Kemp made frequent company last season. He was caught in a rundown and easily tagged out.

Dioner Navarro then grounded out, the rally was over and the Dodgers had their one run for the night.

Hiroki Kuroda made it hold up for a lot longer than he probably had right to expect. He labored through inning after inning, yet was still throwing a shutout heading into the bottom of the fifth.

Then a single and a pair of walks loaded the bases for the Reds. Scott Rolen lined a two-run single to left-center field and the Reds had their lead.

Kuroda (5-6) ended up going one more inning, throwing 114 pitches in his six innings. He gave up six hits and walked four.

Still, two runs proved enough for Cincinnati. After scoring 23 runs in three games, the Dodgers have now scored once in their last two.

-- Steve Dilbeck

Photo: Dodgers shortstop Jamey Carroll makes the catch and tag as Cincinnati's Joey Votto tries to steal second base in the third inning Friday. Carroll, though was unable to hang onto the ball. Credit: Al Behrman / Associated Press