29-year old lefty swinging outfielder Andre Ethier set a new major league record in April for the longest hitting streak ever to start a season. Since then though he has been a little cold with the bat. Ethier has played in 25 games so far in May for the Dodgers and he is 21 for 82 (.256 avg, .705 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 2 homers and 7 RBIs. Ethier’s overall numbers are still looking solid. He has played in 53 games for the Dodgers this year and he is 62 for 190 (.326 avg, .873 OPS) with 22 runs scored, 5 homers and 23 RBIs. The Dodgers probably wouldn’t mind if Ethier decided to drive the ball more at the expense of his batting average, as the team doesn’t have much power at all.

The Dodgers have designated 26-year old righty reliever Travis Schlichting for assignment. Schlichting pitched in 18 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball for the Dodgers this year and he was 3-1 with a 6.55 ERA and a 1.73 WHIP. He pitched in parts of two years with the Dodgers, appearing in 16 games (0 starts) in which he was 1-0 with a 3.55 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. The Dodgers will probably keep him if he accepts an outright assignment to AAA if he clears waivers.

The Dodgers have placed 23-year old righty reliever Kanley Jansen on the 15-day disabled list due to shoulder inflammation. Jansen pitched in 20 games (0 starts) for the Dodgers last year and he was 1-1 with 1 save, a 6.43 ERA and a 1.62 WHIP. He has given up 20 hits and he has whiffed 35 batters in only 21 innings for the Dodgers so far this year, but, he has also walked 14 batters which has gotten him into some trouble this year. Jansen is still learning how to pitch as he started out in the minors as a catcher, so he’s still a little rough around the edges.

The Dodgers have signed 29-year old righty starting pitcher Ian Snell to a minor league deal. Snell pitched in 12 games (8 starts) with the Mariners last year and he was 0-5 with a 6.41 ERA and a 1.84 WHIP. He has now pitched in 152 games (136 starts) in his first 7 years in the majors and he is 38-53 with a 4.80 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP. The Dodgers will give Snell a chance to go to AAA-ball to reestablish himself. If he does well the Dodgers will likely call him up. If not, it could be the end of his major league career.

In 2002, the Dodgers decided to convert righty starting pitcher Eric Gagne into a full-time short reliever and the result was awesome. From 2002-2004, Gagne pitched in 224 games (0 starts) in which he was 13-7 with 152 saves, a 1.79 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP. He whiffed 365 batters in 247 innings in those three years while only allowing 145 hits. Gagne’s best year came in 2003 when he won the N.L. Cy Young Award. Gagne pitched in 77 games (0 starts) for the Dodgers in 2003 and he was 2-3 with 55 saves (led the majors), a 1.20 ERA and a 0.69 WHIP. He only gave up 37 hits while whiffing 137 batters in 82 1/3 innings pitched, which is amazing! Gagne pitched in 298 games (48 starts) in his 8 years with the Dodgers and he was 25-21 with 161 saves, a 3.27 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. Gagne is the all-time saves leader for the Dodgers (161) and he’s also #4 in Dodgers’ history with a 1.11 WHIP.