It was on this day 21 years ago that Orel Hershiser picked up the 20th win of his legendary 1988 campaign. Hershiser threw a complete game, seven-hit shutout of the Reds for the 20th of his eventual 23 wins that season. The nine shutout frames against Cincinnati represented innings 13 1/3-22 1/3 of Hershiser's record streaks of 59 1/3 scoreless innings.
Some modern-day news from Los Angeles….
- Dave Stewart, agent for Matt Kemp and a former Dodgers star himself, tells Tyler Kepner of The New York Times that he hasn't received any word from L.A. management about a possible multiyear extension for the MVP candidate. “If by some chance we’re able to get something long-term done, we’ll approach that when the ball club is ready to do it,” Stewart said. “But we’re preparing for a one-year contract and arbitration, if we have to. With the uncertainty of the ball club and ownership, really our only option is to sit and wait and hope that they come to us and want to talk to Matt about keeping him in Los Angeles for a long time.” If the two sides stick to a one-year deal, MLBTR estimates Kemp's 2012 salary to be around $15MM.
- Kepner also has a larger profile of Kemp, detailing his rise from an unheralded sixth-round draft pick to arguably the best player in the sport.
- MLB.com's Ken Gurnick outlines potential incentive clauses that Hiroki Kuroda and Jamey Carroll can reach in the season's closing weeks.
- Ned Colletti and Don Mattingly both expect the 2012 Dodgers' roster to largely resemble the 2011 version, tweets Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. Both men feel the team is "only a player or two away" from contention.
