DODGERS NOTEBOOK: KINKADE NOW CATCHING ON.Byline: Jill Painter Staff Writer Mike Kinkade Michael Arthur Kinkade (born May 6 1973, Livonia, Michigan) is a Major League Baseball player. Primarily a left fielder, Kinkade has also spent time as a first baseman, right fielder, third baseman, designated hitter, and catcher. Kinkade is 6'1" tall and weighs 210 pounds. has accepted his role. Kinkade, a stellar minor-league hitter, didn't exactly have much of an opportunity when he was with the New York Mets
Now, as a bench player for the Dodgers, he has flourished. He started in left field for the Dodgers on Sunday for Brian Jordan
Kinkade first thrived in this role last season, hitting a team-high .350 as a pinch hitter pinch-hit intr.v. pinch-hit, pinch-hit·ting, pinch-hits 1. Baseball To bat in place of a player scheduled to bat, especially when a hit is badly needed. 2. . ``I was probably bitter with the Mets and a little with Baltimore because I never really got a chance to play,'' Kinkade said. ``You go from hitting third or fourth (in the minors) to playing once a week or getting one at-bat a week. I struggled. But I figured at some point I'm going to have to learn how to hit in this role.'' Last year, Kinkade proved to be a good student, learning from former Dodgers Jeff Reboulet Jeffrey Allen Reboulet (born April 30, 1964, in Dayton, Ohio) was a Major League Baseball infielder. He is an alumnus of Louisiana State University. Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 10th round of the 1986 MLB amateur draft, Reboulet would make his Major League Baseball and Dave Hansen
``How much of an opportunity did he get in his last couple of tours of duty?'' Tracy asked. ``Your chance of success minimizes if your numbers of opportunities are limited. ``I think I've used the words that he's our diamond in the rough for 2003, as (Paul) Lo Duca was in 2002, as Giovanni Carrara was for a couple of years and the change of Eric Gagne to a closer.'' Kinkade, a three-time All-Pacific-10 Conference selection at Washington State, was the Texas League Player of the Year in 1997 after batting .385 with 109 RBI RBI abbr. Baseball runs batted in Noun 1. rbi - a run that is the result of the batter's performance; "he had more than 100 rbi last season" run batted in at Double-A El Paso. He batted at least .300 each year in seven minor-league seasons and hit .380 in 37 games with the Dodgers last season. ``I would love to play every day, but so far, I haven't been given that opportunity,'' Kinkade said. ``I'm hoping one day I'll get a chance.'' --The day after: Philadelphia pitcher Kevin Millwood spent his Monday afternoon conducting a slew of live interviews after his no-hitter against the San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California that currently play in the National League West Division. New York Giants history Early days and the John McGraw era on Sunday. Millwood and the Phillies took a flight to L.A. on Sunday evening, and he celebrated his first career no-hitter with a couple of teammates, pitching coach Joe Kerrigan and Phillies broadcaster Larry Andersen. ``It was probably the best fastball I've ever had,'' said Millwood, an 18-game winner with the Braves last year. --Stranded again: Dodgers leadoff batter Dave Roberts didn't start Monday and probably won't be in the starting lineup today, either, still recovering from a strained right hamstring. He ran at about 80 percent Monday. Roberts has a major-league-best 10 stolen bases. The rest of the team has four. ``Myself and the team, we just want to err on the side of caution,'' Roberts said. ``I'm thinking (today) or (Wednesday).'' --Odds and ends: Jordan wasn't in the starting lineup Monday for the fourth consecutive game due to flu. He saw Dodgers Dr. Michael Mellman before the game and then went home. Tracy said Jordan's condition was worse Monday because of a sore throat Sore Throat Definition Sore throat, also called pharyngitis, is a painful inflammation of the mucous membranes lining the pharynx. It is a symptom of many conditions, but most often is associated with colds or influenza. . ... Hitting coach Jack Clark was not at Monday's game. According to Dodgers officials, he had an early doctor's appointment Monday morning and was advised not to stay up late. Clark was in a motorcycle accident March 30. ... Dodgers interpreter Teppei Shiokawa resumed his duties after a car accident during spring training. He had surgery to remove his spleen and to repair a ruptured bowel. CAPTION(S): box Box: DODGERS vs. PHILADELPHIA - Jill Painter |
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