Dodgers Dugout: Would you ride a gondola to Dodger Stadium?

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. The Dodgers are suddenly on a pace to win 96 games.

Before we get to how well the Dodgers have been playing lately, let’s take a look at the big news.

Colleague Bill Shaikin wrote a story this week about a proposed gondola that would take fans from Union Station to Dodger Stadium. Many of you have already read it, and if you haven’t, please read it before we continue. To sum up the story, quoting Shaikin:

“Get to Union Station, hop aboard a spacious cabin that could arrive every 23 seconds, soar high above the city, and arrive at Dodger Stadium in seven minutes. The climate benefit is easy to envision: fewer fans in cars powered by gasoline; more fans in gondolas powered by electricity.

“Near Lot G at Dodger Stadium, along the long slog from the outer reaches of the parking lots to a stadium entrance behind left field, a colorful model of a gondola cabin awaits you. You can step inside the 24-seat cabin, then imagine a ride that would allow you to skip traffic to the ballpark and instead, as the signage reads: ‘GET THERE BY AIR.’ ”

Proposed cost: North of the estimated $300 million estimated in 2020. The apparent mastermind behind this plan: Frank McCourt, who owns the Dodger Stadium parking lots. The proposed cost to ride the gondola: Free.

Many of you sent me questions about the gondola project. Mainly variations of the same four questions over and over again. So, I asked Bill to step in today and answer those questions. The person named is the first person to ask the question.

From Bill Robinson: If everything gets approved in the proper manner, when is the first season we’d be able to ride the gondola?

Shaikin: The current target date is 2028. Keep in mind that transportation projects almost always cost more and take longer than originally planned. The Dodger Stadium gondola, for instance, was proposed in 2018, with a projected opening in 2022.

From Jennifer Hampton: I don’t understand how this helps the environment. Won’t all the cars that normally drive to Dodger Stadium just drive to Union Station instead? How does this help?

Shaikin: This is a very good question. The project FAQ highlights reduced congestion on the streets and in the neighborhoods surrounding Dodger Stadium.

But the real environmental win would be getting fans to take mass transit to Union Station instead of driving there. For example, by the time the gondola is scheduled to open, fans could have the option to take the subway from Westwood directly to Union Station. By that point, Metro hopes to reverse its steep decline in ridership.

From Steve Banner: What percentage chance does this have of actually happening?

Shaikin: Too soon to tell. The project sponsors have worked to build bridges with the community. But the project FAQ — the best-case scenario — does not anticipate construction even starting until 2026. The project sponsors have yet to present a financing plan, and multiple regulatory agencies have to provide various approvals.

One person familiar with local government predicted the gondola would definitely happen. Another person familiar with local government predicted the gondola would never happen.

From Natasha Stevenson: Why did the Guggenheim Group allow Frank McCourt to keep the parking lots? Is that why parking costs so much?

McCourt made clear he wasn’t selling the parking lots. During his ownership, he divided what one might reasonably call “the Dodgers” into one entity that owned the team, another that owned the stadium, and another that owned the parking lots.

The Dodgers pay an annual fee to rent the parking lots, now owned by a joint venture between McCourt and Guggenheim. The rent started at $14 million in 2012 and rises with inflation. But Guggenheim sets the parking price and retains parking revenues, so McCourt makes the same amount whether every fan parks in the stadium lots or no fan does.

Gondola Poll

Now that you have the basic facts, the question is: Would you part at Union Station and ride a gondola to Dodger Stadium?

Click here to vote in our informal survey.

Random thoughts

—Last week I wrote that the Dodgers looked like an 80-win team. Since then, they’ve won six straight and just completed a perfect homestand. You’re welcome.

—They looked like an 80-win team, now they are on pace to win 96. The truth is somewhere in between. That’s why it helps to never get too down when they lose, or too up when they win. It’s a long season for a reason.

—Having Will Smith back in the lineup makes a big difference.

—Having the old Max Muncy back also helps. Does the 2022 Max Muncy hit that grand slam Wednesday to win the game?

—It doesn’t appear that Gavin Stone is major league ready yet.

—The Dodgers pride themselves on their analytics, but there is apparently a glitch in the Trayce Thompson metrics. Last week, Dave Roberts said, “Trayce is trying to figure it out versus lefties. They’re trying to crowd him... he’s been working really hard. It is an angle thing with the lefties versus the righties but I still think he’s going to figure it out.” Well, Thompson has had seven big league seasons and almost 1,000 plate appearances (350 against lefties), and he’s hitting .199/.275/.411 against lefties and .229/.318/.446 against righties. It doesn’t look like he’s going to figure it out. Maybe it’s time to stop forcing at-bats against left-handers? Yasiel Puig had the same situation, hitting better against righties than lefties.

—Miguel Rojas is hitting .500 since coming off the injured list. OK, it’s only in six at-bats, but I’ve been picking on him all season, so it’s time to point out something positive.

—The Dodgers’ infield defense has been less than good this season. Not a lot of range out there, and Muncy looks really bad at third so far. The only two guys who look solid are Freddie Freeman and Rojas. That’s two nice things about Rojas in a row.

—James Outman was named National League rookie of the month for April. Yet a couple of national sports sites don’t have him listed among their rookie of the year candidates after the first month of the season. They are apparently just letting a pack of hyenas randomly pick names out of a bin.

—Some guy named Kershaw was named National League pitcher of the month. I’m not familiar with his work.

—The Dodgers sent Alex Vesia to the minors on Wednesday. One of their more reliable pitchers the last two seasons, Vesia had given up 23 hits and walked six in 10 1/3 innings. He’ll figure things out and will be back. It appears the pitch clock has thrown him off his game a bit.

—The Dodger bullpen has a 1.29 ERA in 21 innings during the winning streak.

—The Austin Wynns era in Dodger history is over. He was designated for assignment when Rojas came off the IL.

—For the first time in quite a few seasons, the Dodgers have juggled their rotation early in the season so they can match up well against an opponent. Dustin May was supposed to start Wednesday, but instead the Dodgers turned to Stone (were they facing Medusa?). Clayton Kershaw will start Friday against San Diego, followed by May and Julio Urías.

—Craig Kimbrel was more helpful to the Dodgers on Wednesday than he was when he actually played for them.

—The caveat to this six-game streak is that it came against St. Louis and Philadelphia, who have been struggling, especially the Cardinals. The first big test of the season comes this weekend against the Padres. They are 17-15 and two games behind the first-place Dodgers. They also got off to a slow start. They were 5-8 at one point this season.

—A good way to look at the season is to break it down into 10-game segments. If the Dodgers go 6-4 every 10 games, they will be fine. That doesn’t seem like a great record, only one game above .500. But do that all season and you finish with 97 wins.

In their first 10 games, the Dodgers went 5-5, in the next 10, they went 5-5. Then they went 7-3 from games 21-30. So far in this next set of 10 games, they are 2-0.

—A reminder that Sunday’s game is on ESPN, not SportsNet LA.

Injury report

10-day IL

DH J.D. Martinez (back tightness). He won’t be back for the Padres series, but might return next week against the Brewers. It’s really up to his back.

15-day IL

RHP Michael Grove (groin). He left a start last week with the injury and could be back as soon as he’s eligible, if there’s still a spot for him in the rotation.

RHP Jimmy Nelson (right elbow inflammation). Is currently on a rehab assignment with Oklahoma City, but could spend extended time in the minors since he hasn’t pitched since July 30, 2021.

60-day IL

RHP Walker Buehler (Tommy John surgery). It’s possible he returns at the end of this season but 2024 is more likely.

RHP J.P. Feyereisen (right shoulder surgery). Signed in the offseason, he had surgery in December and the earliest he will play is August.

RHP Daniel Hudson (right knee). Hudson has soreness in his right knee but could be back in June.

SS Gavin Lux (right knee). Lux is out for the season after undergoing anterior cruciate ligament surgery in March.

RHP Ryan Pepiot (left oblique strain). Pepiot is not close to returning, as he hasn’t even started to throw yet.

RHP Alex Reyes (right shoulder). Signed before the season, Reyes won’t join the team until after the All-Star break.

RHP Blake Treinen (right shoulder). Treinen had surgery in the offseason and if he returns this year, it probably won’t be until September.

What Vin Scully meant to me

Last season, after Vin Scully died, I asked readers to send in what he meant to them. I ran them the rest of the season and wanted to circle back and run the rest, which will take a few weeks at least. If you wish to contribute (if you sent it to me last season, I still have it, so no need to send again), please email it to [email protected] and put Vin Scully in the subject line.

From Isaac Dixon of Portland: I grew up in L.A. but have lived here in Portland, Ore., for the last 40 years. My memories of Vin Scully revolve around the Giants-Dodgers series of the ‘60s and ‘70s. His famous line,” Bottom of the ninth, Mays, McCovey and Hart coming up. Don’t go away!”

From Michael Green: What Vin meant to me is both hard and easy to say. When I first heard him, I decided I wanted to BE him, or at least work with him. It took me a while to forgive Ross Porter for getting the job to work with Vin and Jerry instead of me, though I was 12 and unqualified. Eventually, I heard my speaking voice on tape and changed my career plans, first to being a newspaper reporter, and then a history professor, which I am now.

Students tend to like my lectures — I don’t stint on facts and analysis, but I seem to have some talent for telling a story. That can be inherited (my grandparents and parents were great storytellers). But I know that I learned so much from listening to Vin about delivery, timing, and pacing, and about life. We’re all in his debt.

From Steve Katich: After Vin’s passing, I learned that while he began his tenure with the Dodgers in 1950, it was 1953 when he took over as the lead broadcaster — the year I was born — and since my parents always had the game on, it’s safe to say that I literally spent my whole life listening to Vinny. My favorite memories were summers as a young kid when I would climb the tree in our backyard with my transistor radio and spend the afternoon or evening in my makeshift tree house and listen to Dodger games.

Up next

Friday: Dodgers (*Clayton Kershaw, 5-1, 1.89 ERA) at San Diego (Joe Musgrove, 1-0, 10.80 ERA), 6:40 p.m., SportsNet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Saturday: Dodgers (Dustin May, 3-1, 3.15 ERA) at San Diego (Yu Darvish, 1-2, 3.60 ERA), 5:40 p.m., SportsNet LA, FS1, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Sunday: Dodgers (*Julio Urías, 4-3, 3.86 ERA) at San Diego (*Blake Snell, 1-4, 5.28 ERA), 4 p.m., ESPN, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

*-left-handed

In case you missed it

Hernández: The first-place Dodgers are feeling good, but they can’t hide their flaws

Gavin Stone set for MLB debut after rapid rise with Dodgers: ‘There’s that bulldog in him’

A $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? Why is Frank McCourt really pushing it?

And finally

Tommy Lasorda talks about the lifetime ban of Pete Rose. Watch and listen here.