The good news for Dee Gordon Friday night was that he put his two main skills, speed and defense, on display, in the Dodgers' 5-0 win over the Angels in Anaheim. The bad news for Gordon, however, is that he might not be with the big club through the weekend. Ah, the life of a young player with options.
Rafael Furcal had his final rehab game tonight with Class A Rancho Cucamonga, and he is slated to return to the Dodgers as soon as Sunday. The obvious roster move is sending Gordon back to Triple A, and it's hard to argue since Gordon is hitting .241/.259/.291 in 21 games, with just two walks, and 16 strikeouts, in 82 plate appearances. However, Gordon has still provided moments of excitement, including tonight.
In the seventh inning, Dee Gordon reached base on a force play, then proceeded to steal second, third, and home, though he didn't get credit for the steal of third since it was technically on a pickoff throw to first base. Still, it was very exciting play nonetheless. "Dee has extraordinary speed, and it allows you to do extraordinary things," said Tony Gwynn Jr., who also stole a base tonight in addition to reaching base six times. To top things off, Gordon made a fantastic stab in short center field to rob Erick Aybar of a hit in the ninth inning.
Even if Gordon gets optioned, it likely won't be for long. The Dodgers need to see if Furcal is healthy. Not necessarily because they can make a run toward the playoffs, but rather, so Furcal can prove he is healthy for potential trade suitors before the July 31 trade deadline.
For more news and information on tonight's game, or on the two teams, be sure to read the SB Nation blogs Halos Heaven and True Blue LA.