No Kuo?
Greg Maddux got his 355th career win in the Dodgers 2-1 victory tonight over the Giants tonight, but the bigger story for Dodgers fans was the no-show by Hong-Chih Kuo. Kuo warmed up briefly and then disappeared, which is a bad sign for his chances of making the playoffs. Tonight was supposed to be a test for his tricep problem, and apparently things didn’t go well. This means the Dodgers will probably go into the post season without their main lefty setup guy. On the season, Kuo was 5-3 with a 2.14 ERA over 80 innings. Those are numbers you hate to be missing when you need them most.
On the positive side, Rafael Furcal is looking better each time out, and I would be shocked if he didn’t start at short during the playoffs. He went 2-for-4 tonight. Jeff Kent extended his hitting streak to 4 games since coming back, and apparently he really wants to play in the post-season because the arguement he is making in his favor is strong.
Kudos to Blake DeWitt for carrying the team offensively tonight, not exactly what you would expect to see from a rookie 2nd/3rd baseman hitting .265, especially when your starting left fielder is Manny Ramirez. DeWitt went 3-for-4 with a home run, 2 RBIs, and a walk.
Pablo Ozuna got some playing time in the outfield tonight. It looks like Joe Torre is testing him in the outfield in an attempt to circumvent using 5 outfielders in the playoffs. This, along with Ozuna’s usefulness as a pinch runner and infield defensive replacement, looks like a move to free up a spot for Jeff Kent. If this is the case, the bench is going to be pretty stacked with veteran pinch hitters. You’ve got Jeff Kent 21st on the all-time doubles list, also with 377 career homers and 1518 career RBIs, Nomar Garciaparra .314 lifetime batting average, and Juan Pierre active stolen base leader. Not bad. Of course none of that could have occured had the “backup guys” not stepped up when the starters got injured, or in Pierre’s case lost his platoon spot when they picked up Manny. Pierre was platooning in left with Andre Ethier before Ethier won the starting job in right by hitting .301 with 20 homers. Casey Blake was acquired to fill in for an injured Garciaparra at 3rd. Blake is hitting .252 with 10 homers in 206 at-bats. And our favorite, Blake DeWitt took over at 2nd, despite being a natural 3rd baseman, and had a great rookie year, hitting .266 with 52 RBIs in 364 at-bats.
And last but not least, Takashi Saito looks like a lock for the playoff closing position as he picked up his first save since coming off the DL by retiring the side in order in the 9th.
Clown Car
Yesterday the Dodgers squeezed 27 players out of a regular-sized dugout and lost 6-5 in 10 innings. Most of the starters were out after a few innings, and we got to see a lot of guys play, presumably so Joe Torre can figure out his post season roster.
Rafael Furcal was about the same as the last two games, solid in the field, but unable to get a hit. He is showing good range, almost getting a glove on a ball straight over second. He wasn’t shifted in the least from what I could tell, so he went a long way fast. Most of his at-bats have included near hits, so those have to start dropping eventually. He showed a little more pop, flying out to left probably about 260-275 deep, which is the farthest I’ve seen him hit a ball since coming off the DL.
If I’m Joe Torre, Jeff Kent is my pinch-hitter in the playoffs, period, and I don’t even like Jeff Kent. He’s gotten a hit in every game since coming back, and cranked a 2-run homer last night, so obviously his power is still there. I still like Blake DeWitt at second. On top of that, Kent is very slow because of his knee, and that has to be killing his range in the field. However, down by a run with the pitcher’s spot coming up, Jeff Kent is the guy I’m putting in, and I don’t even like him.
I know Joe Torre loves experience over youth, but if a guy ever made a case to forget about that, it’s James McDonald. He has not allowed a run in his first 6 innings in the bigs, and since he started in the minors, he’s fitting in easily as a middle reliever. If I’m making this roster, McDonald has a spot if Hong-Chih Kuo is still having problems with his arm. Listen to me Joe, and listen good. If it comes down to it, you take McDonald. I don’t care what arm he’s throwing with, and I don’t care if he’s a rookie.
2008 NL West Champs!
Arizona got creamed by the Cards 12-3, which means the Dodgers won the division before their game tonight even started. Accordingly, Joe Torre went right to work, utilizing the last games of the season to prepare for the playoffs. Jeff Kent and Rafael Furcal both started the game, played 3 innings and got a couple of at-bats a piece.
Furcal is progressing. His first game back, his swing looked a little slow and he struck out. Although he didn’t get a hit tonight, he did come close, and he got the bat on the ball both times without any problems. He hasn’t driven a ball yet, but he has come very close to having two balls drop in for hits. There were no problems with fielding, but he wasn’t put in any tough defensive positions either. Hopefully his back and his hamstring hold up after the start, and he’ll continue to get playing time during the up coming series with the Giants.
Kent is 2-for-3 since coming back from knee surgery. I don’t like Jeff Kent, but the guy can hit. In three at-bats he has shown himself to be the best pinch hitting prospect for the post season, with the possible exceptions of Garciaparra and Pierre. He will need a pinch runner, so it is somewhat questionable whether or not the extra baggage with have any effect. However, for those that see him as a detriment to the post season squad, I would just remind them of a certain famous home run by a quite hobbled Kirk Gibson in ’88, and look where that went.
The guys on the Dodgers deserved this win. I think a lot of the guys who start now were highly underappreciated in the last couple seasons because they were rookies. This is their team now, and their victory. Congratulations guys, here’s to the team sticking together, and many more victory celebrations to come. The Dodgers have some good vets, and a lot of young talent. It’s an exciting combination.
Schizophrenic
The Dodgers can’t quite decide who they are. Are they the team that just barely beat Pittsburgh and then got spanked by San Francisco, and earlier on lost 8 straight and got swept by the Phillies? Or are they the team that just pounded San Diego the last two games, earlier WON 8 straight, and swept the Phillies? This question must be answered in time for the playoffs.
I went to the game tonight, which was a lot more fun to watch than the game they lost 7-0 to the Giants. The place was a complete mad house when Manny Ramirez came up with the bases loaded in the 4th inning. Unfortunately, he grounded out to kill the rally. The crazy thing about that guy is that his next time at bat he hits a two-run homer, almost to say “my bad” for the out in the 4th. The crowd went pretty nuts then too. Jeff Kent was cheered during his pinch hit single. I booed. Rafael Furcal made a plate appearance after an extended standing ovation, and came within inches of getting a hit, but the ball went foul. Despite striking out, he was cheered back into the dugout. I cheered too. He also got some time in the field, but didn’t touch the ball.
Kemp-Martin continues to work. Combined they went 5-for-9 with 2 runs, 2 RBIs and a walk. So since the new lineup has been in place they have gone 9-for-16 with 4 runs, 2 RBIs, and 4 walks. The team has hit a collective .425 with 14 walks, 6 doubles, 4 home runs, and 22 runs in that same 2-game span. Despite the fact that San Diego’s pitching is absymal, I would still say that this is pretty decent evidence that the new lineup fits.
The magic number is down to 1, and with 4 games left, I would say the division title is just about a lock for the Dodgers, especially the way Arizona has been playing lately. Stranger things have happened in baseball, but I don’t have any worries about what will happen in San Francisco to close out the season. Hopefully more appearances by all the guys that need work before the playoffs.
My New Favorite Manager
I blame Joe Torre for a lot of things, but I also give him credit when it’s due. The Dodgers won tonight 10-1 against the Padres thanks to a 6-run first produced by the newly “shaken” lineup. Strange that this lineup is suspiciously similar to a proposed lineup published just 2 days ago on this very blog.
Matt Kemp is not an ideal lead off hitter, his on-base percentage is too low. However, the Dodgers really have no one else that fits the definition of a lead off except for Juan Pierre, and he’s riding the bench. I do like Russell Martin in the 2nd spot. He chases the occasional pitch in the dirt, but other than that he’s a solid contact hitter, and he walks a lot. The two combined went 4-for-7 with 3 walks, which creates plenty of scoring opportunities. Manny Ramirez backed up by Andre Ethier worked as both were able to swing fairly freely. With a little more luck the game would have been a circus blowout as the duo fell a combined 25 feet short of 3 home runs. I still prefer Manny in the 4 spot, and think James Loney is capable enough of getting on base to warrant inserting him in the #3 ahead of Manny. When you’re scoring 10 runs in a game, that’s a minor detail, so I won’t complain. Besides, Nomar Garciaparra hit a 3-run homer the way Joe Torre had things set up, so maybe that arrangement has just as many positives.
I also applaud Joe Torre for using that lead to enable Chad Billingsley to stay in the game in spite of his struggles. He had a hard time, giving up at least one hit every inning, and getting into trouble a couple of times. However, it was a great start for Billingsley. And I don’t say that because he only gave up 1 run in 6 innings and got his 16th win. I say that because Billingsley went in without his best game, battled, and still won decisively, and those are the trademarks of an ace, which is exactly what he’s shaping up to be.
Two days removed from that less-than-encouraging series against the Giants, and the landscape looks much brighter for the Dodgers. A magic number of 3 with 5 games to play sounds alot better than 5 with six to play. If their magic number is 1 going into San Francisco, I have little doubt they’ll win the pennant, whereas 2 days ago I was pretty worried about their prospects. However, just to reinterate, for absolute emphasis… it would be most helpful if they Dodgers were to clinch before going to San Francisco.
Flat Tire
Continuing the previous theme, today the Dodgers lost 1-0 in 11 innings. The pitching was great this time, but the hitting and fielding stunk. Now all we need is a game where the fielding is great, but the hitting and pitching stink, and we can get back to normal. But hey, this is the Dodgers we’re talking about, so we might be doomed.
And now, let’s play Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiip on Joe Torre! Hey Joe, maybe you can explain to me how you have one of the greatest hitters in the history of the game hitting .400 with a .750 slugging percentage backed up by guys in the number 4 and 5 spots hitting .205 and .194 respectively this month? Hey, want to hear a joke? How do you manage to not score any runs in 11 innings despite the fact that your #2 hitter went 2-for-5, and your #3 hitter had 3 walks? “I don’t know, how?”. Easy, have Joe Torre make your lineup! (rimshot)
I can’t be too hard on Joe. Making a proper lineup with a team full of #3 and #6 hitters is pretty rough. My best attempt: (Kemp, Martin, Loney, Ramirez, Ethier, Blake, Dewitt, Berroa, pitcher.) For the record, I like Andre Ethier a lot better at the #3 spot, in front of a #4 Manny, but I was handcuffed.
6 games and counting, magic number still at 5. Worst case scenario, of course, is that the Dodgers go into San Francisco and blow it. I might tear my flesh off in that case.
The Game That Would Not End
After 4 hours, the Dodgers finally beat the Giants 10-7. There was a huge difference between today and yesterday for the Dodgers. Yesterday the pitching stunk, the hitting stunk, and the fielding stunk. Today, just the pitching and fielding stunk. Thank you Manny Ramirez for the 2 home runs and 5 RBIs. Right now Manny has an outside chance to end the season leading the team in home runs, which is down right embarrassing considering he’ll only have about 200 at-bats. Time for Russell Martin, Andre Ethier, James Loney, and Matt Kemp to step it up a little in the HR column.
Takashi Saito looked alright in one inning pitched, although his location still needs work. His appearances continue to be encouraging, especially considering Hong-Chih Kuo’s nagging tricep stiffness.
A certain unnamed second baseman was activated from the DL as a potential pinch hitter. Ho hum.
It looks like Brad Penny is done for the season. Hopefully Ned Colletti avoids another Andruw Jones moment, and buys out Penny’s option for next year. The last thing we need next year is company for Jason Schmidt in the minors with a $9 million price tag.
The Dodgers’ magic number is down to 5. They have 7 games left, and Arizona has 8. I’ve been saying this ever since I saw the schedule, the Dodgers MUST clinch before they go into San Francisco for the last 3 games of the season. The hated, despised, and despicable Giants have an inhuman ability to spoil a pennant run for the Dodgers, so let’s just avoid that all together.
I’m currently on my 4th day of Rafael Furcal watch, and still nothing. Apparently he has some lingering nerve pain as a possible side effect from his back surgery earlier in the year. I’ve got my fingers crossed.
Take Me Out To The Ball Game
My wife and I went to the Dodgers embarrasing display at home last night. Here’s the play-by-play. Traffic into L.A. stunk, which I assume was due to it being Friday night. The last game we went to was on a Tuesday and traffic was better. There weren’t any problems a little patience couldn’t handle. We were parked on the other side of the stadium from our seats, naturally. No complaints there, that is probably due to my complete ignorance concerning the 10 million gates at Dodger Stadium and how to reach them. I’m assuming there is only one entrance gate? That’s probably a bad assumption, but I have no clue.
Once inside the stadium, we found our seats, 2nd row from the very top of the 3rd tier(reserve level). They were cheap. The view was ok, I could still tell what was going on at the plate. Although my wife, who is blind, needed binoculars. No matter, she spent the entire game taking pictures of Andre Ethier in the dugout, and reporting to me his activities. I purchased the venerable Dodger Dog, of course.
Not one, but TWO guys proposed to their girlfriends on the jumbotron during the game. I felt bad for the second chick, because the guy didn’t bail out after his idea was stolen by the first guy. It doesn’t have much punch when someone else just proposed the exact same way, IN FRONT OF YOU, 20 minutes ago.
The stadium was pretty packed. As is typical in L.A., half the crowd didn’t show up until the third inning, and thanks to a great showing by the Dodgers, half the crowd had left by the 7th. But excuse me, was I at Dodgers Stadium, or the big A? Because I thought REAL fans went to Dodger games. This is type of thing you expect from flaky Orange County Angels fans. I was vocal with my disappointment, but no one cared.
As is customary at Dodger games, those wearing the jerseys of the opposing team were booed and jeered ruthlessly. If you’re one of maybe 100 people wearing a Giants shirt, of all things, amid a sea of 50,000 blue faces, you either love attention, danger, or both. All the Giants fans in our section were booed and pelted with popcorn until a couple of the drunken defenders of Dodgerdom were booted by the evil stadium security forces. Thusly the treacherous Giants fans were actually allowed to wallow in victory in our home.
Enough atmosphere, on to the game! Maddux stunk, the Dodgers offense stunk, the Dodgers defense stunk, Joe Torre stunk, and the Dodgers lost 7-1. A loss is bad enough, but Joe Torre really chapped my hide. They’re DOWN 7-0 going into the 8th, and he pulls half the starters. THEY GAVE UP! Unbelievable. Man, I didn’t pay hardly anything for those seats, but I bother to drive like 60 miles through an hour and a half of traffic, and they give up? That burns. I was REALLY unhappy about that decision. On top of that Pablo Ozuna hit a homer to score the Dodgers only run, just to rub it in. For those not familiar with the Dodgers, Pablo Ozuna is the backup 2nd baseman for the Dodgers. Not bad when you think of it that way. However, consider that the starting 2nd baseman, Blake DeWitt, is actually the backup 2nd baseman, and former 4th-string 3rd baseman, and you get an idea of how ridiculous it was that this guy is even on the field when they’re LOSING the game during a pennant run. I literally said to my wife “If Pablo Ozuna scores the only run of this game, I’m going to lose it”. About a minute later, he hits a homer. I never imagined I would ever complain about a Dodger home run, but there you have it.
Speaking of complaints. I was reading some articles about the Dodgers. Ken Gurnick with mlb.com reports the following:
“When the inning finally ended, the sellout crowd booed its first-place
team off the field, but it was unclear whether the target was the
future Hall of Fame left fielder or the future Hall of Fame pitcher or
just normal bitterness when the Giants are in sight.”
I can say definitively, we were booing Greg Maddux for getting shelled, and Joe Torre for leaving him in long enough to give up 7 runs. I’ve hated that acquisition since they announced it, and I know he’s played a season with L.A. before, but much like Jeff Kent, this guy is not a Dodger, and doesn’t belong on the team. He’s a Brave, we hate the Braves. In addition, I don’t get Joe Torre sometimes. I know he has certain reasons for doing things, but the fans pay your salary buddy, we should be your number one concern. You don’t leave stupid Maddux in to give up 7 runs, giving us no chance at a victory, and then twist the knife by pulling Blake and Ramirez after the 7th when you’re down by 7 runs. Where was the white flag flying over the home team dugout? That’s messed up. I sat through 2 innings of subs, and didn’t get out of there until after 11pm, and I had to PAY for the experience. Enjoy your millions, Joe!
I’d Buy That For A Dollar
Sloppy and ugly. However, at this point, a win is a win. That’s true even for 4-3 12-inning victories against one of the worst teams in baseball. And yes, I would even pay a dollar it. I might even pay two dollars for it since this is probably the second time the Dodgers have won an extra inning game all season.
The pitching staff deserves the credit as usual. I know Clayton Kershaw struggled, but the result wasn’t bad. All things considered, “the kid” has done pretty well this season. I’m looking forward to seeing him again in the majors next year. Takashi Saito got some work in an inning that actually counted, which I give Joe Torre props for. Granted, he was rusty and gave up a run, but the important thing is that he gets back on his game for the playoffs, and that doesnt happen riding the bullpen bench.
Matt Kemp looks like he’s starting to get hot at the plate. He’s 6-for-10 with 3 runs in the last two games. He also has not struck out in that stretch, which is amazing for him. I’m pretty excited about what he is capable of offensively when he’s able to pare down the strikeouts. Unfortunately, Casey Blake is continuing to slump. I would really love to see what this offensive is capable of firing on all cylinders, but it just hasn’t happened yet. I’m crossing my fingers for the playoffs.
Blake DeWitt drove in two runs today, proving my point about that nameless second baseman currently on the DL. DeWitt also got very lucky that his bungled coverage at second resulted in an out at home. I unconditionally forgive him because he has only just begun at 2B and still needs much practice there. Still, I love this guy. He started the season as the 4th string 3rd baseman in the organization, and now here he is starting regularly at 2nd. On top of that, he has 47 RBIs in 339 at-bats despite his batting average and slugging percentage being only .263 and .375 respectively. He’s got heart and guts. That’s the only way I can explain how a rookie could possibly be so consistently good in clutch situations during a pennant run.
Im-ploooooooooooooooooooooosion
Lots to talk about tonight.
No-more No-mar. You were once great, but I hail the inevitable end to the Dodger’s case of $9 million-a-year-utility-infielderitis. Combine this salary with Brad Penny’s and you pay for Manny Ramirez’s salary, so it better happen.
Tonight Joe Torre showed no evidence of his sometimes-questionable pitching changes. NOT! Scott Elbert may eventually be a great pitcher, but can we end the experiment during the pennant race? Why do you pull a guy with 3 strikeouts in 1.2 innings so you can pitch a rookie that does nothing but get shelled? I’ve seen this guy in one game where he didn’t get rocked. You can expect only so much from a rookie, great, I don’t expect much from Scott Elbert. Elbert is a lefty, and Joe pulled Scott Proctor, who is right handed, because the next batter up was a lefty. I understand the reasoning for not wanting a right-hander out there, but man, take into consideration who you’re putting in. This is like giving Andruw Jones 200 at-bats during the season despite the fact that he NEVER improved. It’s like Joe doesn’t know when to give up on a guy. There are only 10 games left in the season, and Arizona is only 3 1/2 games back. For god’s sake, give up on this guy already.
So this 15-8 loss to the Pirates is a bad omen for more than obvious reasons. I give the guys credit for continuing to fight on offense during the last two innings. The errors in the 7th were tough to swallow, however. In a one inning implosion, the Dodgers went from looking like a playoff-bound team, to a late night showing of The Bad News Bears on TBS. These were fundamental mistakes.
Angel Berroa, despite being under a looper to left, lets Manny come streaking in from left to blow it with one of his stupid basket catches. You’re not even allowed to get away with those in little league without getting yelled at by the coach. The guy can hit like no one’s business, but he isn’t taking fielding real seriously, so why would you ever DREAM of deferring to him on a fly ball?
James Loney got charged with an error on his throw to first, covered by Ramon Troncoso. If you ask me, it was Troncoso’s error. The throw by Loney wasn’t the best in the world, but it was playable. It was actually a really bad throw by Loney, especially since he had plenty of time to make it. However, Troncoso closed his glove before the ball got to him, and it ricocheted off. Pretty basic stuff, close your glove AFTER the ball is in it.
The bottom of the 7th was a real disaster and the Dodgers were their own worst enemy for that half inning. Pittsburgh is awful, and if a half inning against them can wipe the Dodgers out, I would hate to see what happens against the Cubs.
There were bright spots during the game. Matt Kemp and Russell Martin both hit well, and they’ve struggling lately. Hopefully that will carry into the playoffs, assuming they make it. We got to see James McDonald for the first time, and it was quite impressive. I can see why he needs more time in the minors because his location was a little spotty, but the kid has some scary stuff. He’s got a solid 93 mph heater, and a curve so wicked that the ump actually checked the ball for scuff marks. What impressed me more though was his spooky change-up thing-pitch. First off, his change was in the low 70′s. You go from 93 to 73 and you’re going to make quite a few hitters look very foolish. It reminded me of Mark Eichhorn, except his fastball was only about 85mph. On top of that, MacDonald’s change appeared to dance around slightly, almost like a knuckleball. I’m not sure if it was real, or just an illusion, but if I’m being fooled on tv, the hitter is probably being fooled as well. Regardless, he pitched an inning with 2 strikeouts. After a few somewhat wild fastballs and a lucky broken bat pop-up to the first batter, he seemed to reign things in a little. The two guys that struck out looked pretty dumbfounded.
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