Couldn't the Simers column be read as a knock on Torre?

Back in my heyday, if there was a communication gap between someone older and someone younger, the assumption was the older guy was to blame. Simers seems to be saying that by advocating Mattingly join the team full time. Mattingly's really cool. He wears sandals and love beads, he likes the Beatles, and his favorite word is "relevant."

P.S. I was surprised by the negative reaction some had to the Dodgers' winning without a hit. Me, I loved it. I found myself actually hoping they wouldn't get a hit in their last couple of innings. Shades of 2003, except I seriously doubt the offense will be 2003 bad the whole season.

Orlando Hudson just flew out on a 4 and 2 pitch.

2 - Now that's a patient hitter!

Yesterdays game reminds me so much of the Koufax perfect game on 9/9/65. Bob Hendley lost a 1 hitter but the hit had nothing to do with the run. In the 5th inning Lou Johnson walked, went to 2nd on a grounder to the pitcher, stole 3B and scored when the throw went into LF.
Linescore:
Cubs 0 0 1
D's 1 1 0

1 I was hoping they would not get a hit as well though I wouldn't have liked it had the Angels rallied to win.

Yesterday was so 2008 for the Dodgers. They have lost 9 of their last 16 yet have climbed to within 2 1/2 games of 1st in the NL West. One almost gets the feeling they could lose 3 straight yet somehow move closer in the division. Sort of like not getting a hit yet somehow winning the game.

5 those were my feelings as well, in the bottom of the eigth I was kinda hoping we wouldnt get a hit...then was sure the baseball gods were going to spite us in the top of the 9th, but luckily we escaped

The Simers piece is insane.

Just absolutely insane.

I loved Simers title also.

I wouldn't hold my breath on the Dodgers getting a no-hitter any time soon. In this day and age of pitch counts, we have a hard enough time getting a complete game. Factoring in the fact that the only guy who works deep into games (Lowe) is a sinkerballer who doesn't strike out a lot of guys and I just don't see it happening in the near future.

1 I agree with you, it was more like shades of the early and mid 60's...

WOW! I was in the air when this was happening, and still in the air now. Thank goodness that MLB.TV archives didn't have any stupid highlights to ruin the game for me. Followed along with DT.

A couple of games ago, underdog was willing to offer his kingdom for a bloop hit. Keep the cats, dog, who needs a hit.

Really surprised at the negativity of some of the comments. Jeez.

11
You must be on a really long flight.

4 - My first game at DS as a kid. Spoiled for life!

12 - I ain't comin down!

we should all be focusing on the pitching and the great timely defensive plays and doing what was needed to win...

was it an unusual way to win, of course...but they did

if Torre pulled a pitcher with a no-hitter at the same junction, he'd be crucified...but Scioscia gets a pass...

the old double standard at work, McCourt/Coletti/Torre bad, Moreno/Scioscia good

this is a kind of win that can turn a season around and light a fire under the team...and then again, its only one game, and we are still relying on washed up veterans to pull us along (IMHO)

the Dodgers "body language" indicates towards a Furcal extension. I don't like how there treating who but to be fair there is probably mo to it than this... Putting my self in who's shoes my confidence would be WAY down the way they are treating him.

9
You do know that Derek Lowe has thrown a no-hitter before?

17 he has also won in the post season

15
I'm pretty sure Scioscia didn't get criticized because it was a no-brainer to pinch-hit for Weaver in the 7th. Has there really been a lot of Torre criticism in the mainstream media?

my phone is making the corrections...(Sorry) Who should ne Hu & mo should be more.

I just pitched a complete game to add to my spelling woes.

To state the obvious: If this game had been in Angels Stadium, Weaver might not have been pulled because he wouldn't have been in the batting order; and if their pitchers had managed to get through the Dodger order in the ninth, it would have been an official no-hitter.

Torre might not have been criticized as heavily as you think if he'd pulled his no-hitting pitcher. It's part of the NL game -- most people understand that. If your team is losing 1-0, you need hits. Plus it's not as if the Angels or Dodgers bullpens are weak. The manager's job is to win the game. Scioscia's move really can't be questioned on the merits. Any manager who let his pitcher bat in that circumstance would have been rightly criticized.

20 - When you punch in 1 (800) dod-gers does your phone automatically correct and call 1 (dia)lap-rayer

21- and, when is the best time to pull a pitcher? Weaver had about 95 pitches through 6 and would be trying to continue with a no-hitter with pitches 96 through 145 had he gone 9 innings.

It's funny how people think there will be no more Dodger no-hitters in the foreseeable future. The way I look at it, the Dodgers are the only team where all five starting pitchers are capable of throwing a no-hitters on any given day. If anyone in baseball is going to throw one, it's as likely to be the Dodgers as anyone else.

The not-going-deep-into-games argument doesn't really hold any water either, given that we have Broxton and Saito at the back of the bullpen.

I liken the prediction that the Dodgers won't get any more no-hitters to Early Wynn. When Wynn won his 300th game in 1963, many people (including Wynn himself) opined loudly that nobody would ever win 300 games again. That he would be the last one ever. Then Gaylord Perry did it, and everyone said he would be the last one. Then Steve Carlton, and everyone said he would be the last one. Then Seaver, Niekro, Sutton, Ryan, Clemens, Maddux, Glavine. Now everyone says Glavine will be the last one. He won't. And the Dodgers will also pitch a no-hitter soon enough.

11 Ah, don't worry, I won't auction off my cats for a boost to the Dodgers offense! As I said last night, I think the offense will be boosted in less fantastical ways - i.e., Furcal's return, Nomar-for-Sweeney, maybe even Jones returning and not stinking up the joint, and of course the kids continuing to improve. I enjoyed last night, too, though I still was kinda rooting for a hit.

Oh, but if we need to sacrifice Simers or Plaschke to a volcano at some point, I'm all for it.

They were right about Young being the last 500 win pitcher.

Anyone care to forward Simers' piece to the FJM, folks btw?

But what are you all doing here? Super EuroCup game on right now.

.293 veteran leadoff hitter on base %
.696 veteran clean up mans OPS.

General Manager Ned Colletti is under fire, though, and Manager Joe Torre said again, "it's still a work in progress" getting through to the team's young players.

--

You have a hard time getting thru to me when you insult them in the press and then surround then with garbage. And I'm Kent's age.

Here's some news that I'm sure people will have A LOT to talk about including myself:

Juan Pierre will be everyday LF even AFTER Andruw Jones returns.

Torre just told us this morning, although he said Rafael Furcal would probably go back into the leadoff spot when he comes back, with Pierre dropping to second.

``(Pierre) has been that consistent guy for us every day, and he refuses to acknowledge any bumps or bruises, even though you know he has them,'' Torre said. ``He has been great. Juan is going to be our left fielder, and Andruw will be our center fielder.''
That means, of course, that Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp will compete for playing time in RF. Although Torre wouldn't acknowledge that was part of the plan, it is apparent that those two benefitted from pushing each other early in the season. Ned Colletti is a big proponent in the value of having players compete, his thinking being that it brings out the best in the players doing the competing.

This morning's other news is that Chan Ho Park is out of the rotation. It isn't that Joe is backing off on his plan to go with a six-man rotation. It's just that it won't start until Brad Penny comes off the DL, probably on Saturday at San Francisco, when he is tentatively slated to pitch UNLESS he suffers some sort of setback in his simulated game on Tuesday at Houston. Yes, Chan Ho has had two really good starts in a row. But they weren't going to go with seven starters, so somebody was going to have to go sometime, and Joe wants Chan Ho as a long reliever, a role he has been really good in all year.

29 - That's from Tony Jackson.

Ranking my expectations for the next Dodgers no-hitter.

Billingsley
Kershaw
Kuo
Miller
Elbert
Kuroda

20 Bluebleeder87
I thought that you were trying to sound young and hip to impress the Dodger kids...or maybe ESPN.

shoot me now.

Not that I'm against that, but it is kind of weird. Chan Ho has two great starts, and is banished to the bullpen. Stults has one great start, and we have to throw convention on its head to make sure he can keep pitching.

Shoot someone now. I can think of a better candidate than Jason.

I read somewhere that Torre said that Jones would not automatically be a starter when he comes back. Does anybody know if Jones has lost any weight.

29 Ned Colletti is a big proponent in the value of having players compete, his thinking being that it brings out the best in the players doing the competing.

So can someone explain why it's not a good thing for Jones & Pierre to compete for playing time? It being so beneficial and all.

35 Simers?

Would you like to shoot him now or wait 'til you get hom?

(And yes, I don't think Jones is much of a guarantee right now. I think Pierre's status has as much to do with uncertainty about Jones. I still think if Jones actually came back and looked like Jones of 2 years ago (or even last year!) that might change things a bit. Whatever, having Furcal back in the leadoff spot will help, even if Slappy is still starting, feh.

My guessing is that he realizes Ethier and Kemp have much more potential but aren't reaching it with the current setup.

This sounds like the lineup until a decision is made about the July 31 trading deadline:

Furcal
Pierre
Kent
Jones
Garciapara
Martin
Loney
Kemp

If they start winning, no trades will be made and if they start losing, perhaps the older players will be traded.

Torre is probably thinking Ethier can be that left handed power bat off the bench. Plus a solid option for double switches late in games. But the idea Pierre has been great is just absolutely ridiculous. Competition is great but it should be for all four players. Not for the two players who deserve to play everyday.

37 "(Pierre) has been great" is undoubtedly the dumbest thing Joe Torre has ever said.

But to quote George H.W. Bush and The Dude, this will not stand. I think we should all show our maturity as Dodger fans and blog commmenters and not go bat&$%* over this comment. It's cosmic flame bait.

39 Ah, but one has to believe that competition between Pierre and Jones would be just the tonic to get Jones's average up to a robust .180, and Pierre's OPS to .650

No?

Sigh.

42
Battles?
Batman's?

4

I was thinking that too, but after looking at the short list of 5 games since 1901 when a team won without any hits, the really close comparison is the Ken Johnson no-hit loss to the Reds in 1964. For one thing, the line scores for that game and last night's game are identical. For another, in both cases the only run scored after the pitcher's error allowed a man to reach base. Fun with coincidences!

I just realized I don't have today's Dodgers-Angels tilt on Extra Innings. To the movies I go!

42 That's fine. I just think the problem with many writers is there is no accountability. Most just take what is said and print it without questioning the sense to it.

I guess the problem is, if you ask the right questions, you are more then likley not going to get "any" answers to "any" of your future questions. And that's sad.

46
In stories about the game, Reds pitcher Joe Nuxhall claimed that Pete Rose should have been given a hit instead of an error being charged to Johnson.

The play was a slow roller that Rose, then a young second baseman, was going to beat out anyway.

Hanley Ramirez ties it up in Florida with a solo HR in the 9th. AZ-Fla 3-3, 1 out, bottom 9.

Wall-E was the best movie of the year.

51
I have less than zero interest to see that movie.

Marlins win! Dodgers are 2 GB as of right now.

Fish win.

The iron is hot. It's time to strike!

Why, Prime Ticket, why? Again with the no telecast today!

Thank you Marlins!

52 fair enough....not everyones cup of tea.

Nice win for the fish!!

Apparently Yahoo! Sports' definition of tiebreaking is as strong as Plashke's definition of plate appearances.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap;_ylt=AiLgXITqXO24RKfohLSNAKsRvLYF?gid=280629128

Dodgers could move to within 1.5 today.

59
That story will be edited a bit more thoroughly soon. But in today's news world, the AP needs to get some story out about a game as soon as possible.

As Joe Torre continues to fan the flames of the debate (what kind of clubhouse presence is Torre going for anyway?), I thought I would look at the team in yet another way. Who are the team leaders in various categories, and how old they are:

AB:Loney age 24
R:Martin 25
H:Loney 24
2B:tie Kemp/Loney 23/24
3B:Loney 24
HR: tie Kent/Martin 40/25
RBI:Kemp 23
BB:Martin 25 (the great hitting approaches of Kent and Pierre have yielded a total of 28 walks all year)
K (low K rate):Pierre 30
Avg:Martin 25
Slg:Loney 24
OBP:Martin 25
SB:Pierre 30

Our top 4 OPS+ are Martin, Loney, Kemp, and Ethier.

G:Beimel 31
IP:Lowe 35
W:Billingsley 23
W%: sadly Billingsley at .500 age 23
Sv:Saito 38
K:Billingsley 23
ERA:Billingsley 23

I still would like to see some acknowledgement in the mainstream press about the above. How can anyone look at the stat sheet and even come close to concluding that our young players aren't getting something? Simers should be suspended by the LA Times for writing his article without even mentioning who the best players on the team actually are. The whole attitude since DePodesta was first hired just drives me crazy. Everyone with their head just stuck in the sand (or perhaps in a bodily orifice).

Nice play for the Old Man.

56 Yes its back to Gameday, and I'm glad I knew it earlier today. Its seems like year's since I've missed two in a row on a weekend, but it must be the local TV contract. I would have liked to blame it on East Coast bias.

As much as I love Pixar I wasn't looking forward to Wall-e very much either. Eh, a cute robot? Pass. But it's great. And moving, too. Seriously.

Angels are now scoreless for their last 19 innings versus the Dodgers!

62 That only shows that the young kids are selfish and only care about their own personal stats.

Maybe today's game will be a zero-zero tie! They can settle it on penalty swings.

I'm starting to feel like we're stuck in some bad espionage movie in which NedCo actually still secretly works for the hated Giants and Torre still secretly works for the hated Yankees and we're the crackpot conspiracy theorists whom nobody believes until it's all but too late. Only the bumbling inability of the opposition (AZ) keeps hope alive. It's getting harder to convince myself that the powers that be are trying to win.

McPopup.

Wow, just noticed Lackey's ERA. That's, uh, pretty good.

Come on Martin! stupid DP.

When Furcal comes back, I'd send LaRoche down to AAA, and make Berroa the other half of the 3B platoon.

I'd like to officially throw my hat into the ring, competing for Torre's job. It'll make him better, Colletti! And I only want half of what he's pulling down.

There's a lengthier recap on Yahoo! Sports and the Ramirez HR is still tiebreaking.

73 Spoken like a true sabotaging DBacks fan.

65 can we also acknowledge that the race for sound design Oscar is over? And that, after Wall-E, we probably shouldn't bother giving out another sound design Oscar?

74
Now, they've officially screwed up.

Hippo Vaughn and Fred Toney open up a bottle of Champagne.

15 19

Looking back at the other "no-hitters," it is interesting to note that the managers did leave the pitchers in to bat. Yes, I know it was back in the 60s, but still, it was 0-0 and "you have to go for the win."

In the 1964 Cincy-Houston game, Ken Johnson was allowed to make the last out in the bottom of the 8th. Then Joe Nuxhall led off the top of the 9th and grounded out. Later that inning, the Reds got their unearned run.

In the 1967 Detroit-Baltimore game, Earl Wilson batted in the 7th inning, with men on 2nd and 3rd and one out (he popped up). In the bottom of the 8th, with two on and one out, Steve Barber walked (the next batter knocked in the Orioles' only run). Then in the top of the ninth, down 1-0, with two on and no one out, Wilson batted again--admittedly only to sacrifice.

59 74 76 The article also said:
"Dan Haren struck out seven and allowed five hits in six innings for the Diamondbacks, who ended their nine-game road trip 2-8."

How does a team go 2-8 over nine games?

I'm surprised that no one has asked yet--when, if ever, is the last time the Dodgers swept a three-game series without giving up a run?

77 I think writers sometimes just get caught up in sensational words like "tiebreaking" that they forget what it actually means. He describes game action pretty well, but the tease sounds soooo much better with a tiebreaking homerun as opposed to a normal one.

OK, I retract my question :-(

80 They have been really bad.

75- If I were competing for Colletti's job, I'd send LaRoche to Phoenix for Jailen Peguero and Augie Ojeda. Then I'd pray like hell that LaRoche wasn't any good for at least the next year and a half.

Rats! There goes the shutout. And maybe the win, given the way the Dodgers are also scoring.

84 I was refering to the ten decisions in 9 games not to the poor quality of play. Sorry, if you were making a joke, I can't tell.

86 the last time the dodgers survived giving up a run was a week ago against Cleveland :(

I read things like Torre's quote and it makes me not care about this team. I don't even want to watch them anymore. I'm going to watch The Wire.

Oh I hate this. Lowe gets ahead of most hitters, then can't or wont come in. Walks a guy to scoring position and THEN gives up his dreaded hit!

And you wonder why I hated Cleveland:
http://shysterball.blogspot.com/2008/06/and-that-happened_27.html

Check the recap of Thursday's White Sox-Dodgers game.

Yay. Jeff Kent avoids the 0-hits in an 8-innings-worth-of-at-bats win controversy.

81
From September 9-11, 1966, the Dodgers did not allow a run to Houston in a 4-game series.

http://tinyurl.com/3m633n

The last 3-game shutout series for LA was July 22-24, 1960 against the Phillies.

89- I finished the first season, last night, and then I watched the first episode of the next one. They chanced the theme music! Why?! I know it's a Waits song, but if you've got a choice between Waits and The Blind Boys of Alabama, I know which way I'm going, ten times out of ten.

94
It's the same song with a different person/group each year.

94 I have watched 3 seasons (love it) but all 3 versions of the song have been really bad IMO. they got progressively worse from season 1 to 3

What has the world come to when Chandler family heirs have to announce their weddings in the NEW YORK Times?

http://tinyurl.com/3up39m

93 I think the Dodgers that year set a team record by pitching 38 consecutive scoreless innings during the season. The Dodgers actually tied it in 1991 during Dennis Martinez's perfect game.

95- Thank Ch-i for the fast forward button. I see I have the Neville Brothers to look forward to. Awesome.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wire_(TV_series)

Vin forgot about Fernando! And on the anniversary!

And also Derek Lowe.

(He was talking about all the people in the ballpark today who have pitched no-hitters.)

The MLB record is 56 straight shutout innings by the 1903 Pirates.

I have seen several one-hitters -- I even was the official scorer for two of them in the California League -- but never a no-hitter. The first one-hitter was on June 30. 1959, 49 years ago tomorrow. Don Drysdale and Sad Sam Jones of the Giants hooked up at the Coliseum on a Tuesday night before 59,312 fans. My Dad and I were sitting high up between home and first -- there were plenty of seats high up at the Coliseum. Heading into the bottom of the 8th, the Giants led, 2-0, thanks to a two-run homer by Willie Mays in the 3rd, and the Dodgers were hitless. A leadoff walk in the 1st inning to Jim Gilliam by Jones had ended any perfect game thoughts. Jones struck out the first two Dodgers in the 8th -- Don Zimmer and Ron Fairly -- and then Gilliam hit a blooper or slow grounder that shortstop Andre Rodgers of the Giants charged but was unable to field cleanly. The official scorer ruled it a hit -- it was a close decision. That was the only hit the Dodgers got. Jones pitched a complete game, striking out 10 and walking two -- Gilliam both times. The Giants won, 2-0. I remember feeling badly for Jones. Jones went 21-15, his only 20