I'm annoyed that neither today's game nor tomorrow's game will be on Prime-HD. Nor was last Sunday's for that matter. As one of many non local Dodger fans, it would be nice to be able to have more games available on Prime Ticket.

L-II hit .194 with a .473 OPS last year, which should earn him a good 3 weeks worth of starts this year.

Does Andrew Jones come back and hit above or below league average CF?

Predictions?

And what of Andruw Jones?

Stupid spelling.

A friend of mine pulled a calf muscle getting out of bed. So, we got that going for us.

3 - Not sure what the average is, but the median centerfielder in the NL is Chris Young at .304/.424/.728. That seems a bit high for Andruw, but optimistically achievable I guess.

1-Every game on Channel 9 instead of cable is a game local fans without cable get to see that they otherwise wouldn't. You see more in the end.

1
And it's not even your holiday! Go back to swearing allegiance to the Queen of England!

Or Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier or whatever You People™ do on July 4?

6 - Andruw's line from last year was .311/.413/.724.

Jason Varitek's catching gear that he is wearing for today's game makes me wish that we had lost the American Revolution.

Everyone, let's please conform our triple-slash stats to the International Sabermetric Standardized Protocol: AVG/OBP/SLG.

For a second there, I thought that Andruw Jones and other average outfielders had .700 slugging percentages last year.

In the spirit of the holiday, I have told the soldiers billeted in my apartment to go find their own place.

I'm not sure we could have lost the American Revolution. If we had, it would have been called something else (e.g. the British Beatdown).

It wasn't a revolution. It was a war for independence.

I'm betting that historians would not have opted for the British Beatdown. That's because most historians don't write books that are aimed at the same people who read ESPN the Magazine.

14
Although I'm certain all of Greg Brock's lesson plans are done in ESPN the Magazine style. He has lots of flashy graphics and uses really big fonts.

And conveys little information.

The Colonial Insurrection, or something to that effect.

"Dontcha know, talkin' 'bout a war for independence, it sounds, like a whispah..."

7 Thanks. I didn't know what the TV arrangements were for local fans. I just selfishly wish there's some way I could always see a Dodger game on days when I don't have to work - which would be Sundays, and miraculously, today.

I'll go back to swearing allegiance to the Queen of England now. I have an exciting croquet game lined up with some fellow Canuckistani expatriates.

19
But since you're not an American, you have to put up with that platoon of Marines living in your house.

"American Revolution" kills "American War for Independence" in a Google fight.

15.9 million to 1.3 million.

Sigh.

15 Actually as I write Civil War history, I always ask myself, "How can I work the Yankees or Red Sox into this?" Oddly, its tougher to fit the Sox.

22
Vietnam War writers presumably have no problem working "Dodgers" into their writings.

1
time warmer has kcal on hd

Sweeny is gone right?

Sweeney are still liberal

Diamond says Sweeney DFA'd, Repko optioned.

Sweeney to DL, Repko down.

Oops make that Sweeney on the DL.

Diamond's words not mine.

The Dodgers have placed pinch-hitting specialist Mark Sweeney on the disabled list with a strained right hamstring. Jason Repko has been optioned. Rafael Furcal has been transferred to the 60-day disabled list.

Sweeney to DL

Note to Ned:

1. See cord
2. Cut

I wonder which hurts more: Sweeney's hamstring or Bennett's foot?

31 Be nice. Without that lingering hamstring issue I have no doubt Sweeney would be hitting at least .124.

Specialist.

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

I'm a nuclear physics specialist!

Before we get all pedantic up in this piece, I'm just making a joke.

Yes, it's his specialty. He just happens to suck at it.

All of the sudden we have a sweet bench... presumably Delwyn and DeWitt today. Unless Delwyn starts over Ethier but Ethier deserves a shot at a LHP.

If you get a chance to see a replay of Youkilis' triple that he just hit, it is one of the oddest plays I've seen.

Okay, now this appears to be the roster heading to the All-Star break, the only remaining move left will be if Penny pitches next week, which reliever (Falkenborg or Troncoso) goes down.

SP: Billingsley, Kuroda, Lowe, and Stults
RP: Park, Kuo, Troncoso, Falkenborg, Wade, Beimel, Broxton, and Saito
C: Martin and Ardoin
IF: Loney, Kent, Garciaparra, DeWitt, LaRoche, Maza, and Berroa
OF: Kemp, Jones, Ethier and Young

Probable starters
Martin
Loney
Kent
Garciaparra
DeWitt
Kemp
Jones
Ethier

Bench
LaRoche
Berroa
Maza
Young
Ardoin

Anyone watching Yankees Red Sox? After Damon missed making a great catch at the wall, the ball remained perched atop the wall for a few seconds before dropping to the warning track. Any idea what the ruling would be if it had stayed?

I'm actually waiting for the lineup announcement with a bit of anticipation. I honestly have no idea what Torre is gonna roll out there today.

My guess:

Kemp
Nomar
Loney
Jones
Kent
Martin
Ethier
DeWitt

31 Why, he's on the DL, he's get paid anyway if he is on the DL or DFA.

Frankly, I'm more surprised Berroa still made the trip to San Francisco.

If the ball had stayed on the fence, it would have been in play.

Why, he's on the DL, he's get paid anyway if he is on the DL or DFA

But why keep him at all? He sucks. For some reason, Ned just can't let go of these guys.

I get the impression that he doesn't want to hurt their feelings or deal with the messy personal stuff associated with DFAing vets like Sweeney, Tomko, etc., so he stalls and delays the inevitable at the expense of the team.

42- That's what I figured as there can't be a specific "ground rule" for that. It's not liek it was stuck in Ivy or anything. It would have been funny watching Damon/Cabrera have to jump up to retrieve it.

43 Or he believes they have value and are helping the team.

So, you know, make of that what you will.

Hey guys!
Happy Independence Day and all that.

I'm in Sta Barbara and fortunately not in any fire danger though we did have some smoke issues last night and saw flames from the Gap fire up close on our way down. Scary stuff. It's better today. Fingers crossed.

Anyway, I followed yesterday's game on my cell phone and squeed a few times. Today I am DVR-ing the game and will try to watch it later without being rude to my family. But the Dodgers are better off without me being in SF watching the game in person or probably even watching it live on TV.

If they take 2 outta 3 from the Giants I will be pretty happy. Less than that, not happy. I wish we had Bills pitching in the series but they don't have Lincecum pitching.

As for Sweeney, the DL made me laugh - might as well put it down as "Pulled Ego" or "Broken Swing" but whatever, getting him off the active roster is better than nothing. And I agree, Berroa should be replaced. Since Hu isn't available, Martinez would be okay.

Happy Fourth!

Go Blue!

40 LaRoche SHOULD start today against LHP Jonathan Sanchez.

In fact, LaRoche should start most days now that Sweeney is out, with DeWitt being an additional lefty bat on the bench.

Happy Independence Day, everyone!

We hold these truths to be self evident:

That we take a moment to look back and thank all the great founding fathers, soldiers who fought for our freedom before, and soldiers who are out and about fighting for freedom today.

That we have the ability to enjoy a truly independent nation that has its own quirks and diversity. For instance, we follow baseball as our national past time, not soccer as much.

That we are able to say and preach what we believe in without having to worry about a beheading, and finally...

That we get to watch our Boys in Blue make a charge for the NL West! Go (Red White and) BLUE!!!!

---

I had my first "It's It" today! I thought they only sold them in San Francisco, but I found them at my local SoCal Albertsons. Man they are so good. Just like Cool a Coos. Do they sell these It's Its at AT&T Park?

How are we gonna get rid of Berroa?

Trade Troncoso or Falkenborg for Kershaw, and we'd have our best players available out there. I still don't understand why they sent him down. Or I DO understand why, and don't agree with the reasoning.

43 I guess it is just me again, but Mike Sweeney's lack of production has not been the cause for the Dodgers inability to win ballgames. But then, I am not a produce or dump person.

Or they're just being careful in case Nomar and/or Andruw fall down hurt again this weekend.

Maybe Sweeney has pictures of somebody doing something they shouldn't.

Mike Sweeney's lack of production has not been the cause for the Dodgers inability to win ballgames

That's for sure.

Btw, I do feel a little sorry for Repko. He had that truly awful game, and then didn't have any opportunity to rectify it. Not that he necessarily would have, but it has to stink to be sent back after faring that poorly, very briefly, and then that's it.

But it'll be good - or at least interesting, and hopefully not "interesting" in that other sense - to have Andruw back.

48 I believe Cool a coos stole the idea from "It's It." Wikipedia could probably resolve the issue, but if I looked up "It's It" on Wikipedia, I'd have to shoot myself afterward.

49 I understand it but I do think that we will see him back right after the All-Star break.

Somebody needs to read the "Know Your Sweeneys" post from the Griddle.

54 When you are the 6th outfielder in an organization, it takes a lot to stick on a team.

That said, if Repko could still play SS...

Diamond has become the #1 Dodger beat reporter in my estimation.

Breaks stories fast, no outward biases. Just solid journalism.

48 You know, I don't remember if they sell It's-Its at AT&T Park, but they should. And all I'll say is even with lactose intolerance, I say "screw that" when an opportunity to eat one of those arises. It's worth it.

49 Kershaw's "demotion" sounds very temporary. He wouldn't have an opportunity to pitch for too long, with the all-star break coming up. It's better he get the work in and then come back later. Stults has been fine. I don't think it's that big a deal. He'll be back.

Forgot about the lefty going today. If I was running the show, this would be my lineup:

Martin
Loney
Kemp
Kent
Jones
Ethier
LaRoche
Nomar

Except for the absence of Furcal, this is pretty much the ideal lineup we had in mind for the Dodgers at the start of the season, and we ought to get something very close to it today.

46 I wasn't able to reply in a timely manner the other night, underdog, but be prepared in Santa Barbara for some minor issues that don't compare with maybe having to be evacuated, but might interfere with your TV plans.

For two evenings now, electricity has been cut off for virtually all of Santa Barbara and Goleta. (I live close to downtown SB.) Wednesday for 4+ hours, last night for 2+. It must get overloaded when people turn on the lights or something. Aside from not being able to see anything if you haven't got a flashlight and candles (my situation Wednesday, rectified yesterday), your Tivo/DVR can't record anything. Today's game is a day game so you're OK. Also make sure to charge up your cell phone during the day, and keep a battery radio handy.

57 Fine, Mark, Mike none of those guys are the reasons why the Dodgers are under .500.

58 I know, but still... I have empathy for the guy. And yeah, he must have been a really bad SS, they never once considered moving him back there.

Right now BOTH Mike and Mark Sweeney are on the DL.

So you just have to worry about Ryan Sweeney.

62 I know, yer right. My folks warned us. They'd lost power the night before but last night was okay. We have emergency radios, flashlights and candles at the ready. Fortunately the fire is getting a bit more controlled and the winds have died down, but yeah if it kicks up again tonight it could spell trouble. Hope they keep shrinking it. Anyway, stay safe.

We're off to Summerland for the day where the air's better. :-)

64
But lots of guys are drafted as shortstops. It's the "he's the best guy in school so let's play him at short" phenomenon.

Heck, Troy Glaus played shortstop at UCLA.

Diamond linked to a story about the one player the Dodgers signed over slot money in the 2008 draft.

Caseres said the Dodgers wanted to take him in the sixth round of the draft last Thursday but decided not to when he told them he was sticking to his signing bonus demand of $300,000. The New York Yankees also tried to get him to sign for less than his asking price in the fifth round, offering $158,000.

Then, between the draft's first and second days, Caseres dropped his price to $250,000, and the Dodgers scooped him up in the ninth round.

Days later, they offered $258,000, even though it was higher than slot money, and Caseres said little negotiation was required.

65 - I checked and both Julia Sweeney, DB Sweeney and Sweeney Todd are doing okay.

63 He's not good at baseball. He shouldn't be on the team. Pretty straightforward.

How was Disneyland?

I don't see why the following question should serve as a litmus test for determining whether Player X should be kept instead of other players:

Q: Is Player X the reason why the Dodgers are under .500?

The problem is that Players X, Y, Z, Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Zed are the reasons why the Dodgers are under .500.

I just hate he sucks, let's dump him mentality, so maybe I'm just a softie too.

Disneyland was nice, it seems that with so many people buying annual passes, when you go on days requiring the one that let's you go everyday of the year, less people show up. Add that it was still a work day for a lot of people, it was actually not bad getting on the rides and such.

All that said, only went on a few rides and saw a parade. Will probably go back in a month or so.

72
The bigger problem stems from using the team's record as a means of identifying which individual players should stay or go.

I suspect even bhsportsguy doesn't ultimately agree with such a practice, despite apparent evidence to the contrary.

I think bhsportsguy advocates a holistic approach to roster construction. D4P views the roster in granular terms.

The he sucks let's dump him mentality is what made this nation great!

Herbert Spencer and bhsportsguy would not get along very well.

I just hate he sucks, let's dump him mentality

Are there any conditions under which you support cutting ties with a player?

I'm starting to get the impression that there aren't...

75
Did that sound sufficiently academic?

67 as well as for the Blue Jays! He played 8 games there in 2006 which for some reason qualified him as a shortstop in Yahoo leagues that year.

I think everyone's right. Sweeney has been terrible this year and really shouldn't be on the team. But by the same token, his suckitude has been an almost negligible percent of what has ailed the Dodgers this season.

Okay, outta here for reals. Enjoy the game. More later!

Fine, Mark, Mike none of those guys are the reasons why the Dodgers are under .500.

This isnt logical at all.
Every player contributes something to the Dodgers, and either contributes positively or negatively. Mark Sweeney has contributed negatively, would you agree?

Sure, a pinch hitter isnt going to matter as much as a starting player. However, any incremental improvements to the team should be made if possible. By not DFA'ing a guy that definitely deserves it, the GM isnt being fair to someone else in the organization that deserves to be on the 40 man roster.

If you want to move Furcal to the 60-day DL, thats fine. But dont do it in order to keep Mark Sweeney. DFA Sweeney also, and add another more deserving player to the 40-man.

The raise in pay for a minor leaguer to be added to the 40-man roster is quite substantial. Instead of doing the fair thing, Ned is just keeping his old PVL buddies around through a phantom DL.

Its just bad management.

The Dodgers would be better off with great bench players like Reggie Willits.

At least he does the "little things."

Or perhaps he just does a few things.

The Padres had to put Michael Barrett on the DL after he fouled a ball off of his own face while batting. The Padres called up Nick Hundley and he will the Padres FIFTH catcher this year.

81 Deserving, that is probably the least likely reason to add someone to the 40-man roster. Professional baseball players operate in a system that is inherently unfair towards young players.

Once you sign with a team, a team can continually control your rights for a period of no less than 10 years (minors and majors) or maybe 11 or 12 depending on your age when you sign and a couple of other things.

So when teams decide to promote a player to the 40-man roster, it is done for 2 reasons, need or because they have to in order to retain their rights.

It's that simple. Did Justin Orenduff deserve to be on the 40-man roster? Blake DeWitt, NL Rookie of the Month for May, wouldn't be on the 40-man at all had not all of those injuries occurred.

Players may not like that reality but it is what they signed into when they decided to play baseball for money.

(48)
Thanks for a great post. Happy Independence day to everyone. I am ever thankful that I was born in the United States and am able to enjoy all that this great country has to offer.
Like a Dodgers vs. Giants contest today. Johnny Roseboro vs. Juan Marichal - the rivalry continues ...

It's not that he sucks, it's that he sucks majorly, to the tune of a -18 OPS+. Sure he doesn't play much, bet every at-bat he has is an automatic out. He's played 3 games on the field. If he can't hit and he doesn't field, how does he help the team? At least Berroa plays a position where the Dodgers need depth at.

"bet" should be "but"

booting method:
he sucks (as a major league baseball player) so he should be vanquished

it isn't a bad plan, actually. i wish the dodgers (ie uncle ned) would use it as a precursor to signing players... and, in repko's case, "vanquished" includes an annual salary of $487,500 (per our favorite dodgers site)... anyway, my guess is even if repko doesn't have a mlb career he's gonna be okay in life. he seems like a decent guy and his effort (at least on the field) cannnot be denied. i'm saving my sadness for the truly wretched... like, say, whoever has to clean up after the hot dog eating contest...

This is an amazing conversation to have.

The man is so fundamentally terrible at hitting a baseball. When you start with that, I don't see whatever anything else has to do with anything else. It's like discussing the merits of Battlefield Earth a cockroach sandwich or something.

I'm off to do a little birdwatching at the beach. Have a great Fourth of July, everybody.

Question for bhsportsguy:

Which player(s) is/are responsible for the Dodgers being under .500?

You're my boy, bhsportsguy! You know that!

Alright, I'm out.

Battlefield Earth isn't the reason oil is over $140 a barrel.

No line-up yet?

Brock, agree or disagree: the Declaration of Independence was not actually a formal declaration of independence; it was a propaganda document meant to rally people against the British.

Can't it be both? Heck, it was obviously both.

94
Can I weigh in before I leave?

I say it was both, but Jefferson definitely laid out his reasons for why the colonies needed to bail on the King in a formal manner.

Gameday:

Kemp, RF
Ethier, LF
Martin, C
Kent, 2B
Jones, CF
Garciaparra, SS
Loney, 1B
LaRoche, 3B
Lowe, P

Yahoo has it finally:

Kemp
Ethier
Martin
Kent
Jones
Nomar
Loney
LaRoche

22 seconds! And I didn't even put in the fancy commas and positions! Or the pitcher for that matter...

I don't like the way the new Gameday scoreboards tell you a game is in the top of the 1st inning when it hasn't even started yet.

A most excellent lineup, other than Torre's chronic overestimation of Nomar's hitting ability. The man should bat eighth. Always.

7 1-Every game on Channel 9 instead of cable is a game local fans without cable get to see that they otherwise wouldn't.

There are still local fans without cable? :-)

You guys know exactly what BH means so quit dumping on him. Sweeney does not get enough ab's to have made any difference in the Dodgers record at this point in time.
You are bright enough boys to figure it out. If Andy Laroche was hitting a buck fifty in a pinch hitting role this thread would be full of excuses for him. Just as they are full of excuses when he doesn't perform against LHP. Small sample size applies to everyone not just your favorites.
The amount of spittle wasted on our 25th player whoever that happens to be at the time is amazing.

The Giants have the three best young pitchers in baseball. Sanchez is the kind of guy a smart GM would have pried away from the Giants when they were offering Lowry to everyone for hitting.

I can't understand why Nomar would bat ahead of Loney, but this is so much better than what we usually get, I'm not going to complain.

The Giants have the three best young pitchers in baseball.

Sanchez isn't in Kazmir or Hamels' league.

I can't understand why Nomar would bat ahead of Loney

Because the guy we're paying $4 million/year to resolve veteran vs. kid issues isn't resolving veteran vs. kid issues. Torre doesn't want to have to deal with putting the veterans lower in the lineup than they're used to being put.

103--Giving Abs to young players that might improve, and giving Abs to washed up vets that are at the end of their careers are entirely different.

Schmidt on 'bumpy road' to recovery

>> Despite showing signs of life in two rehabilitation starts for the 51s, Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Jason Schmidt still appears far from regaining his top form. <<

http://www.lvrj.com/sports/23026119.html

0 (Don't laugh - I wake up backsore all too often)

Like many others. This was happening to me too. Unless you take a proactive approach it probably won't get better by itself. I was getting out of bed one body part at a time. When I was 47 I started going to see the chiropractor (after I had gone to see an MD for a physical exam and was told that my complaints were just part af getting older and live with it).
I learned about the importance of getting enough sleep, the importance of proper nutrition, the importance of proper exercise, the importance of recognizing stress and finding ways try to deal with it. I have been going to see the chiropractor once a week to get adjusted since I was 47. I am now 56. I hop out of bed everyday, get sick a lot less, fell better both mentally and physically. I went from experiencing chronic headaches, neck aches, lower back issues, and pain in my right hip and ankle - to having no pain and being able to execeed the exercise program that I did in college and I was a fair athelte at the time. So, that is my experience. I hope that it might help you. We don't want lower back pain hindering your work.
You're too good.

102 - My brother, for one.

106 Or Billingsley for that matter. Or King Felix.

Wow, I just hope that none of our young players turn out like Jeff Francouer.The guy just refuses to pick up any plate discipline.

You guys are being pretty harsh with Sanchez. It's too early in his career to say who's league he is or isn't in.

113
I just hope we have a roster full of Mark Sweeneys, because then we won't have a record under .500

Speaking of television scheduling, ESPN doesn't appear to be showing any baseball at all (on any of its channels). On the 4th of July? Seems to me a few years ago it was automatic that ESPN would show three games!

Doesn't one of the Amendments to the Constitution stipulate there must be baseball played and shown on the 4th of July?

As a combo people, as a combo. I'd take Lincecum, Cain, Sanchez over Kazmir, Shields, Garza but that is my subjective opinion.
I'd much rather argue who has the best young pitchers in baseball then over our 25th roster filling piece of crap player, that is always a piece of crap because by definition he is the 25th player on the roster.

Joe Sheehan really whiffed this off season. His two biggest calls were Francouer having a huge season and the Dodgers having the best free agent signing with Andruw Jones.

113
Wow, I'm know when I'm a jerk but I'm not sure you do.

I'm pretty pleased with this group of starters although I am not a fan of 4 right handed hitters in a row. That really makes things easier on the opponents bullpen and batting Loney 5th or 6th would've been much better.

117 Ahhh, then yeah you're right. I thought you claimed they were 1, 2, and 3 on the list of young pitchers.

Give me Billingsley, Kershaw, and McDonald any day though ;)

That Schmap!! thing's a little behind on its scores. If it's going to slow down the site's load time it might as well be current!

"Hi Mark, how's your hammy?"
"Fine."
"No, it hurts. You're on the DL."
"How much does it hurt?"
"As much as Bennett's foot hurts."
"Who?"

Take it from Billy D.

Evidently Vin wishes he was in San Diego.

Yes, I get to watch the team play for once.

Woot. Way to start off on the right foot.

126 Me, too. On a regular TV anyway.

Jack Wilson keeps jacking his price tag up with all these hits. His BA is up to .321 (though his OPS is still only a respectable .740 or so).

Rotoworld made an off-hand comment about a Renteria for Lowe swap. It would be worth considering as long as Renteria would be a Type A free agent as well. I doubt we'd exercise his $11M club option unless he set the world on fire during these last few months.

With our current excess of starting pitchers (up to 8 when you include Penny, Schmidt, and McDonald) we can afford to deal one of them and Lowe makes a lot of sense since he'll be a free agent anyway.

Bison Speed™! That looked pretty close...

Wow, that was lucky.

That was an exciting play! Molina has a gun.

Andre at least makes him work.

Yahoo Sports All-Star picks for NL pitchers, not one of the experts has Bills.

Getting a few glimpses of the SF centerfield scoreboard reminds me of how absolutely fantastic that scoreboard is. Great color, brightness, resolution, and lots of statistical info. It's by far the best scoreboard I've seen in person. Has anybody seen one (maybe in one of the new parks) that nice or better?

What is up with Martin vs. lefties this year? He absolutely murdered them last year and now this year his OPS is 100 points lower than it is against righties.

That Sanchez sure is filthy.

The youngsters have taken over DT it seems. Go figure.

I don't know how we didn't score right there.

Nomar-Kent up the middle. D. Lowe on the mound. Here we go...

It could just be the cleverly placed beard, but on a glance, Jones looks thinner.

Am I the only one that thinks we should change our national anthem to the Team America song?

epic fail...

America! (Rule 1 violation) yeah!

Nomar makes the play!!!

Lowe frustrates me so much. Can't think of a more talented pitcher who beats himself so often.

Ugh. I hate these close-ups of the happy Giant fans. Yuck!

Wow, finally the lineup we needed and it's only the 4th of July!

117 You would trade Kershaw, Billingley and Broxton for Cain, Lincecum, and Sanchez?

Lowe is kind of a weenie in my opinion.

148 Yes

Andruw looks a little slimmer to me, too. Maybe it's because I didn't see him for so long and everybody kept saying he was super tubby, and now that I see him, he doesn't look that bad.

He just hammered a foul ball. Cool.

If you like Derek Lowe, you're not a Dodger fan.

Even though he struck out, it was nice to see Andruw turn on a fastball. Sanchez is nasty, though. The Giants pitching will be good for a long time, which certainly stinks.

Meet the new Jones, same as...

I actually really hope this Nomar SS experiment works out.

Looks like the same old Nomar...

Double!

Loney is a baller.

Loney's on Fiya!

119

Geez, sorry, didn't know you were a Francouer fan! (I assume you were talking about someone else.)

Also; Loney is very slow.

Is there something about being on a list labeled "Disabled" that should increase our expectations vis a vis disabled players' post-disabled performance...?

Can Loney please bat ahead of Nomar now?

These darn kids, if only they were ballplayers.

#7 Wild Bird

Andy has a ton of trouble with change-ups from lefties (which is all we've seen him against). Way out in front. i'm guessing some of that can be attributed to his playing time.

160

Maybe they were playing hurt prior to going on to the DL.

The umpire has a better arm than Gary Bennett.

I continue to fail to see why so many here are excited by LaRoche. He just looks overmatched by major league pitching.

Loney can't be a "ballplayer" in the eyes of Bill Plaschke due to certain chromatic issues.

151 If you like a player that has made over 120 starts and pitched over 750 innings for the Dodgers over the last four years with a collective ERA below 3.8 (and no season over 3.88), sure, how could you possibly be a Dodger fan?

Between Vin, the HBO mini-series "John Adams" marathon, Greg Brock, Ken Noe and Bob Timmermann, no shortage of American History talk.

166
That made me laugh.

On the other hand, Martin, Kemp, Loney and Ethier all seemed like they belonged up here when they got called up.

172 And yet they are not "ballplayers."

172 They have all had periods of time when they looked as "lost" as you claim LaRoche does, the main difference, Andy has never had a strech of starts like the other four.

172
Martin - Phenom
Kemp - Phenom
Loney - Phenom

167

Sample size, blah, blah, blah, has never gotten a genuine shot, yak, yak, yak, amazing minor league track record, repeat ad nauseum.

I still think he will be good.

I wonder why Sanchez didn't throw a slider to Lowe?

Vin made reference to the Dodgers being in the AA! Woo hoo!

Derek Lowe is a professional hitter.

178 When is your next talk at the Library?

None of them have a ring in a box.

Juan Pierre has a ring in a box.

Ballplayers have rings in boxes.

And cardboard thrones.

181 Indeed.

Ah man, Kemp swung at ball 4.

Bison! The Robot Made of Nails was made to bat lead off.

Good AB.

And took the next one.

183 Not on ball 5.

Nice AB by Matt.

Great AB. 5 straight changeups from Sanchez. That was one of the best ABs Matt has had all year.

No one has looked more lost at the plate than Kemp on occasion, and he's turned out pretty well.

NO BUNTING!

169 He's put up very respectable numbers for us, yes. All the rest of the stuff off the field, the remarks about the kids and how Ned should have handled the trading deadline make it hard for me to get behind the guy.

191 Well, this could be the lineup without anyone who can bunt outside of the pitcher.

How to build a cardboard throne:

http://tinyurl.com/5foro3

Ethier - sticking with the plan.

And that's why... you don't bunt.

Okay. Did Bill Plaschke actually say something about having a cardboard throne?

Really, outside of Pierre and he doesn't bunt well anyway, no one else bunts at all.

Crazy, random factoid: Fred Lewis has a higher OPS then any Dodger outfielder.

If you're SF, do you walk Martin and Kent to get to Jones and Nomar...?

198 Andre Ethier bunted the first pitch foul, showing bunt all the way.

Okay Russ, fastballs only.

I like when guys stop bunting, swing away, and get a hit like Ethier just did.

197 Torre sits on a throne of cardboard, deserving of instant respect but admittedly receiving little from a crowd much more amateur than those professional New York Yankees.

Martin with RBI.
This line-up scores runs.

197 Torre sits on a throne of cardboard, deserving of instant respect but admittedly receiving little from a crowd much more amateur than those professional New York Yankees.

Russ Martin's got such a good approach. This guy cant find the k zone.
Simply dont swing = runs.

Now Jeff has to watch for the slider.

Sorry.

Wow, almost 70 pitches already for Sanchez.

207 Jeff Kent doesn't listen...

192 Well, living near Sacramento I'm not dialed into the LA media so I don't see his off-field pattern of behavior much. I can understand that you can't get behind him, but it's probably a bit much to suggest no true Dodger fan can.

205--

No Juan.
No Problems.

It's all up to Andruw and Nomar...

It's up to Nomar...

Ugh.

Same old Andruw.

Jones is pathetic.

Druw, ugh.
Nomar will get a blooper to fall in..

Its weird, he did not throw that pitch to Kemp or Martin with 2 strikes.

Nomar will get a blooper to fall in

He's usually good for one of those a game.

That was not a strike.

Nomar!!! BB!!!

Woah, Gameday shows pitch 5 as a very high strike.

Garciaparra - RBI!

Good at bat for Nomar.

That was ball 4. The umps almost got us.

224

It was. The ump needs his vision checked.

See 207--

Simply dont swing = runs.

Good job Nomar.
Sanchez has thrown like 80 pitches in 3 innings.

A quick inning by Lowe would put some serious pressure on Sanchez.

Sanchez--82 pitches
Lowe--27 pitches.

Man, the approach of the youngsters was terrible. Kemp swinging at pitches out oft he zone witht he bases loaded. Ethier not being patient and striking out with the bases loaded. Oh, wait, it was Kent and Jones? Oh well, they're vets and it was just one bad AB.

All I've got is the Giants' radio broadcast. It's odd to hear Jon Miller on radio rather than TV.

Can we send Jones back to Vegas now, please?

232 Just trust em, they know how to win.

230

Yeah, not so much.

Man, what in the world?

Martin should have taken the day off.

That was embarrassing.

Silence.

That was some little league crap right there. Although it all started with the slowest attempted DP turn in history.

Well, on a contact play, that probably scores Lewis.

why did martin think he had a shot at the runner? Lowe isn't exactly quick home.

I tend to see things as the glass half but Anduw's at bats seem better. His back foot is not moving out from under him during the swing the way it did before.

243

That's admirable. I just see a guy who's struck out twice already and has a batting average around .150.

Full

Lowe's got nothing today.

It's up to the offense!

Trade Lowe!

I'm gonna pretend to be on the ESPN board while Lowe pitches.

Thats twice Lowe has went after Rowand, with 1st base open, 2 outs, and some dude named Bowker on deck.

Derek Lowe has been upset with himself since he made the bad throw in the first inning.

248

In Lowe's defense, he had Rowand struck out on the 1-2 pitch. Painted the corner, but the ump didnt give it to him. i'm guessing that if the count were 2-0 or 3-0 it would have been a strike. I absolutely hate when umpires change their zone because of the count (like he did with nomar on the 3-1 pitch with them loaded).

we have the pen available and the All-Star break coming up. Is this where a good manager pinch hits for Lowe if the leadoff guy gets on base?

The Giants are winning today with ballplayers.

You might want to check out Jackson's blog. Ned's ready to trade a "kid" for a SS.

Bay Area viewers:

How annoying is Amy Gutierrez?

CORRECTION: Diamond's.

LaRoche reminds me for some reason of Dustin Pedroia. Pedroia was awful for the Red Sox for like two months, but they stuck with him and now are seeing the success of that decision.

I got a feeling the Dodgers arent going to stick with LaRoche for much longer.

252
Ballplayers that are all too happy to accept the gits that the Dodgers have been giving them so far today.

255
Colletti's comments echoed what owner Frank McCourt told me earlier in the week when asked about the possibility of trading some of the kids. He said the ones they will hold onto are "the ones who are prepared to put in the work, listen to coaches and get better every day." The kids who they would be willing to part with are "the ones that can't do those things."

Kemp's OPS'ing .956 vs lefties.

253
Well that is going to end badly.

I wish this was unusual, but so far Lowe has done exacly what he needs to to lose it--no more, and no less-- no one else has had much say in it. Throwing that bunt away was absolutely bush.

253

We finally start playing even moderately well, and suddenly, we need a new shortstop? Let the Broken Man play there for a while, and see what happens.

253

Basically, get ready for a Jack Wilson/ Matt Kemp swap.

True, just leave Nomar at ss.
The Dodgers arent going anywhere this year, and to try to make SS marginally better by trading a kid that could be useful in 2009 would be idiotic.

254 I wouldn't know. I always mute Giants broadcasts.

253 Booooooo.

This game looks like it will not follow Selig's demand for shorter games.

All he said was that they were willing to consider it, it doesn't much different than what they have been saying for a while.

Vizquel has a .421 OPS this year.
Yet, he singles.

Baseball is a strange game.

264
Idiotic like a fox!

Seriously, what shortstop is there available for trade who would even be worth a Hu-level prospect, let alone one of our Major League young players?

267
Yes, but Ned is a PR guy and he knows how to plant the seed.

Vin must have sat a long way from home plate at the Polo Grounds.

jeezus Lowe!

Lowe probably hit the sauce last night.

Plus, you add in McCourt who has always been touting the young guys saying that they may move some.

261
Lowe does it again.

As usual the facts get in the way of the PVL story. With every veteran disabled, Jones, Nomar, Furcal and then JP, the Dodgers go 5 for 7. And I begin to think of Lowe as a vet too.

274 He started too early.

270 As TC suggested, Tejada probably would be, but I don't think the Astros would appreciate giving him up for less than they paid for him four months ago.

He is our second best pitcher.

And now we see Kuo warm up. Perfect.

How would people feel if Kemp and Hu were moved for Wilson and Bay?

BH it's not all he said. At least I don't read it that way when he uses the word "more"

"We're more open-minded to who we may have to move," Colletti said.

277 They also lost a ton of games without those guys too.

I don't think there would be any realistic trade for a shortstop that doesn't involve us getting totally ripped off, to be quite honest.

281
Trading Kemp, Martin, or Loney is a dumb idea.

That Plaschke column (along with my deep, irrational loathing of the Angels) got me so irritated that I looked at some numbers.

Normal situational splits don't really explain the difference between Dodgers and Angels, but check the split for high-leverage situations (it's 600 or so AB per team; sOPS+ is split relative to league):

LAD 237/328/315 sOPS+ 76
LAA 293/353/441 sOPS+ 115

Furthermore, the Angels pull this off with the nifty trick of a BABIP of .323 in high-leverage situations (vs .282 in other situations...) The AL as a whole has a .298 h-lev BABIP.

I wonder, have they been hitting this way for years? It sure seems like it. They must just be clutchy....

So if Vizquel had an OPS of 413 and he singled it shouldn't be that strange. He gets some hits. Bad hitters get hits. Derek Lowe has a hit. Mark Sweeney got 6 hits this year. Gary Bennett got hits.

As Bob Gibson said, "If he's got a bat in his hands, he's dangerous."

Andre's got his power stroke.

The powerhouse of the Dodgers.

wow, ethier! nice.

ball carried! You just hope Kemp and Ethier keep performing to the point that re-inserting Pierre becomes beyond ridiculous.

281
You can add Ethier to that list on 285

Is Dre gonna be the guy?

Ethier is on fire right now. Nice to see. The game isnt close to being over, especially with Sanchez almost at 100 pitches.

RISP today:
Us: 1-for-7
Them: 3-for7

Dodgers don't have much position-player depth at the AA/AAA level. I assume if the Dodgers trade for a SS, we'll deal pitching.

286

The Angels have always been really lucky with BABIP and clutch hitting for whatever reason. I have no idea if they practice it or what, but it's kind of frustrating.

I still think a trade is unlikely.

Andre is our HR leader.

285 I agree for the most part, although I think Bay is a fantastic player.

281--I'd do that deal because Jason Bay is already what we hope Kemp becomes. Wilson would give the Dodgers a 1yr stop gap in 2009 till DeJesus is ready for 2010.

I think the Pirates would want more though.

If Bay could play CF, I'd definitely do it. The only reason for holding onto Kemp is bc he can play CF.

When does Bay hit free agency?

It may not be worth trading for him if the Dodgers can just sign him in the off-season.

if the DBacks had gone off and run away with the division already, it would have been interesting to see how the Dodger brass handled trading the likes of Lowe, Kent, Nomar, and/or Saito for youth.

284 I'm not assuming that Kemp is the 'non-worker' who 'doesn't get better everyday,' Plaschke's 'whispers' aside. The "kid" who can't break into the lineup regularly is LaRoche. And the most obvious SS available is a JP clone named Eckstein.

293 given that Ethier's chromatic qualities doom him to management's disfavor, he should be called Dre! at all times...

301 "When does Bay hit free agency?"

2009

The Angels clutch hitting apparently doesn't manifest itself in playoff series against teams with "Sox" in their name.

If you've got a golden sombrero, throw it in the air.

Send Andruw back down. This is sad.

Holy smokes, Jones is horrible.

Druw is 3 for 3.

In ks that is.

Breaking news...Andruw Jones still stinks against major league pitching. 0 3 now...Stay Hot Andruw

Jason Bay is coming off a year where he OPSed .745. He is what we hoped Andruw Jones would be.

Well this I can be sure, $27M reasons why Jones is not going anywhere.

My grandma can hit better than Andruw.

300
Bay is a fantastic player. With Kemp, Ethier, and if Jones can perform, with Young in the wings, do the Dodgers need Bay?
Is Pee Wee listening and working hard enough?
Dodgers needs are at SS and 2B.

312--That is his only down year though. He's been a very good player every other season, and has really bounced back this year.

Jason Bay is coming off a year where he OPSed .745

I blame Jim Tracy. Seriously.

313

Remember that terrible Diamondbacks pitcher? Russ something? Didn't he got dumped for nothing?

313 Well, maybe an all you can eat buffet somewhere there in San Fran.

Torre just looks so foolish for benching Ethier for Pierre. Do you think they will let Druw bat again today?

Jones is a AAAA player now. I think we called up the wrong Jones from Vegas.

316

Same was true for Andruw Jones.

"Welcome back, Dr. Jones."

(said in sinister Nazi accent)

"So good to see you again."

Well, although it seems clear that Jones hasn't lost the stroke he developed before he got hurt, let's give him a few more games.

318 This team is going to either win or lose with Jones in the lineup, to think otherwise is just kidding yourself.

320

Gotta love it, JP's on the DL and still he gets put under the bus on DT...way to go!

I will safely bet any sum of money that Andruw Jones will outhit anyone's grandmother against major league pitching.

Andy LaRoche, picking machine.

325

Can I ask why you feel so comfortable in making such a pronouncement?

320 All the way to the HOF, and Ethier was terrible in June.

Nice catch by Laroche....The solution would have done as well though.

I still hold out hope for Andruw

322--Jones hasnt bounced back for 2008. It looks like 2007 was indeed the first year of drop off a cliff. Thats a big difference.

If Bay was sucking this year, I'd be hesitant. But he's batting .280/.390/.521.

J-Bay doesn't seem like the type of guy who will age gracefully. He got a late start, and is already almost entirely running on old player skills. It's only worth getting him if we can extend him, and I really don't want to extend him.

325 You're forgetting the rain delays that don't get made up.

the argument is that he lost his stroke last season, and has just continued his decline (with the aid of more weight) this season.

327 Only if somebody else's grandmother is pitching, the way he's looked all year.

How in the world does a great player fall off a cliff so quickly without injury?

333

I wasn't talking about that, though. I was just saying that Bay is doing what we hoped Jones would do, this year.

Ah, here I am coming into the middle innings and I see Andruw is still teh suck.

323 - the problem with that is that it assumes the guy looking to off him is the bad guy.

325 I agree, Torre was willing to let him "play himself out of it" before and will again. I just wonder if JP will be a regular too when he comes back. My guess is yes.

Because:
1. If he is not hurt, he makes too much money and management (both field and front office) will want him to play.
2. His career performance gives him a lot of credits to use.
3. Right now, they don't really have a choice, Delwyn Young doesn't play LF well enough to justify him playing everyday.

The Dodgers have played badly most of the season, sometimes terribly, and yet they are only 1.5 games out of first. Given that, I don't think we should trade one of our promising young players whose names are often mentioned -- Ethier, Kemp or Loney. Although we could slip back and be a half-dozen games out in two weeks, we could also be in front by three or four.

Dodgers catch a break.

332 So do I. There's not really much of an alternative.

Delwyn Young doesn't play LF well enough to justify him playing everyday

Irony.

340--DY's LF defense has to be better than Andruw Jones anemic bat.

340 That. If Andruw can just not VORP -10, he's an asset thanks to his glove over Pierre and Young

Vin sums it up.

339

He's not "playing himself out of it", though. I doubt any professional organization would tolerate this level of ineptitude for an entire season.

A sunk cost is a sunk cost.

347 What did he say?

336--No more PEDs available?

345 Delwyn's .3 VORP isn't exactly setting the world on fire. He's a nice player who should slug more than .350, but he doesn't have the bat to start and his glove is a strike against him.

He said that Loney had a terrible at-bat, which he did.

JAWFAL

348 Great another person for me to agree to disagree with.

Reg:

Didn't all the early first half fielding stats say that Jones was pretty terrible with the glove? Why should we assume that his glove is still a plus?

354 Because I don't think I've ever actually said so, I generally agree with you and I find your rational, more optimistic than the average DT-er, thinking to be refreshing.

Good job of Torre pinch hitting.
I was afraid he'd leave Lowe in to bunt.

i got a question for anyone familar with baseballs rule book.

runner on 2nd, batter hits a line drive and it hits the runner but the runner is standing on 2nd base, what's the ruling?

Pee Wee!!! It's a 1-run game.

DY!! Woo!! Nice hit.

Nomar looked out from me to you.

Young - increasing his trade value with another RBI.

Am I coming off as a jerk? Sorry.

Hey, we're coming back!

On one hand, Andruw's confidence may be hurt by his 3 Ks.

On the other hand, he must have gotten a tremendous boost from being immediately inserted into the #5 spot. There's no telling how much good it does to have your manager demonstrate such faith in your ability. No telling.

Wow, he was beat by 2 yards. Thankfully it was a poor throw.

Everytime I see Nomar run, I'm afraid he'll re-injure himself. Hang in there! You're our best hope at SS!

355 Fielding stats based on a month and a half are useless. RZR had Loney as far and away the worst first baseman in baseball at that point.

Since we've entered rank speculation territory, Jose Reyes and Keith Hernandez had to be separated last night after Reyes went Milton Bradley on the announcer. Wonder who the Mets would want for him?

Nice hitting Pee Wee, and hey, Nomar got up!

Actually, Molina was up the line so he might have been safe anyway.

Absolutely disgraceful AB by Matt. That was crap. Take 2 fastballs down the middle with a runner on 3rd. All that after the great work he did his 1st 2 ABs.

Loney and Kemp both with trade-worthy ABs this inning.

367

So we're assuming that Jones is still a good defensive CFer based on year-old fielding stats?

ETHIER!!! Thank you!!!!

Dre!!!

Ethier is a freakin beast. Way to pick up Kemp.

Cycle Alert.

Enough negativity, Andre really beginning to swing the bat well.

Dre!

Ethier showing some genuine joy. Good to see!

Ethier's had a big game.
That error was huge.

3.5!!!!!

Ethier is teaching me what the term "mancrush" means.

Ethier is one hot hitting machine. Some kind of alert is in order for Ethier too.

The vets had bad ABb earlier in the game, the young players even it out. It just goes to show that all players eventually have bad at-bats.

375 I get the feeling at times that Matt just doesn't adjust his approach for each at bat.

382 He's been on a tear since my wife told me she has a crush on him too.

Some kind of alert is in order for Ethier too

I think it's Yellow.

GOLDEN GOD!!!!!

Good thing Russ started today;)

woot woot!!! GG!!

get Chan Ho ready to shut the door!

382 Under different circumstances and such, Andre and I would be good friends.

Its a cardinal to sin to pitch to Russ with 1st base open and 2 outs and Kent on deck.

get Chan Ho ready to shut the door!

Yeah. Tell Kuo to hit the showers.

372 I trust a year's worth of numbers way more than a month's. Sometimes scouting can tell you the guy is obviously done, but was anyone complaining about Jones' defense this year?

385

His approach has bascially been the same the whole year. Sit offspeed, take fastballs. Occassionally he goes up there looking for a fastball, but its pretty rare.

Martin is so solid.

Martin RBI double! Back to back doubles by Martin and Ethier.
This line-up scores runs.

Old Snake!!!

Oh man, this is fun! My holiday is made.

With that, I'm off to the BBBQ. Nice to leave on a happy note.

This dude will be back in AAA by the end of the week.

OFFENSE!!!!

OFFENSE!!!!

OFFENSE!!!!

Is it just me, or are the Dodgers scoring more runs now that the leftfielder who shall remain nameless is now on the DL?

All these runs are un-earned.

6 straight runs.

385 - Matt Kemp is apparently not a "ballplayer."

The Old Man drives in Martin with the third consecutive double!

Apparently this team can hit fastballs.

re:394 if we keep scoring, Torre will have no alternative but to use the dreaded Kuo.

late tip of the hat to cargill for his crazy yet correct guess back in March that Chan Ho would be pitching for us this year.

This dude will be back in AAA by the end of the week

Maybe so, but all runs were unearned.

Is In & Out sponsoring this inning? Because I see a lot of Double-Doubles. :-)

398 Ha. Does this mean he bites the dust at the end of the season?

403.

Haha, yeah, I was thinking about that the other day.

395

Has he made any plays this year that would make you say that he is proving himself to be an excellent defensive CFer?

I find it hard to believe that such a slow-moving player would have much range out there.

Lowe's in line for a win.

No Juan.
No Problems.

4-1 since Pierre went down.

398

Which player are we calling Old Snake? Because that is awesome.

Osiris returns to the underworld...

403 I think its more of a coincidence but factually, they have scored more runs in 4 games than they did in a span of a couple of weeks.

I really thinks Kent's heating up as more to do it, when he is hitting well, it just solidifies the middle of the lineup.

embarrassing as a pitcher to be pulled when Jones is coming up to "hit" next.

410 Gee, thanks. Now I'm starving.

Today's win will make it 10-3 when Pierre gets 0 ABs.

Dodgers just own the Giants playing in their park.

14-4 since 2006.

403 He was just telling Ethier and Kent to not hit the whole time. Him being gone has nothing to do with it. His replacement hit .118/.167/.118 in his absence, plus a golden sombrero from Repko.

wow Jones is still bailing out of the box on his swing, back leg and all.

417

Andre Ethier has hit well in this stretch also.

that k put a smile on my face. weird.

I have three In-n-Out t-shirts and one Tommy's t-shirt; I've never been to either restaurant.

And Jones is beyond hopeless.

Platinum sombrero!

I thought Andruw was supposed to play today.

a voice in Vegas is heard shouting "I can do that for 1/30th the salary!"

So, it wasn't the knee. Now we know.

anyone have an answer to 358

sorry to repeat myself, this is the last i'll bring it up.

427 i was just about to ask what kinda sombrero that was :)

Bill Russell and Darryl Strawberry might not be able to open that bottle of Champagne today if Jones whiffs again.

426 How is that possible?

429 Like 25 voices.

I thought platinum was five.

The thing I don't get is why folks get upset at the player (as I write this for the hundreth time). Yell at Ned, curse (okay don't curse) Torre for writing his name in the lineup but lets give Jones at least until the ASB to see if he has anything.

Um, I Don't know if you guys agree with me but doesn't Andrew look somewhat trimmer like he has lost some weight? And on his 2nd strike that he fouled straight back, he would have been a mile late on that earlier in the year. That was the best swing I have seen him take all year.

Or is it just me and my positive attitude? :D

426 Tommy's is so overrated.

Nice to see K/Guo pitching in a situation that makes sense.

422.. Maybe he was a distraction on the basepaths, not to the pitcher, but to Kent and Ethier when they're hitting? =)

436 yeah, i think 4 is just golden.

maybe Stultz will start taking fly balls at CF.

426

Never been to In & Out? You must come out here just to go there. Had a 3 X 3 with animal style fries yesterday. yum.......

Kuo is frikkin awesome. There's nothing else to it.

434 the internet?

But Juan Pierre is never on base...

If you look at Jones's stats at B-Ref, he didn't start to hit till about his third year in the big leagues.

http://preview.tinyurl.com/5bja8

Were the intervening 10 years between that and last year just one long fluke?

Discuss.

I'll never send Juan Pierre a Christmas card but I'd trade Andruw Jones straight up for him.

The thing I don't get is why folks get upset at the player (as I write this for the hundreth time). Yell at Ned, curse (okay don't curse) Torre for writing his name in the lineup but lets give Jones at least until the ASB to see if he has anything

I don't believe for one second (not one!) that your attitude toward Jones would change if he still sucks after the ASB. Sorry, I just don't.

An old friend who now lives in San Diego couldn't believe that I had spent three days in LA and not eaten at In-and-Out.

434 Two cousins who live in California who visit and bring gifts. The Sacramento one brought me a new one last month and his sister turned up with another one just a week later. Independently, apparently.

422 Perhaps you are right. It's just that I was thinking that maybe Pierre not being in the lineup just might lift the spirits of the other players and perhaps that leads to better hitting from them.

I do know one thing, it certainly lifts my spirits when he (Pierre) is not in the lineup.

Kuo should pitch more often.

That's not what Colletti says..

Last Saturday we had a family reunion up in Sacramento. All of my out-of-state relatives were absolutely flocking to In-n-Out.

Kuo - increasing his trade value with a great inning - again.

There is an In-n-Out and a Tommys within two blocks of my house.

452 Oh, so I take it you don't live in CA. That would explain things.

I don't understand how I spent 18 months off and on in Culver City/Santa Monica during the mid-1980s and didn't find In-n-Out on my own.

That man is so good. Probably has the best stuff on the team.

459 Honolulu.

Win Expectancy at 89%.

458 I would weigh 400 pounds.

385 bhsportsguy
Agreed. A really poor AB. Runners on and ends up missing a hanging slider?

405 Bob Timmermann
You're going to lose more close ballgames than you should with ABs like that.

450 You know what, it might not. Because reality tells me he will still play regardless, and I have hard time arguing with reality.

Anothony!

nomah!

Hey, at least he is doing something.

Welcome back Mr. Garciaparra.

a HR in many other parks.

466
Yes. He will still play.

465

The veteran players had bad at-bats earlier in the game as well. It happens to every player.

I thought Ethier just had two hits.

I guess I was misinformed or I was just engorged on BBQ.

Man, Phone Company Park must have the hardest (non-rubber) warning track in baseball.

458 Where I live, there's an In N'Out and a Tommy's across the street from each other. It's convenient, but it makes life hard when you have to choose. It's like choosing between two of your own children which one is your favorite.

Great play by Rowand. Lewis needs a new glove.

That is when things are going your way.

Wow, Fred Lewis is a really terrible outfielder.

460 It wasn't in that area at least until the mid-1990s, you had to go to some out of the way places in the mid-1980's to find it.

474.
Vin said it is a rubber warning track.

474 Vin said the warning track is rubberized.

If Nomar can just stay healthy...yeah, I know...

It may not be saying much, but Nomar is a big upgrade offensively at SS. Let's hope for a health miracle.

475.
Haha, its easy for me, In n Out all the way.

480 Thanks.

I'm tired of talking about Jones.

Apparently, his defense is so great and wonderful, he can hit below the Mendoza line safely. and he is paid too much to ever sit on the bench, despite the fact that there is precedent for highly paid-players to be benched or even cut loose by teams before.

The important thing is, we're winning.

Andy - 2nd walk today.

there's your leadoff hitter.

The Batflip should not be bunting.

479 I've wondered. I drove around a lot while I was there, and I don't remember seeing them. The usual suspects like MickeyD and Burger King and Jack were in evidence, but the local variations, not so much.

Oh how I hope Ethier makes them pay for this insult.

This is strange, Make 'em pay Andre!

Kemp has been intentionally walked more times in the leadoff spot than anywhere else in the lineup. Boost the OBP.

Shall we all chant for a triple?

this is odd. walking Kemp to pitch to Ethier. Maybe Ethier threw on Sweeney's uniform in between innings.

So do u think they will let him k 5 times? I don't know if I have ever seen that before but I mostly only watch the dodgers.

490 The In N Out in the westside is on Venice, west of Robertson next to a Blockbuster. There is one in Westwood but that got built probably in the late 90's (help me out Bruins).

Ethier is so locked in right now.

498

but Hinshaw is nasty on lefties.

Ouch. I hope that doesn't come back to bite us.

Great job of pitching by what's his name.

How many pitches were in the first Ethier AB?

Vin Says 14,
Gameday says 10.

484 Me too, but if I always go to In N' Out, I feel like I'm somehow neglecting Tommy's while playing favorite's to In N' Out in full view of Tommy's, and I feel that the neglect might affect Tommy's as it did when John Adams neglected Charles it will Tommy's into a womanizing, drunkard of a fast-food establishment. In other words, like Carl's Jr.

497 My first time at In N Out, I had a 4X4, the only time I ever had one.

Ethier's had a nice 2,3 games I'm glad. I'm not watching the game at the moment but by the sound of Stieners voice Kuo is dealing.

If the Dodgers ever have a player hit for the cycle again, the Cycle Alert System will be discontinued.

Hey! An old friend! (sorta)

Not an old friend but I am sure for those of us not in the Bay area, here's our first look at Travis Denker.

I like this Denker guy's swing. We should trade for him.

Find it odd that all 5 runs are unearned. I know that's the rule and all, but the guy drops a fly ball that would have been out number 1, then the pitcher is let off the hook for giving up double after double after double.

506 How can you be sure Shimmin won't commandeer it?

]509] Line forms at the Central Library reference desk.

Kuo broke Russell's glove. wow.

speaking as a L.A. born and raised guy living in the Puget Sound ..I would kill to have either In-n-Out or Tommy's here, but if I had to pick one ...it would be Tommy's ....god I'm hungry now and no chance of having either, sigh

509 Actually, I saw him last year when he played for the 66'ers. He went 3 for 4 with a 2B, a HR, and a BB. James McDonald also pitched that game.

Kuo might healthy his way into the closer's role in a year or two.

That man so nasty.

Kuo - Wow.

Kuo is awesome, I assume the person who said he was increasing his trade value was trying to be funny

In-N-Out is, in my opinion, the best fast-food hamburger place. Since there are so few of them -- only one in Monterey County, where I live -- it is a real treat to eat at them. In fact, I have a listing of their locations on a card. In-N-Out is the only business whose T-shirt I have ever purchased, and I remember when McDonald's sold hamburgers for 17 cents each.

I never go to In 'n' Out because the waits are too long and I have insanely high opportunity costs.

518
Seldom used, great stuff. What could you get for him in as part of a package.
Why has Torre held Kuo back this year?

I used to own a Phillipe's shirt. When I was like 11.

Martin with another double to lead off the inning.

This should be interesting.

521 Include him in a package for J.J. Hardy?

Jones makes progress by putting the ball in play.

Victory! He hit the ball!

And `Druw dodges the platinum bullet.

They should stop the game and give him that ball.

Lewis is unbelievably bad in the OF.

Lewis is unbelievably bad in the OF.

Garciaparra with his second double driving in Martin!

Wow. Who is that kid playing SS?

I would have hoped a left fielder could have caught that, but maybe not.

Nomar, please stay healthy.

Has this piece already been discussed? McDonald and Hu for Sabathia? I'd take THAT deal.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/8313060/Dodgers-join-Brewers-in-pursuit-of-Sabathia

I was going to say our black hole had moved to where Jones and Nomar were but I may be doing an injustice to Nomar. Perhaps it is only a 1/2 half black hole, or perhaps a neutron star.
It is too early to say this, so I won't.

The Dodgers need to get one guy on base to give Ethier another swing.

Or the Giants could just tie the game.

The yellow alert is still in place.

Maybe next game the Dodgers can pick on Durham?

Wouldn't Andruw fit the Dodger brass parameters of a player who isn't: "prepared to put in the work, listen to coaches and get better every day"?

Nice. 0-2 fastball down the heart.

536 McDonald, Hu, and LaRoche. But reading closely, I see Rosenthal has no real clue who the three allegedly offered players might be. And I'm not sure why we need CC anyway. A Wilson deal does now seem possible, but for less than those three. As always, I'm suspicious of Rosenthal.

I blame Russell for a great deal of this. Call for something other than a damn fastball.

The Dodgers gift box is open again.
Broxton does not have his best stuff today.

Despite what you may think, Andruw Jones is a ballplayer.

So we pull Kuo when he is crusing (why?) and now we have no one warming up in the bullpen when Brox is strugling, great managing here by Torre

Kemp does have some baseball sense. See how he flipped that foul ball to a Dodger fan?

543 You said it.

All fastballs. This is ridiculous.

I don't think I've seen Broxton pitch this year when he HASN'T imploded. Sigh.

Time to bring in Beimel.

Rich Aurilia... A true Dodger at heart.

Brox didnt give up a run in all of June. not so much for May and now June.

Aurilia swinging on the 1st pitch with the bases juiced no out.

Thanks!

In N Out has to be the most overrated thing in California.

The reality is Jones will play. Complaining about a reality you don't like is perfectly reasonable. I never complain about realities I'm in favor of. And with Jones, I don't want to lay back and think of England.

497 The Westwood In-n-Out was pretty much brand new when I got there in 1999

Andy!!!!!!!!!

Hello Andy!

Beautiful Andy.

Oh yeah! Man that homer was good to see!

Dr. L!!!

That's what we like to see!

DeWitt doesn't do THAT very often...

from what I understand the Dodgers SHOULD have made a couple of plays they didn't and the end was bad.

Andy showing off some true cleanup skills today... power & patience.

LaRoche > DeWitt. Period.

LaRoche!

Re: 553

A little confused on my end.

Awesome. Too bad Andy's one of the "kids who doesn't do what he's told, put out a lot of effort, etc.".

BTW - Frozen rope bomb is struck off of a RHP.

I'm very happy for Andy.

Andy's OPS jumped roughly 100 points with that dinger.

550

Perhaps you haven't been watching the end of many games this year

LaRoche sweet

"Let them Play! Let Them Play!"

566 "LaRoche > DeWitt. Period."

Exactly. :-)

566 Was that ever a debate?

I mean, what can you possibly be looking for to take an 0-2 fastball right down the middle. It really just blows my mind.

569 In case you haven't noticed, Andy is (mainly) white.

577 Curveball outside?

577 A curve ball?

given how much Plaschke etc like DeWitt, surely his trade value must be at an all-time high....

{566} I mean, DeWitt's a nice story and all, but I can't believe anyone thought he was a better option for 3rd then LaRoche is. The only question about LaRoche has been health. I don't think it's ever been ability.

By the way I wouldn't include LaRoche in a CC trade. I could live with Hu and McDonald, and I would pass on the whole trade idea anyway. Let the Brewers have him.

Kemp is just way to scared of the breaking stuff. his bat is too quick to be late on so many fastballs.

577 , 578

You don't look offspeed when you are down in the count. Obviously thats what he was doing, but its the absolute wrong way to hit. Down 0-2, your job is to put the ball into play. Look fastball and adjust. Look offspeed, and we all saw the result.

LaRoche, Nomar, Ethier, Martin were all great today.

573 Nope. I live near Sacramento. But I managed to see all three games where Broxton has given up more than 1 run. It's kind of frustrating, because I know he's good but all I ever see is bad Broxton.

Games where Pierre has 0 ABs:

10-3 record, 6.85 runs scored per game

Games where Pierre has 1 or more ABs:

32-41 record, 5.08 runs scored per game

But DeWitt is a ballplayer!

This truth is self-evident.

4 in a row. I forgot what that's like.

Can all the Sabathia trade talks just stop? Would we really have the inside track to sign him this offseason if we traded for him? I would assume he would still just go for the best deal given to him - it's not like he would have any allegiance to us.

588 "But DeWitt is a ballplayer!"

LaRoche's OPS: .758
Dewitt's: .703

By Plaschke's standards, he most certainly is.

586

Hang in there, he'll show up this series

I spent this morning moving rocks and I'll spend the rest of the holiday dining on leftovers and watching cartoons all by myself. But, I don't care. This come-from-behind win and the homers by Andre and LaRoche have really made my day.

This is good. I haven't figured out why yet, however.

Does anybody think it is possible for the Dodgers to get CC and trade Lowe to compensate and get a good shortstop in the Lowe trade?

I nominate Kuo to be the next in line to be the closer.

A win over the Giants is always a bit more satisfying.
Congratulations to Mr. Garciaparra.

Onward to a 5 game win streak.

Before this year wasn't the book on Wilson that he was a weak ofensive SS

The scary thing for me is that IF Pierre dose not get hurt with Jones back in action one of Kemp or Ethier would have to sit (from past trends I'm thinking Ethier sits) thus depriving us fans from seeing the great game Ethier had, that's what WE'VE BEEN DEALING with & will CONTINUE to deal with UNLESS Pierre gets dealt, I'm sorry if this sounds mean but his little singles & stolen bases just aren't what we need.

My Dodger outfield:

Ethier - LF
A-Jones - CF
The Bison - RF

From Dictionary dot Com - depriving >>1. to remove or withhold something from the enjoyment or possession of (a person or persons): to deprive a man of life; to deprive a baby of candy.

Is it worth pointing out that Pierre has out-OPSed Jones by more than 100 points this season...?

598 Traditionally he is, but 2004 and 2007 were pretty good years and he's done well when healthy this year. Plus, he's always had a good glove.

Garciaparra is getting the headlines tomorrow, people.

Bill Plaschke wrote that part of the reason Paul DePodesta was fired was because he did not inqure about the availability of Mike Scioscia.

Did y'all know that? I didn't know that.

And the entire DT family...

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!

I'm off to the Rose Bowl.

Happy Independence Day, my American friends! Oh, but at what a high cost your independence has come! The latest issue of Canada's national news magazine, MacLean's (think of it as Canada's Time or Newsweek) has this on its front cover: "Canadians vs. Americans, The Startling Facts: We're Wealthier and Healthier, We Work Less And Live Longer. And We're Way More, Um, Romantic." I think MacLean's' editors could have made their point more concisely by saying "Canadians Rule, Americans Drool!" but I'm not in the magazine business.

Same here, happy & safe 4th to one & all.

603 I'm happy for Nomar. If Nomar performs and stays healthy, we won't need to make a trade for an SS.

605 Well, you did give us R. Martin.

I wanna know what "Um, Romantic," means in that context.

607 - Me too. How great is it to get some offensive firepower from the shortstop position? Feels like it's been forever.

Now Ned, just resist the temptation to lock up Nomar for next year... :)

I hope your open minded Jon, I read a book by John E. Sarno a while back out of curiosity "The Mind Body proscription" & it seemed to make a lot of sense... anyways, his latest seems even better [ http://tinyurl.com/5ssb8z ]

W00t! as the kids today say.

Just watched the tape of the game, and skimmed through the comments here.

But I'll just say that the heroes were pretty obvious:
Ethier (can we stop calling him 3.5 now?)
Kuo
Fred Lewis

I also thought the Dodgers did the right thing going for a field goal.

Lowe to his credit both pitched out of some trouble, finished okay, and in the 1st he really didn't pitch badly but his own error didn't help.
Jones looks lost at the plate still, though I will say the home plate ump's rather wide zone didn't help and at least he had better at bats later. I will withhold judgement on his comeback for at least a week or two.

But I have to say I think my favorite moment didn't end up mattering much, but Andy's home run brought the biggest smile to my face.

Too bad I couldn't be in SF to enjoy it.

Happy Red, White and Blue Day for the Blue.

Oh, and I'm really happy to have Nomar back.

Here's the Macleans article:

http://preview.tinyurl.com/6omydq

Apparently Americans are marrying more than Canadians are; our neighbors up North are (gasp!) bypassing the formalities.

613 - Seriously, right? Who'da thunk it? Nomar could really bail out the Dodgers, both this season and beyond, if he can play an adequate shortstop and provide a little bit o' pop.

Yeah, I wasn't worried about Nomar's bat ultimately. Like everyone I worry a little about his range at short, and more about his injury-prone-ness. But so far so good.

I remember all the articles about who was the better shortstop, Nomar or Jeter. I was predisposed toward Nomar then, partly because of decades of Yankee-hatred (still have that, too), but also because I thought he had better range than Jeter. If he can just catch everything within sensible reach and throw people out while hitting reasonably well (and stay healthy), I'd be quite happy with him.

If Sweeney pitch hits in the 6th inning instead of Young, and goes out as usual, that's 2 outs, no runs yet. LaRoche and Garciaparra remain on 1st and 2nd. Then Kemp comes up and strikes out. End of inning. 5 runs do not score. Dodgers lose.

Sometimes it might actually matter to have a pinch hitter who can hit, even if it takes freakish circumstances. They happen too.

609 -- By that MacLean's means that statistics indicate that Canadians have sex more often than Americans and the "sessions" last longer. Canadians are also more likely to engage in bedroom "activities" (such as role playing or wearing sexy underwear) and visit a sex toy shop (they say Americans are more likely to purchase erotic toys on-line rather than visit a shop). MacLean's does say, however, that "There is one activity...that's far more popular south of the border: having sex in the bathroom. A 2005 survey showed 70 per cent of Americans have done so, more than double the number of Canadians."

I'll be watching the Rose Bowl fireworks from my backyard. I'll only be able to see the very highest/largest ones though. And I'm two miles away. Other than that it'll be just like I am there.

so in essence, Canadians lie even more about their sex life than Americans do. Oh, and we have bigger bathrooms too I guess.

[in a Ben Stein voice] W-O-W. the science channel is SO hip, they are showing "How It Works" remix addition.

there so hip.

On Independence Day, MLB at least allowed the Blue Jays to wear a maple leaf design rather than stars and stripes.

Suffering Bruin is way behind on the Bill Plaschke moral outrage train.

The Dodgers won a game I attended because I didn't attend it with underdog.

621 -- Granted, there is a big methodological problem with trusting the respondents to survey questions, but it is easy to determine that across Canada there is a more liberal attitude toward sex than there is across the US, and that would likely have consequences on frequency of sexual activity. Canada's liberal attitude toward sex and sex education has translated into fewer teen pregnancies and lower rate of transmission of sex-related disease among teens. And that is not something that depends on survey questions to establish. Canada has 3,050 teen pregnancies per 100,000 teen females compared to 7,200 in the US. And in 2006, chlamydia rates among American teenage girls were double the rates for Canadian girls of the same age.

May I take a moment to declare my crush on Canadian Women? I've run into a couple that are so pretty... ahhhh.

For a good example, just watch "How I Met Your Mother" :)

627 - Easy and easy on the eyes.;-)

Different sparks for different parks:

Florida 17, Colorado 12, seventh inning
Arizona 0, San Diego 0, fifth inning

618

Amen.

629.
Florida 17
Colorado 16
Bottom 7th.

NPUT

Las Vegas 51's: 6
Colorado Springs Sky Sox: 4
Bottom of the 6th

604 I was off to the Rose Bowl but then Malibu Canyon caught fire right in front of us... and I had to turn back to Campus. Oh well, wearing my Vin Scully commencement address commemorative cap while I read.