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One Flew Over the Dodger's Nest
2003-06-26 08:24
Staying one step ahead of the men in the white coats... The Dodgers have all the hitting they need. Oh, crap - they're on me. Kick it into gear, man. Against left-handed pitching! Against left-handed pitching! They don't look appeased. Make your case. .283 average, .342 OBP, .448 slugging, .789 OPS against southpaws. They're not saying anything. But why are they circling around me? The Dodgers' OPS against lefties is seventh in the league. They're scratching their heads. They're flummoxed. OPSeses vs. lefties Uh oh - they think I've gone bi-polar. Why did I have to mention McGriff? Think fast. Kinkade plays first instead of McGriff. If Jordan's injured, you can even play Coomer at first with Kinkade in left. No questioning that logic. I must be sane. Now, go for true enlightenment. Cora should start against lefties, Cabrera against righties. ...???... Cora should start against lefties, Cabrera against righties. "Get him!!!!" Aaaaaahhhh!!!!!! And ... scene. The point of this little play has been to dramatize the revelation I had Wednesday night in watching the Dodgers improve to 15-4 against left-handed starters. 1a) Against lefties, Lo Duca, Green, Jordan, Kinkade and Beltre can put the bat on the ball. 1b) Against lefties, though it's a small sample, Cora is hitting decently. 1c) Against lefties, the Dodgers don't need to sacrifice defense at second base for the offensive boost of a Cabrera. 2a) Against righties, only three players have OPSeses over .700: Cabrera, Lo Duca and McGriff. Green is at .699. 2b) Against righties, Cabrera hits better than he does against lefties: .893 vs. .759. 2c) Against righties, the Dodgers do need to sacrifice at second base for the offensive boost of a Cabrera. It's counterintuitive, but the Dodgers should consider playing Cabrera and Cora against same-sided pitchers. And a minimum, if the Dodgers pursue a trade, they'd better make sure that whomever they acquire can rake righties. The Funnies An inning later, Giants pitcher Damian Moss was called for a balk by Tuesday night's Dodger antagonist, Angel Hernandez. The cameras immediately cut to Felipe Alou and Odalis Perez in their respective dugouts - both were laughing and shaking their heads, scoffily. Angel, we won't soon forget ye. That's Not All from Angel Rear-View Mirror San Francisco 47-33 -- Oroscopy Is This What Happened to Daryle Ward on Tuesday?
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