oh no. let's not be giving the "professional hitter" tag to robles already.

maybe Robles can lead the Dodgers back to the promised land? could happen, couldn't it?

1-yes, that was the kiss of death to Saenz

Vishal, would you prefer Situational Hitter, or is that reserved for Repko?

He better be a professional hitter. They all better hit in a professional manner. Last I checked they're all getting a professional salary.

no, Repko is the situational defender

4. i thought repko was Scrappy(TM)

5 - picky picky

Random Dodger game callback

July 5, 1987

Two teams going nowhere faced off at Three Rivers Stadium on a Sunday afternoon, and it was the Dodgers who were the better team, besting the Pirates 6-1 behind five strong innings from Orel Hershiser and then using some good fielding to preserve the lead. The Dodgers were now 37-43 and in fifth place, 8 ½ games behind Cincinnati.

Hershiser held the Pirates to just one hit over five innings, before departing with a sore back. By that time, the Dodgers were already up 6-0 against Pittsburgh starter Brian Fisher.

The Dodgers scored in the top of the first. Dave Anderson led off with a single and went to second when Barry Bonds booted the ball in left. Danny Heep doubled in Anderson. The Dodgers scored again in the second when Mickey Hatcher singled and Mike Scioscia doubled him home.

Franklin Stubbs tripled to lead off the fourth and scored on a sacrifice fly by Scioscia. And in the fifth, Anderson reached second on an error by second baseman Johnny Ray and then scored on Heep's second double of the day. In the sixth, Stubbs singled, scored on a triple by Hatcher, who in turn scored on a Steve Sax sacrifice fly.

In the bottom of the sixth, Alejandro Pena relieved (Hershiser was suffering back spasms) and walked Mike LaValliere and Rafael Belliard to start off the inning. After a strikeout, Pena walked Bonds to load the bases and then Andy Van Slyke to force in a run. Out came Pena and in came lefty reliever Matt Young.

Johnny Ray hit a sharp grounder through the middle, which Anderson dove for and gloved and was able to shovel it to Sax who turned it into an inning-ending double play. Young finished up the game for his seventh save.

The 1987 Dodgers had lots of changes and numerous injuries. The Dodgers waived Jerry Ruess and Bill Madlock early in the season. Tom Niedenfuer was traded to Baltimore. The team also had trouble filling the shortstop position as both Mariano Duncan and Anderson went down with injuries. The Dodgers had to acquire Glenn Hoffman on August 21 to fill the position. Phil Garner even had to fill in at the position once.

Garner earned some respect from his teammates in 1987 for the unusual reason of getting into a fight with injury-plagued outfielder Mike Marshall. Although he didn't say so on the record, it was believed that Garner felt that Marshall was a malingerer. Nevertheless, Garner was granted free agency and Marshall would return in 1988.

Pedro Guerrero was the only steady player on offense. He batted .338 with a .416 OBP and slugged 27 homers. The Dodgers tried a rookie named Mike Ramsey in center field, who would have an obscure, yet memorable career. John Shelby eventually took over the position.

Hershiser went 16-16 with a 3.06 ERA and led the NL with 264 2/3 innings pitched. Local hero Fernando Valenzuela showed signs of wearing down. He led the league in hits allowed and walks and went 14-14 with a 3.98 ERA.

But overall it was a dismal year. The Dodgers finished 73-89 and 17 games behind division-winning San Francisco in fourth place. There would be help in the off-season, but most of it came from an arbitrator who ruled that baseball's owners had colluded earlier to keep some free agents from signing. Some players were made free agents again, including Detroit outfielder Kirk Gibson.

The Dodgers new general manager, Fred Claire, who had replaced longtime GM Al Campanis after a disastrous interview on "Nightline" in April where he set a record for most inappropriate comments made in a 10-minute period, would be investigating the "second look" free agents.

Thanks to the Los Angeles Times, BaseballReference.com and Retrosheet

actually, Saenz is a thoroughly professional hitter as opposed to a professional hitter

Bob's back with some juicy stuff. Franklin Stubbs, Glenn Hoffmann, a Garner-Marshall fight, omens of Kirk Gibson, an error by Bonds. And of course, Mike Ramsey! Welcome home.

The way I feel now, I'm glad I wrote this up a long time ago.

The good old days when Bonds was out of our division.

is there a link to the josh wall signing i can go too?

I like when the RDGCs are from time periods I was alive for.

Bonds was the leadoff hitter for the Pirates in 1987.

Johnny Ray batted third and "old friend" Sid Bream was the cleanup hitter.

Icaros won't like tomorrow's RDGC then. I doubt anyone will using that standard.

He will have to wait until July 16.

It's not that I don't like the other ones, it's just that I can better envision the ones with players I actually remember watching.

Any news on Drew or the player to be sent down, or will Vin tell us?

I think Icaros needs to channel the spirit of Zack Wheat to help him out.

14 - There's no information online other than what I wrote that I've seen. But I'd expect something from the beat writers later today.

Re: the link to the article about Scully...

I think the "This is L.A. Baseball" TV spots are somewhat stupid and more than a little creepy, but the one thing that I love about them is the fact that Vin Scully's voice can be heard through the whole thing. When he's telling me that this is L.A. baseball, I don't mind so much.

Vin Scully is L.A. baseball.

howd you hear about it jon? (the wall signing)

Re 22: Are the "This is LA Baseball" spots even playing anymore? Lately I've only seen the "Fun for the Whole Family" (or whatever it is) spots. Whatever you thought of "LA Baseball", and I thought the campaign was highly problematic, the new one is truly pathetic.

But, we keep losing and the turnstiles keep turning. We are the Cubs.

I guess that Robles player we saw in spring training was not a mirage. Good to know that he will be an adequate utility player. Like Vinny I was very impressed with his at bats last night.
I guess Jason Choi will be on the bench for the rest of the series since were facing Francis/Kennedy.

I'm going to take another tact to try to explain why I'm concerned about the Dodgers trading significant prospects for Adam Dunn.

First, based on the top 2004 - 2005 offseason signings, teams have paid on average $1.87 million / offensive WARP.

Prior to the season, Adam Dunn was projected by Baseball Prospectus at 6.5 WARP for 2005, 6.5 WARP for 2006, and 5.9 WARP for 2007. So far this season, Dunn has accumulated a 4.0 WARP in half a season, thus he's on pace to beat the 6.5 WARP estimate by 21.5%. Increasing the 2006 and 2007 WARP estimates correspondingly by 21.5% leads to 7.9 WARP and 7.2 WARP projections respectively. These are likely optimistic seeing as I've implicitly weighted his 2005 half season performance much higher than his previous seasons, which were accounted for in the original estimates.

My conservative assumptions are that Dunn will make $10 million in 2006 and $11 million in 2007 based on arbitration. Thus, beyond 2005, we'd be paying $22 million for 15.1 WARP, which is $1.46 million / WARP. Thus, Dunn saves the team $6.1 million for his 15.1 WARP ($0.41 million / WARP) vs. going rate on the free agent market.

Second, based on the top 2004 - 2005 offseason signings, teams have paid on average $2.16 million / pitching WARP.

Assuming that the reported Astros offer is accurate, the Dodgers would have to part with three top pitching prospects to obtain Dunn. For instance, Derek Thompson, Chad Billingsley, and Chuck Tiffany. Also, let's assume that just one of those pitchers would contribute significantly to the Dodgers pitching staff as a 4th / 5th starter. For the purpose of simplicity, we'll just take into account pre-arbitration years of 2006, 2007, and 2007. I think a fair projection for WARP contribution is 2.5 in 2006, 3.0 in 2007, and 3.5 in 2008 for approximately $0.35 million / year (pre-arbitration). That's 9.0 WARP for $1.05 million, which is $0.12 million / WARP. That saves the team $18.4 million for the 9.0 WARP ($2.04 million / WARP) vs. the going rate on the free agent market.

Looking just at 2006 and 2007, the Dodgers would pay $22 milion for 15.1 WARP for Dunn or $0.70 million for 5.5 WARP from their pitching prospects. If the Dodgers stick with the prospects, they'll have $21.3 million available in 2006 and 2007, which would obtain ~11.4 WARP on the free agent market. Thus, with the pitching prospects, the Dodgers would get about 16.9 WARP from their $22 million, whereas with Adam Dunn, the Dodgers would get about 15.1 WARP from their $22 million. Adam Dunn is obviously more of a sure thing, but the upside from the pitching prospects is much higher and the impact goes beyond 2006 and 2007.

If I felt like the Dodgers were one piece away from seriously competing this season, I would definitely go for Adam Dunn. Players are typically more expensive to trade for mid-season because there is a premium placed on that "one last piece". But, this isn't the position the Dodgers are in. Instead, I believe they should be looking primarily to 2006 and 2007. If this is the case, they would be better off either a) making a trade in the offseason when the premium on established players is not so high, or b) signing a free agent such as Brian Giles at the market rate.

25

I think Choi will be riding the pine the remainder of the season except for giving occasional rests to the others.

Of course it seems his greatest role now, as revealed last night, is "announced pinch hitter to make them change their reliever"

Xlnt analysis FB. I just posted this far more simplistic note on the prior thread...

Adam Dunn fun fact:

.246/.390/.560 - 87 k's
.950 OPS - 15th in MLB

Turn 10 k's into singles:
.284/.420/.597
1.017 OPS - 4th in MLB

10 k's in 333 PA's and you've got Albert Pujols. 10 k's to turn all the batting average witches into fairies.

So signability aside, I hereby request that all Dunn-naysayers also explain why they would prefer X prospect over Albert Pujols.

vr,
bigcpa

26-Other than Adrian Beltre and Eric Gagne, who is the last Dodger prospect to actually produce something of significance for us....way to many busts to not trade for the sure thing.

27-I think Grabowski's future lies in that role.

dunn doesnt hit singles though lol.

28

yes, but what makes Dunn so good...

RE 25, 27

This peeing match (I don't know where the profanity line is here) has gone on long enough. If Choi doesn't get a chance to play, and DePo won't fire the manager that won't give him a chance to play, why not trade him now? I like Choi as much as anybody, but how much deadweight do we need on this roster? Also one would figure he'd have pretty good value, for all the reasons that we like him (homers, walks, contract status).

Again, not advocating a trade, just saying that something's gotta give here.

23 - It's in the Dodger press notes for today, which you can gain access if you are registered at Dodgers.com. But I can't link to it.

And WARP aside- Dunn is one BIG BAD M.F. that would make watching 500 hours of baseball a year far more enjoyable. I challenge anyone here to not get chills picturing Dunn in his #44 road grays bombing balls completely beyond the hippie kayaks in McCovey Cove.

#28: If only wishes actually were singles :). If you changed 10 of Choi's Ks into singles, here's his line:

.282/.361/.510 (.871 OPS)

I doubt he'd be sitting on the bench.

Unfortunately, Adam Dunn isn't Albert Pujols and Hee Seop Choi isn't Mark Texeira.

35 -- I'm sold. Of course, I was sold already. But outdriving the hippie kayaks puts the capper on it.

#33: Yeah. I feel the same way. Especially since this season looks like it will take a miracle, let's see what we have in Choi. His upside is tremendous. Unfortunately, I'm not sure he would get decent value without some playing time. There aren't too many "new school" GMs out there.

"In a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened."

Vin, can I get one for 2005?

What if we changed 10 of Erickson's HRs allowed into strikeouts?

#37: That is a nice mental image, but the image of him missing a bunch of flyballs in left field is the one that haunts me.

What's wrong with Adam Dunn as just Adam Dunn? I mean I know Harold Reynolds wants the Reds to clear him out so that "All-Star" Ryan Freel can get some playing time, but for the rest of us who don't live on "Planet Second Base," I just don't see the Adam Dunn downside.

That does NOT mean we trade our ALL-FUTURE franchise-making SHORTSTOP for him.

Tiffany, Braz, and Werth. Throw in Izturis. Pisses off Plaschke, gets us Adam Dunn. It's all good.

Who needs a left fielder when we have all these alleged "ground ball" pitchers around?

28 - I'd take Dunn over any prospect in the system if they had the same salary. The complication comes when you factor in length of dodgerdom and salary.

I'm not sure how many years prospects have of minimums + arbitration years (little help?), but as far as I understand it, if we had Dunn, we'd have him at our disposal for next year and that's it. Is a year and a half of Dunn wise when your best years are ahead of you?

The players used to aquire Dunn in 2005 might be more wisely spent or USED in game in 2006 or 2007, depending on the prospects.

It's not a matter of player for player, so what's the point of explaining "why they would prefer X prospect over Albert Pujols."

Quick update to my post above. Bill Plunkett of the Register got some quotes indicating that DePodesta hasn't ruled out trying to save 2005, but that strongly imply he's not going to torch the future of the team to do so. In other words, sort of the compromise most of us have arrived at.

It also might mean that DePodesta is finding that the Reds are asking for too much for Adam Dunn.

HBP update
The Dodgers are second in the NL in HBPs now with 40, 1 behind Washington. Toronto has 44.

The LA Dodgers record is 72, set in 2003. The Dodgers are on pace for 79. The Brooklyn team record is 125 set in 1899.

However breaking the 2003 record could be iffy since two of the most "hittable" batters are JD Drew and Hee-Seop Choi. They both have five, the same number as Scrappy Repko.

I don't know if this is luck or design, but Jayson Werth has no HBPs in the regular season.

DePo just needs to make Cincy an offer they can't refuse.

Sorry, I watched The Godfather last night for the first time since I was about six-years-old.

Made a lot more sense this time around.

I feel somewhat like Michael Corleone's wife in Sicily
Except my week has gone Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Tuesday.

Just don't start the car, Bob.

Wonder what the over/under for Perez is for tonight? Hope Tracy won't have to make any BUNT decisions tonight.

#42: I think everyone falls on the side of wanting Adam Dunn on our team vs. another team. But, the question is how much is he worth and can we get him for that much. Steve, your trade makes me a little bit uncomfortable, but Izturis, Thompson, and Tiffany I would definitely do. Honestly, I just get uncomfortable seeing LaRoche, Guzman, Martin, or Billingsley in the list of candidates. I'd bet that at least one of those four becomes a perennial All-Star, and I'd rather not take a chance it's for another team.

The Nationals are now 2 ahead of the Dodgers in HBPs. Pedro Martinez just hit Jose Guillen.

The first place Nationals are batting Carlos Baerga cleanup.

Izturis could be a perrenial All-Star, and LoDuca already is.

Doesn't hurt so much.

As long as Robles keeps hitting, we won't be missing Izzy too much.

I think A. Perez or Valentin would replace Izzy...

#44: Players are under team control for their first 6 full years of service time. A player with less than 3 full years of service time can be renewed at whatever salary the team chooses. They might have to give at least a token raise (10%), but I'm not sure. The exception to this rule is Super-twos, players who have are in the top 17% of service time for players with more than 2 years of service time and less than three. Super-twos are made arbitration eligible to stop GMs from trying to get 3.99 years of pre-arbitration service time from players. After 3 years of service time, players remain arbitration eligible until they are no longer under team control.

A Perez is tailing off, predictably...Valentin isn't back yet...Robles works the pitchers the way DePo was taught should be done when he was in Oakland...

Who knows...

#53: Indeed. I meant statistical All-Stars, as opposed to overrated Joe Morgan All-Stars.

51 -- Well, FB, I would do that too, but that's precisely why the Reds won't do it. You've got to give to get.

That said, I draw the line at Guzman. When he's 42, has broken Rose's hits record, won 17 Gold Gloves at shortstop, and is closing in on A-Rod's record of 822 home runs, I'm not going to be the guy who advocated trading him for Adam Dunn.

That's why I like trades where Braz is involved. When your upside is Guillermo Mota, that's limited.

Let's just say DePo made a call to Dunn's agent under a pseudonym, say "The Sheriff." And let's just say Dunn's agent indicated #44 would sign an extension for 5 yrs/$50M upon setting foot at LAX. How would that change the debate?

This stuff must go on everyday. The Tim Hudson trade & sign being the prime suspect.

some news from the lower minors.

travis denker leads the sally league in walks. impressive for a 19 yr old.

57 - A. Perez is one of the best on the team at working pitch counts. Valentin has long been one of the best in baseball at seeing a lot of pitches per at-bat as well.

We'll see how long Robles keeps it up.

62 - they will each have their streaks

61-the type of performance a GM such as DePo would value highly

travis denker, a 21st round pick in 2003 draft at 19 yrs old as a 2b
279/404/471

blake dewitt, a 28th overall pick in the 2004 draft at 19 yrs old as a 3b
265/313/417

60 - Dunn Deal.

#57: I would estimate that Robles could keep up the following batting line, based on his current strikeout rate and a .320 BABIP:

.280/.340/.335 (.675 OPS)

Assuming Izturis' true OPS is in the range of .675 - .715, the main difference would be defense. Izturis is an above average shortstop, whereas Robles is right around average or slightly below (his Rate2 is 100 in 9 games). Overall, the difference between the two of them probably amounts to about 1 - 1.5 WARP over the course of a season.

And the three Astros prospects rumored earlier were graded by Sickels as "B" prospects. He's not the end-all of scouting, I know, but it shows the Reds shouldn't ask for our top 3 pitching prospects if there was any truth to the Astros' rumored deal.

Tiffany, Brazoban, and Orenduff would probabaly be the equivalent of the Astros offer.

Maybe Aubrey Huff makes more sense financially and prospect-wise.

And I still don't see why some people think 2007/8 is the "target" year for a run at the world series instead of next season. I know some of those prospects should be up by then, but some of our current pitchers might not look as solid three years from now. Drew might not be around. Kent will likely not be around. Bradley may or may not still be here. Who's to say that future team will have a better shot than next year's? At least we KNOW we have a solid nucleus for next season.

Ugh. Robles, Izturis. Blah. Who cares?

#65: I have been extremely impressed with Denker as well. Assuming he can handle second base defensively longterm, he should easily our make our top 30 in next year's update. Second base is turning into a pretty deep position with Delwyn Young (AA), Travis Denker (High-A), and Tony Abreu (Low-A) all playing well.

i think denker has the highest upside out of all of them, due his age vs performance in the sally league and his awesome walk rate and improving power.

70. It looks like we are well stocked with infield prospects and pretty bare with outfielders. Maybe we should start converting some of our infielders to outfielders.

I remember when we had Russell and Lopes converted to infielders. I would think that it might be easier to convert to outfielder.

Steve,

Should we convert Guzman to OF?

in two at bats today, denkers seen 14 pitches and drawn 2BBs. niceee

it was just announced Drew will not undergo surgery

And the guy leaving the roster to make room for Odalis Perez is ....

Cesar Izturis, who is on the DL.

Drew's wrist will not need surgery and he should return in two months.

Which means he's gone until May 2006 I assume.

when will we release scott erickson. this is getting to the point where i am starting to question depos sanity.

76. aw, izturis went on the DL? man, so anti-climactic.

Erickson has more lives than a three-headed cat.

By my count that would be 27.

#71: Nate, thanks for being subtle in pointing out my mistake :). Tony Abreu is in High-A and Travis Denker is in Low-A. I would say Delwyn Young has a higher offensive upside, assuming he can stick at second base, which is a huge assumption. They're somewhat difficult to compare, because Young was a year older when he was in the Sally League, but he posted a .323/.381/.542 batting line.

I think if Kent and Phillips can find their way to the DL every starting position player will have been there--before the all-star break. Absent a bus crash with the whole team on board, I wonder if that has ever happened before.

If were going to talk deals can we deal in reality. If were going to trade with the Reds the last thing they want is our SS. I know most of you only pay attention to the Dodgers and feel everyone else is inferior but in case you didn't notice the Reds do have an All-Star SS. Felipe Lopez may come down to earth but in the meantime he has been and is currently the best SS in the NL and no one else is even close. They aren't going to be trading for our SS this summer. What they don't have is pitching, pitching, catching, 2nd base, pitching, pitching. Get the drift.
I've got no problem trading some pitching for hitting as prospect pitching is a crap shoot. A choice between Broxton/Billingsly, add in D Thompson, and Navarro or Martin might do the trick.

Cesar's last game was Wednesday, June 29. Fifteen days on the DL takes him out of the All-Star game.

# 72 - D Young will be converted to OF very shortly I expect.

#76/78: I'm glad they put Izturis on the DL. Hamstring injuries are really tricky and it's much better to be conservative. It's also easier to be conservative when Izturis has gotten 3 hits in his past 4,006 ABs.

We still have W Alveraz to save the day and make Scotty a moot point.

They're somewhat difficult to compare, because Young was a year older when he was in the Sally League, but he posted a .323/.381/.542 batting line.

delwyn was 21 in the sally. denkers 19.

at this moment, the radio announcer for the catfish is reading my email. woohooo :)

#84: That's my belief as well. I hope he has enough bat to make it to the majors in LF.

87,
How many emails does this guy get?

Look, Erickson is not going to be released. Don't you all know that Lisa G is calling all of her girlfriends to take DePodesta out at night? Erickson gets released, DePodesta stops getting dates.

#87: Delwyn was born June 30, 1982. Travis was born August 5th, 1985. Delwyn played in the Sally league in 2003. So, it was actually a year and thirty-five days older :).

89,

i dunno, he said whoever was listening online to email in.

so i did, i asked a question about dewitts streakiness and how denkers plate discipline is only second in the system to russ martin.

#86: Yes! Alvarez is slated to pitch one inning tonight for Las Vegas and 1+ innings on Thursday. He may be back sometime next week.

Re: 81
Add Choi to your short list of Unbreakables. Course he's destined for a Russ Ortiz-type phantom DL stint.

delwyn was 21 in the sally. denkers 19

is it just me, or does 'Denkers' sound like an obnoxious name for a housecat?

Let's hope that if Travis makes it to the Majors, they don't call him 'Denkers' or 'Denky' a la Belly, Greenie, and Dukie.

#88 Consider he only has to outhit Repko/Chen/Grabowski/Ross I think he'll have enough bat to at least be a 4th OF. Does he have enough to be a starter? Only time will tell.

86, 93 - When Alvarez returns, Osoria still might easily get sent down before Erickson gets cut. What else you got?

The fact that Erickson has already used up his 9 lives:)

90. Isn't Depo a married man? But I guess these days it doesn't make much difference.

97. What do think it will take before Erickson is released before the end of the season. He must be the luckiest guy in the world. Also, how did he ever catch Lisa anyway.

Damn bananas.

Erickson is going to last the year.

The last time Alvarez was allegedly going to be "back," it didn't quite work out that way.

And finally, I would change the news about J.D. Drew to "He's not going to need surgery...now."

# 100 - I dunno, maybe averaging 5 mill a year for the last 15 years had something to with it. Just because he's a crappy pitcher doesn't mean he's a crappy husband.

#83: I added Izturis to my DL analysis. The Dodgers are now averaging about .236 WARP lost / game to injury, which is ridiculous. Over 162 games, that's equivalent to 38.2 WARP.

#94 Big, I didn't include Choi cause its tough to call him a starter these days (or any day).

I'm not falling for the "Alvarez pushes Erickson off the roster" gambit. When Alvarez comes back, somebody else gets hurt. Plus, there's still Osoria.

Frankly, if Erickson is DFAd too soon, what would we have left to root for? Other than, say, Drew comes back in September, OPSes 1800 for the month, and leads us to the division crown, at, say, 80-82.

Good point. We watch to hate Erickson.

Well at this point does it really matter anymore if Erickson stays on the roster? It is not like he's going to keep us from the playoffs. It is embarrassing to be a Dodger fan and know your GM thinks Erickson has value but but other then that it is no big deal anymore.

#97: Well, even with Osoria going down, if the Dodgers go back to an 11-man pitching staff once they leave Colorado, Erickson should be the odd-man out.

107 - I was feeling the same way, but if Erickson is spoiling a chance at even a cup of coffee for some dilligent minor leaguer, that'd be a shame.

On the other hand, if you haven't gotten a cup of coffee with the Dodgers this year, what's wrong with you?

The Dodgers have accumulated 547 DL-days on the season. At their current pace of 9 DL-days / game, they'd hit 1267 DL-days on the year :).

#109: Yeah. It's a shame that Derek Thompson is not on the 25-man roster, since he's left-handed, he's already better than Erickson, and he may be part of our longterm plans.

Mmmm.....
Cup of coffee

Mmmm....

Jet laggy goodness....

lineups are out:

LAN
Robles
Repko (!!!)
Kent
Saenz (1B)
Werth
Phillips
Edwards (3B)
Chen (LF)
O Perez

COL
Garabito (!)
Gonzalez
Helton
Wilson
Atkins
Mohr
Hawpe
Closser
Francis

Lineups posted:

Dodgers:
Robles (SS)
Repko (CF)
Kent (2B)
Saenz (1B)
Werth (RF)
Phillips (C)
Edwards (3B)
Chen (LF)
Perez (P)

Rockies:
Garabito (2B)
Gonzalez (SS)
Helton (1B)
Wilson (CF)
Atkins (3B)
Mohr (LF)
Hawpe (RF)
Closser (C)
Francis (P)

I was going to post the lineups in a fit of inefficiency.

Too slow.. Edwards over Perez is an interesting choice.

Molokai, you suggested that the Reds need a 2B. How about Perez? His value is probably peaking right about now.

denker in 3 plate appearances has seen 17 pitches.

results?
2 bbs, and a 2 run homerun.

But why do the Dodgers have the .194 hitting guy batting second while the greatest hitter in the National League in 2005 is batting 8th.

No one has a higher average than Chin-Feng Chen this year.

The urgency to be the first to post the lineups cracks me up, I have to say. Not that I'm not into it myself! But the group's tenacity has taken me out of the competition. Is it fair to say people are hitting refresh on Gameday or wherever every five seconds to be first?

On a larger scale, it's sort of the same thing with the minor leagues. I want to some writing about the system, but there are updates coming like every 15 minutes about every level.

Go 51s... I mean Dodgers!

For those who think there is a pennant race, the Padres lead the Astros 1-0 in the second. Denys Reyes pitching against Brandon Backe.

119 - that should be ... I want to do some writing about the system ...

It's an exhibition, not a competition, so please, no wagering.

I suggest the Dodgers activate Fernando and the Diamondbacks sign Sid Fernandez to counter the Dennys Reyes ascendancy.

What does it say when the posting of the lineups only brings about mild half-hearted complaints.

Full-throated complaint: Where's Choi????

I think many of us are in the second stage of baseball season death: bargaining.
"If we get Adam Dunn, we can pull this out."
Some are in the fifth stage: acceptance.
"Well, let's wait for the prospects."

I don't think anyone is in denial or anger now.

126,
Lefty starter.

What a shame. Here's a line-up that itself could perhaps contend in the NL west. I believe its made up of Dodgers that have missed or will miss 30 or more games this season due to injury. Originally, I put Choi at first but remembered he's not hurt, Tracy just acts like he is. So, Werth would have to learn a little 1B for this to work.

SS - Izturis
2B - A. Perez
CF - Bradley
RF - Drew
3B - Valentin
LF - Ledee
1B - Werth
C - Bako

If the D-Backs bring back Sid I say we sign Benny Agbayani back from the Japanese leagues. He could do what Choi does (sit on the bench and wonder why he's not getting playing time.)

Seriously, I really wonder how much this is mucking with Choi's head. I'm beyond thinking about the team here; I just don't see this as a way to treat a player who supposedly has so much promise. He's in, what, his third ML year now? Play him for three months and see what he can do when he doesn't worry about sitting down after one bad AB.

why do repko and garabito get exclamation points?

"Paul, let's see tonight's "Is This Anything?'"

"Yeah, Dave, it appears to be the lineups for tonight's Dodger/Rockies game out in Denver."

"I think I can speak for Paul when I say that those aren't anything."

"Right, Dave."

"Thanks for playing Is This Anything! We'll be right back with Drew Barrymore!"

(musical coda)

I just saw Benny Agbayani play on, well, it was July 4. His uniform just says Benny.

He plays in center field for Bobby Valentine. Matt Franco plays left field.

Fortunately, the outfields aren't all that big in Japan.

I don't think anyone is in denial or anger now.

You're grading on a curve of course. :)

Guys, speaking of diminished expectations, it's clear that Hee Seop Choi is on Jim Tracy's bench. He just is. He's the backup first baseman. Saenz plays against lefties and some righties. Choi plays when Saenz needs a rest, or when Saenz moves to third because Tracy feels like sitting Perez or Edwards.

It's time to stop wondering why Tracy is doing what he's doing with Choi. The simplest explanation is the clearest. He considers him a second-stringer.

Whatever belief anyone has that Choi should be playing regularly, Tracy does not share it.

Jason Choi is to Jim Tracy as Jim Tracy is to Steve

136 - Yep. That's pretty much it.

Midseason factoid FWIW:

Dodgers offense
.260/.332/.410

NL Avg
.263/.332/.418

OPS:
NL .750
SD .743
LA .742
SF .742

I guess all 3 of these teams have reason to scream BUT WHAT IF!!

Steve- Jason Repko is quickly becoming akin to your Dave Roberts/Jim Tracy "crack addiction"...

The more Repko is put in that #2 spot, or played at all, is beyond sense.

My question: Would Beane force Tracy to play Choi? It seems that the Dodgers are not being managed from the top down.

For those not in denial, it's 1-1 Padres-Astros in the 3rd. RBI infield single from Brandon Backe.

I'm in denial about everything else in my life, so why should I treat this season any differently?

I was in denial that I was turning 40 this year until I started to realize that the aches and pains I've been feeling in my back and hip while I was travelling had a cause.

Namely, that I'm turning 40.

Icaros is the "Hate Repko" expert around here. He is VP in charge of Repko Matters.

#119: Sorry for stealing the lineup thunder. I'm just refreshing Gameday for my own edification, not in a race to be first. Figuring out what dart-board lineup Tracy is going to throw out on any given day is one of the few exciting aspects of the season.

As far as the minor league updates, I think we are all paying more attention since they are more exciting than the majors.

#143: Come on. Repko got his average up to .194! Don't you think he deserves to be rewarded?

Choi at first. Saenz at third. Perez in left. Werth in center. Edwards in right. Grabowski and Repko playing pepper to see who can strain a ligament first.

#146: What about Ross and Chen?

147 -- Exactly.

K/PA
Jayson Werth 29.2%
Jason Repko 26.2%
[Adam Dunn 26.1%]
Jason Grabowski 24.5%
Ricky Ledee 23.8%
Antonio Perez 21.3%
Hee-Seop Choi 20.7%
Olmedo Saenz 16.7%
J.D. Drew 16.1%
M. Bradley 14.6%
Jeff Kent 13.0%
J. Phillips 10.8%
Cesar Izturis 10.3%
Mike Edwards 8.3%

131 - Repko got them because he shouldn't be hitting #2 unless it's for the 51s.

Garabito got them because, well, I thought he had a funny name that I didn't recognize.

Garabito!

Honestly, I checked Gameday and saw the lineups were out, so I checked to see if they had been posted. They hadn't, so I did. I've never posted lineups before and I probably never will again. A perceived "Race to Post Lineups" is an amusing, though. I can see where it comes from.

In retrospect, Kent should have bunted, right?

#117: Denker did well in Ogden last year at 18-years old (.311/.372/.556, with 12 HRs in 225 ABs). I'm wondering why he's not on our top prospect list already?

Werth hit it harder than Repko.

why does werth not swing at fastballs right down the middle? why does he always wait to be behind in the count?

151 - too many other prospects. He'd make the Giants' list for sure.

#117: Denker did well in Ogden last year at 18-years old (.311/.372/.556, with 12 HRs in 225 ABs). I'm wondering why he's not on our top prospect list already

because our system is just that deep :)

Repko would be on the Giants' list

That's your play, Werth!

92 on Odalis's last pitch, according to the Fox Colorado gun.

George Frazier is talking about how good it will be for Todd Helton to miss the All-Star Game. George Frazier would know.

odalis is hitting 89 on the dodgers fox gun.

Only the Rockies would do something as half-heartedly stupid as sending a runner from second base on a 2-2 count with two outs.

Chen gets some help to keep his avg. at mendoza
x 5.

Icaros is the "Hate Repko" expert around here. He is VP in charge of Repko Matters.

Hate is a strong word I save only for anyone in a Giants uniform and, fairly recently, Jim Tracy.

I'd have no problem with Repko as the 25th man on the roster and/or guy who warms up the left fielder in between innings.

vin just said it: robles is a "thoroughly professional leadoff man"

Vin just gave Robles the "thoroughly professional" tag in regard to his abilities as a leadoff man.

Vin just called Repko a "throughly professioanl lead-off hitter."

Just for you Icaros

Robles is so un-clutch.

Robles will truly make it in the big leagues when he gets called "pesky".

That's what I get for mis-spelling "thoroughly" and taking 9 seconds to correct it.

Apparently I am the slowest of the group.

and there you go. a thoroughly predictable kiss of death. robles strikes out on ball 3 up and in.

163, 164, 165 - Wow.

Now we've got a race to report the Vin Scully Comment 500 in addition to the Lineup Grand Prix.

denker just hit his second homerun of the game.

so for the day, hes 3-3 2hrs and 2bbs

by the way, perez' hit reminds me of MVP Baseball 2005. i once went 5 for 5 with odalis against the cardinals. he's a good hitter on that game for some reason.

2-1 Astros in the 5th on a homer by Biggio.
Dennys Reyes is still pitching.

"Old friend" Brian Falkenborg in to relieve now for the Padres.

Lots of "Old Friends" playing for the Padres tonight: Reyes, Falkenborg, Roberts, and Young.
Rudy Seanez is also available to relieve.

choi would've gotten that.

home run for JD..... closser.

Alright! Got 'em just where we want 'em.

Nothing like helping a .206 hitter increase his RBI total by 22 percent. Not watching on TV (thank goodness). Was that an underhand slow pitch fattie down the middle?

Vin says Saenz looks like his back is hurt. Too bad we don't have a healthy first-baseman with power on the bench somewhere.

hey jon, it looks like the dodgers must've switched uniforms with the bad news bears from the other day.

Did Logan White draft Repko?

I hope not.

to me thats all on Trace. Play the fielders that can field, even if his name is choi

Vin says the Rockies can't close out a game, but who is the Rockies All-Star: Closer Brian Fuentes.

Yeah, that Brian Fuentes.

Saenz must not be feeling sexy enough. Can they get him some raw oysters up there?

Well, I have 200 minutes of "The Godfather Part II" to watch tonight (can you believe I've never seen it?).

I may get started earlier than planned.

fuentes can't be closer, setup guy, and long man all in one, though.

Where'd everyone go? There's a great game on over here.

Vishal breaks up my cycle attempt.

sorry dude. someone's gotta play some defense tonight. may as well be me :P

185 Icaros, maybe Old Maid should call Briana. That would help him raise the sexy quotient.

185 - Just make sure they're not Rocky Mountain Oysters.

The Rockies' "announcers" (MLBEI robs me of Vin tonight) just listed Reds, Twins, White Sox & "two other ballclubs" as having scouts at tonight's game for trade research.

Icaros, you have a treat in store for yourself. Godfather II is a great, great movie. Pay attention to Frank Pantangele and Hyman Roth!

Plus, the guy who plays Uncle Junior on the Sopranos is in it as Johnny Ola

186, Icaros Godfather II may be the only sequal that is better than the first. It is really well done. Even if Werth swings a bat like Fredo.

How could I not pay attention to a guy named Hyman?

Does Junior sing? He has a great voice.

In an attempt to figure out what Choi is doing wrong, I decided to break down his plate appearances.

Here's the breakdown of what happens in Choi's plate appearances:

K: 20.7%
BB: 9.1%
HR: 5.6%
BIP: 64.6%

Here's the breakdown of his balls-in-play (based on Hardball Times):

LD: 28.4%
FB: 36.1%
GB: 35.5%

Choi's BABIP is currently at .241, but his LD% is second-highest on the team amongst players with over 100 ABs. Ledee is first at 29.0% and Phillips is third at 23.8%.

David Studeman of The Hardball Times an used a linear regression model to compute BABIP based on Line Drive %, Fly Ball %, and K-Rate (K/AB). The formula is BABIP = .245 + .52 x LD% - .16 x FB% + .11 x K-Rate. See http://tinyurl.com/br6go for more details.

For Choi, those figures are LD% = 28.4%, FB% = 36.1%, and K-rate = 23.8%. Based on Studeman's formula, Choi's BABIP should be .361. That BABIP would raise his overall batting average to .318. Among players with more than 100 PAs, Choi's .120 difference between his actual BABIP and calculated BABIP is the largest on the team. With a .139 difference, Grabowski has also been extremely unlucky, but in a much smaller sample size (only 88 plate appearances). The two luckiest members of the team have been Jayson Werth (.348 actual vs. .294 calculated) and Antonio Perez (.398 actual vs. .348 calculated). I'll post the numbers for the whole team once I figure out a good format.

The conclusion is that other than Choi's balls in play, especially line drives, not falling in at an expected rate, it's not clear that there's anything wrong.

Blue, you failed to account for Tracy in your analysis.

I liked "Friday the 13th, Part II" (and III) better than the first.

It's rare, though, for sure.

So help me, if we can't beat Col on a night the Padres are getting thumped we deserve to finish last.

K: 20.7%
BB: 9.1%
HR: 5.6%
BIP: 64.6%

that K rate is perfectly fine for a power hitter. in fact, i am suprised it wasnt more.

Dominic Chianese (Johnny Ola, Junior Soprano) has released a CD.

He does not sing in the Godfather II and I don't think he says much. But he gets a cool-looking orange seat.

#182: Repko was a first round draft pick (37th overall) in 1999. Logan White's first draft was 2002, so he's off the hook for that one.

I would have gotten the AFLAC trivia question, but I dozed off for a bit.

my vote for it being better than the first. And the first was awesome..5 stars

another:
Empire Strikes Back

I believe its Johnny Ola who takes Frado to the sex show.

I won't say any more. Just wanted to whet Icaros' appitite.

The Dodgers have 11 LOB? What a clutch team. What is the opposite of situational hitting? I guess its just general suckiness.

#201: Exactly. That's why I was surprised. I was expecting to see an abnormally high K%, but it's very much in line for a power hitter. His BB% is a little low, but not unreasonable. His HR% is excellent and his LD% is tremendous. For example, Dunn's K% is 26.1%.

To explain the discrepancy, I'm going to go with my gut feeling which is that Choi hits his line drives so hard they make it all the way to the outfielders. Thus, he's getting more than the expected share of outs on line drives.

I do think the Jim Tracy factor affects him somewhat, but mostly I was trying to explain the .233 batting average in the games he has played.

On another personal note, I'm leaving for a solo vacation to Montreal on Friday. I'll be away from DT for 10 days.

Anyone have recommendations? I'm especially fond of good food (not super-expensive, though) and attractive women.

203 - Thank you, and thank Choi.

205 - I agree.

206 - Consider me whet.

looked safe to me.

208 Jon, I apologize in advance. Icaros, I went to school in Vermont. In the day (way back in the day) we would make bock beer runs to Montreal. Once or twice my friends and I would finish the beer before going home and errantly stumble into a place called "Le Club Super Sex" It definitly had attracive women. I'll leave it at that. Oh yea, make sure one of your friends doesn't try to smuggle a camera inside. That could wind you up a t a police station. Lot's of good food in Montreal, but I can't remember where we went. We usally ate around 2 am and were not choosy. At least it all seemd good at the time.

#207: Here is Dunn's breakdown:

Plate Appearances:
K%: 26.1%
BB%: 17.4%
HR%: 6.3%
BIP%: 50.2%

Balls in Play:
LD%: 18.10%
FB%: 39.8%
GB%: 42.1%

Actual BABIP: .281
Calculated BABIP: .311
Difference: .030

Adam Dunn does not hit as many line drives as Choi, but he takes more walks and hits homeruns a slightly higher percentage of the time. How much slack will Tracy give Dunn when he hits .235 - .240 in Dodger Stadium?

#212: Though Dodger Stadium does not significantly impact HRs, it has had a major affect on average, due to a historical suppression of hits on balls in play.

Thanks, LAT. I'll be sure to leave the camera at my room. Do they take American $ there?

214 - I meant, do they take American $ in Montreal in general, not just at "Le Club Super Sex"?

Some more sequels better than the originals:
*Spiderman 2
*Star Trek 2: Wrath of Khan
*A Shot in the Dark
*The Road Warrior
*Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

Re: 207

Well, it's even more depressing in all due honesty to see that Choi may also be suffering from some bad luck. The kid really deserves a break--I used to be such a big Tracy fan and defender--now, the only thing that keeps me from truly hating Tracy with a passion is that it's really quite unreasonable to despise someone over baseball of all things. The defective bullpen management I can forgive for various reasons I won't go into here, and if Milton Bradley becomes both the player and the man we hope he will become, I think Tracy will deserve a lot of credit for it, but Tracy's misuse of Choi is just, just, so outrageous.

I'm also somewhat upset at DePo in all due honesty. He's the GM--it's his job to deal with problems like this. He's a good diplomat--can't he gently prod Tracy into playing Choi more? And if that doesn't work, he's the guy who got a five-year contract from McCourt, not Tracy. DePo is already despised by Simers and Plaschke--so he fires Tracy, he'll be despised some more by the same folks. So what?

And it was also DePo's job to prevent the fiasco of allowing Gagne to pitch on a bad knee with fouled up mechanics. The whole coaching staff shares the blame, but DePo is supposed to be their boss. Forgot all the nonsense about chemistry, blah, blah, blah, that's a place to criticize DePo ON.

I dunno--I used to think 2003 was more frustrating, because we squandered such tremendous pitching. But seeing Choi ride the pine and Tracy tell A. Perez to bunt is just making me uncharacteristically angry--that, and the fact that thIS whole day has been a pain. And the DirecTV feed keeps on dying on me--I probably need to call those chaps tomorrow. And now we're down 4-0 and we still can't score runs in frigg'n Colorado.

And Jason Repko is still batting no. 2. Repko! I'm starting to acquire this irrational dislike for the poor kid, even though he's done nothing to me. He symbolizes all the worst parts of how Tracy plays favorites, and I just can't stand it!

ARGHHHHHH!!!!

WWSH

Helton's SB was definately Perez's fault. Helton isn't exactly Carl Crawford, but he was basically on top of 2B by the time Philips had the ball. I hate that the Dodger pitchers seem to think constantly trying to pick the runner off is more effective than a good slide step.

214/215 Yes and definitly yes

197- Great stuff as always Fearing Blue. Pretty interesting link.

Could have used that double in the first inning.

Home run #22 for Adam Dunn puts the Reds up 3-2 in the second at SBC.

was it a solo?

Is Kent hurt now?

I hate this kind of game. Hits for everybody, but never with RISP. If my dog weren't hungover from the sedative I had to give her for the fireworks last night, I'd kick her.

#217: It's very depressing overall. Seeing Hee Seop Choi play everyday is one of the reasons I wouldn't be sorry if the Dodgers pulled the plug on 2005.

Why is Gameday showing A. Perez in for Kent? Please, please, someone tell me it isn't an injury. I need to go try the DirecTV feed again.

WWSH

You know, I'm glad if Kent is hurt. That officially puts this season into the Carnival Bizarre, and I don't have to be upset about it.

I am watching the Rockies broadcast- thank you, Extra Innings- and they are speculating that Kent is hurt. Is there any word about this?

Nothing has been said about Kent on the Dodgers broadcast.

Re: 229

Stupid Extra Innings isn't working for me tonight. Good thing it's after hours--I'm so upset I might lose my temper with DirecTV customer support.

The season wasn't over yet--with Kent, we might have still had a chance with some breaks, and even with the sort of conservative trade deal I would prefer. But we really are done if Kent's out for any period of time.

WWSH

217. Wayne ia absolutly right. There is all this gnashing about JT hating Choi and not giving him a chance. If anyone thinks Depo has not blessed JT's decison not to play Choi you are kidding yourself. It may have been JT who initally kept Choi out but by this point it is on Depo and he is not making JT put Choi in the line up. I can only conclude, that like so many things with this team, there is something going on with Choi we are not aware of.

216 - I think most people would put The Road Warrior over Mad Max, but I think the dialouge in Mad Max is actually better. I love The Toecutter and Bubba Zanetti. I call those two films a draw.

The Road Warriors are also my favorite wrestling tag team ever.

What's A Shot in the Dark?

219 - Thanks again, LAT.

For those of you who have missed it an illustration of how bad the division is, how bad the Dodgers are and if there is a Kent injury this may force Tracy to play Choi in a hitter friendly ballpark like Coors. Padres lose to Houston, Arizona losing to St. Louis, Giants down to the Reds and we have no runs against Colorado!

Get ready for Grabs this inning if anyone gets on. Grabs fouls out. Then Erickson to pitch. It just seems like I've lost all faith.

Re: 232

Actually, I think DePo's just being gutless on this issue. He feels the need to defer to his on-field manager, and this is the result. The BoSox had similar issues when Grady Little managed with Theo running a sabermetric front office.

There's something to be said for trying to integrate old and new school stuff in the organization. The best example is Logan White's drafting of prep school kids. But a heavier hand is better sometimes, and this is the place for it.

Perhaps DePo feels so burned by the hostile media reaction he's too skittish about taking on Tracy full-bore. Maybe the issue is McCourt feels too much pressure, which is relayed to DePo. Maybe the scenario mentioned around here of an elaborate game of chicken really is going on, with DePo counting on his ability to outlast Tracy. I don't know what it is, but it looks badly mishandled to me.

DePo has such a harsh image in the media as the soulless computer boy breaking hearts right and left. He's actually struck me as a pretty nice guy, although he does have a ruthless streak. Maybe this is a spot where his easygoing demeanor, as opposed to Beane's brashness, is a real disadvantage?

WWSH

How sad is it that it takes a Godfather II conversation to get me interested? I used to think it was better than the first, but I've since got back on that. I think the ending of the first is just absolutely brilliant, and quite possibly my favorite movie ending of all. Granted some others were better that first time you see them, Shawshank for example, but I never get tired of the assassinations occuring with the sound of a baptism in the background.

I may as well just get it all in at once:
- trade for Dunn if reasonable, but like Steve, I think I'd hang on to Guzman if possible. I'd be opening to trading LaRoche though
- no Choi = stupid
- Robles leading off = stupid
- Repko 2nd = stupid
- 8 hits and no runs??? we must not be clutch enough, better go get Sean Casey or someone

That'll get me by for a while, I think.

A Short in the Dark a sequel to the pink panther and the best of the series by far.

that should be shot of course.

217 - It's as if you entered my mind and typed everything I was feeling about this Dodgers team right now, Wayne.

Steiner just said that the reason for Kent's absence is unknown.

It's almost certainly an injury--even Tracy wouldn't think this is some sort of weird form of in-game strategy. The question is how serious the injury is.

I'd like to see Fearing update the numbers on lost WARP to injury with Kent out. Ridiculous....

WWSH

repko is getting the rookie squeeze. he beated out that gb.

Does Repko score brownie points with Tracy for every time he almost beats out one of his many groundouts?

Anyone know what is the record for most number of hits in a game without scoring a run? We must be getting close.

WWSH--EXACTLY! DePodesta might have some kind of confrontation complex when it comes to dealing with Tracy. If Choi played everyday, we'd still have three starters who have power along with Kent and Werth. I'm glad someone pointed out that DePodesta must have issues along those lines.

Alan Arkin played Inspector Clouseau in a movie in 1968. The movie was called...Inspector Clouseau.

NINE HITS in Colorado and we can't score a run. And we've lost Kent for heaven knows how long.

I used to be such a happy and optimistic Dodger fan, who thought that those who got overly upset over baseball needed to relax.

Thank heavens I'm home alone--I'm such foul company right now.

WWSH

Since we're pretty clearly in Toonland at this point, maybe Kent was pulled because he was traded.

I dunno Wayne, "gutless" is not something Depo seems to suffer from. You can't toss LaDuca, Green and Mota and be gutless. Whatever anyone may think of Depo, to his credit or otherwise, he has demonstrated he isn't worried about his image or what others think of him.

How bad does Saenz look? Choicentral had a post that he couldn't bend over. Thanks, Tracy, for overusing Saenz and ruining his trade value, while crushing the confidence of Choi.

Ridiculous.

WWSH

Not much help but from Rotoworld:

"Jeff Kent left tonight's game in the sixth inning with an undisclosed injury.
We assume it's an injury. Kent was having a lousy night, going 0-for-3 with an error, but it's still very unlikely manager Jim Tracy would have removed him in a double-switch unless something was wrong"

Click on gamecast, Helton up, a red dot over the wall.

This is fun...

We haven't scored against Kim and Francis in 2 days. I wonder what the odds were for that?

odalis didnt pitch that considering its coors and he always sucks in coors.

Re: 248

Maybe he underestimated the media hostility he would encounter? It's possible he's more skittish about it now than before. Or the issue might really be McCourt, who might not have DePo's brass tacks. Or maybe DePo feels he needs to wait until the end of the season before he puts the knife in--that might fit his style more. Or maybe he genuninely likes other aspects of Tracy's managerial style. Who knows? I just don't see any excuse for Tracy trotting out Jason Phillips to play 1B instead of Choi. Or Grabowski--remember that idiotic move!?

WWSH

Has Tracy given a reason lately why he is not starting Choi. Guess no is asking anymore since his most recent rational and logical reasoning as "ARM ANGLES". I guess all the opposing pitchers these days have FUNNY ARM ANGLES.

Dodgers down 6-0, Kent hurt, Choi sits (and sits... and sits...) and we can't score in Colorado.

On top of that, the wife and kid want to watch Gilmore Girls. In the new place, the computer and the television are next to each other pardon my bold letters.

I'm out. See ya later in the evening...

Re: 253

Also, it was OP's first start. Not horrible. And if we had a offense with some punch, we might have scored enough runs to win anyways. Instead, we lose Kent to an injury.

WWSH

Kent=strained left hammy...day to day.

Most hits allowed in a 9-inning shutout is 14. Happened once in 1913 and happened again in 1928.

The Dodgers don't have any walks.

It's no longer LH or RH pitchers for Choi. Tracy must be saving Choi for certain arm angle pitchers.

Kent leaves with mild hammy strain.

259. Thanks. I guess we still have a way to go.

Kent probably wants to take few days off instead playing with minor leaguers.

Re: 258/261

Thanks for the info. Makes me feel somewhat better. Sorta. As we saw with Izzy, though, those injuries linger, and Kent's no spring chicken.

WWSH

Anyone else would have scored. Why is Saenz still in the game. Is Choi that bad that he can't come in for Saenz.

While were having so much fun note that the Dodgers.com update reports Milton's finger was too painful today to swing a bat after a good session yesterday.

254. Wayne, my only point is everyone just assumes not playing Choi is JT's doing. At this point I think there is more going on than we know or that Depo has blessed it or ever ordered it. We just don't know but it may not be all JT's doing.

...and then God said unto DePodesta, "Sorry, buddy. Wait 'til 2006."

265. We should just tell Milton to get his surgery instead of waiting forever without knowing when he will be ready.

So the Dodgers are at 11 hits now. To get to 14, they will have to likely not score this inning and then load the bases on hits in the 9th.

They are close to the record for most total bases without a run. That's 16 total bases. The Dodgers have 14.

Re: 265

Awwhh, hell, they should just have him get surgery and be done with it. At this point, they're risking him trying to come back in desperation and more seriously injuring the finger.

WWSH

266. Maybe Choi is hurt or sick. But no writers, reporters, or announcers are brave enough to ask.

Darn. I was rooting against the Dodgers I wanted to see if this crappy team could break the 1913/1928 record (Bob in 259). We can't even do that right.

I like Gilmore Girls, and I'm not afraid to admit it.

272. We're close, 3 more hits next inning and we can tie the record. Since we're not going to win, we might as well get in the record books to record how terrible this team has been.

I think I jinxed Kent in #81. Sorry.

Re: 266

I actually agree with you on that point LAT. I hold DePo responsible in the final analysis for Choi not playing, because he's the GM and is higher on the organizational chart. I just don't think think that there's some secret injury of Choi the team is hiding, or that DePo has actually lost faith in Choi's actual abilities--I just think he's deferring to his field manager for reasons of his own, and I don't see any reasonable rationale for it, as we try to get by with a punchless offense.

I still like DePo as a GM--I think he's made more good moves than bad, which is all one can really expect, but I think his willingness to allow Tracy to misuse Choi is one of the bad moves.

WWSH

Oops. I didn't know we scored. Boring game, I must have fallen asleep.

274, We scored. Record still in tact.

If you like Erickson, you must be enjoying these games recently.

277. Who could blame you.

Well, Milt Gaston's performance in 1928 will remain the last 14-hit shutout for another day. He was pitching for Washington against Cleveland.

Among the 14 hits, he allowed were a double and a triple and he walked two. Cleveland stranded 14 runners.

The game stories said that Gaston "was effective with runners on base" and "benefitted from good fielding".

Old Milt Gaston apparently was a lucky guy. He lived to be 100 years old.

I guess I will go back to watching Star Wars Episode I on DVD again. It must better than this. Any miracle comebacks? I'll check back later.

Am I to understand that Saenz and Kent are both hurt?

I think Saenz is always hurt. But he just keeps limping along.

Re: 283

I think Saenz just has a stiff back. I had no real DirecTV feed so I was relying on a post at Choicentral. Tracy will still probably trot him out there, and perhaps even cause a more serious injury, just to avoid playing Choi.

WWSH

No doubt. It appears that even Repko's formidable bunting ability was not enough tonight.

Man if this is going to be the rest of the year give me a pill that lets me wake up in 2006. Our offense right now is much much worse then in 2003. At least from what I am seeing. In 2003 Beltre got hot at the end, Green hit doubles... If Kent is injured, Werth is our best hitter that Tracy will play.

Larry Cheney of the Cubs threw a 14-hit shutout against the Giants in 1913. The game stories say that the Giants made a lot of outs on the basepaths.

Steve's ancestors screamed about that.

Choi is on deck? Atleast Buntermaker can say he got him to the on deck circle tonight.
vr, Xei

The Rockies mascot (some sort of dinosaur?) has great seats behind the plate.

Life is cruel. You go 2-10 on an awful road trip and sleep well when you get home figuring you have hit rock bottom. It can only be up from here. Right? You have a slight upturn only to find out it was a cruel joke. Fate is not done screwing with you just yet.

Oscar Robles...Real Deal, or the Next Izturis? On the next Maury.

If Jeff Kent goes on the DL, it would add another .56 to our WARP loss / game, bringing it up to a spectacular 0.292 daily.

Atleast Arizona and San Diego are probably both going to lose tonight. Thank god for teams not in the NL West.
vr, Xei

290 -- that's George Frazier, he's let himself go some

Off to the land of organized crime...goodbye, folks.

I guess I missed the discussion but I just wanted to say that Godfather II is clearly the best movie of all time. It also fits the 2005 Dodger season quite well. "Halsey, I know it was you. You broke my wrist, Halsey. You broke my wrist."

I really think you guys are missing something here.

There is a case for Saenz to be the first-string first baseman. I wouldn't make that case, but it's there. A lot of people who read this site would subscribe to it, I'm guessing.

Could DePodesta order Tracy from on high to play Choi? I suppose.

But it's not like DePodesta is watching Tracy play Joe Shlabotnik at first over Choi. We know that DePodesta is not an inconoclast, that he works with people like Logan White. In a world where you pick your battles, it's understandable that DePodesta is willing to let this one go.

After the season, of course, perhaps that will factor into the future of Tracy and Choi as Dodgers.

It is something of a fluke that the Dodgers are deep at first base and thin in the outfield (at least until Saenz gets hurt). Personally, I would move an infielder to the outfield to adjust that.

But as much as I may disagree with Tracy about how much Choi should play, it's not like it's insane or evil to give Saenz at-bats. And it doesn't point to a failing on DePodesta's part that he doesn't order Tracy to do differently.

SCSR says Kent was pulled from the game because he was traded to the Bears for Kelly Leak.
vr, Xei

The Rockies mascot is indeed a dinosaur.

The Rakuten Eagles have three mascots. A male and female eagle called Clutch and Clutchina and a crow that rides a motorcycle and is named Mr. Carrasco.

I'm not making this up.

#293: It should be .056 WARP / game for Kent. I missed a zero while transcribing from my spreadsheet.

Did you see that Saturday Night Fever dance move that Carvajal did after blowing away Grabs?

If Kent could walk he would knock him off the mound.

Kent strained hammy. . .man that guy must be soft.

293 - Is that the equivalent of .292 Wins daily? Or is that like WS, where 3=1 Win. Losing 30% of your wins a game is pretty brutal. That is like turning the Rockies into the Cardinals.

300. Bob, I missed stuff like that last week. Nice to have you back.

298 -- the problem is Repko. Repko is this year's Tracy-crack. If we would get off the Repko-obsession, we could move Perez into left, Saenz to third, and play Choi at first. Yeah, Perez can't play left. Big deal. Like this team is in a position to argue?

Meanwhile, if Jeff Kent is DLed (and he certainly going to sit for a few days, if not DLed), what do we do? Is there anyone left on the 40 man? I fear the answer is Jose Flores.

Yuck, Kevin Kennedy wants the Dodgers to trade for Matt Lawton and his 10 HRs and $7 million dollar salary.
vr, Xei

kevin kennedy on scsr "i wouldnt want to sell the farm for adam dunn"

then he goes off and says the farm consists of derek thompson and edwin jackson.

if thats the farm then adam dunn come to la please.

Yuck, Kevin Kennedy wants the Dodgers to trade for Matt Lawton and his 10 HRs and $7 million dollar salary.

lawton would be cheap in terms of prospects and would give an illusion to casual dodger fans that they are buyers. so id do it.

If Kent is DLed or misses time, I assume that Perez/Robles will play the middle infield positions, you could then move Saenz to 3B and Choi at 1B. Against lefties Buntermaker could put Saenz at 1B and Babe Edwards at 3B.
vr, Xei

Re: 298

Thanks Jon for your usual level head. I'll think on that thought tonight. I do admit that I'm just so angry and frustrated right now that I may not actually have all my wits about me.

I'm not sure anyone can defend allowing Gagne to pitch on a bad knee, though, which you yourself worried about from the get-go, along with a lot of other Dodger fans I'm sure when we first saw him in that televised ST game.

Anyhow, it's late out here back east--good night!

WWSH

I hope Clutchina realizes that there's no such thing as Clutch.

Kevin Kennedy doesn't want to think about the All-World Future displacing our current banjo-hitting, errrr..."All-Star" shortstop

#304: It's closer to the first, but not precisely. I emailed Clay Davenport and he said that WARP can't be strictly added together to determine Wins. You need to calculate it for the team statistics. I use it more as a relative number for comparing injury impacts between teams. On the other hand, it wouldn't surprise me if we're losing an additional 20-30% of our games without J.D. Drew, Milton Bradley, Jeff Kent, Cesar Izturis, Jose Valentin, Ricky Ledee, Eric Gagne, and Wilson Alvarez. If you add those players to the Rockies, they'd probably be a pretty good team.

309. Lawton is barely above replacement level at this point, we'd be better off by trial by minor leaguer.
vr, Xei

One thing about Lawton -- more Lawton = less Repko.

What are everyone's thoughts on Wily Mo Pena? Would he be cheaper than Dunn? Would he even be on the block? I don't know much about him, but on paper he seems to be better than any of our Jasons.

In fact, Lawton might not cost anymore THAN Jason Repko, and if he did, DePo wouldn't do it anyway.

317. If he stinks the headline can be "No Mo Pena". So, he's got that going for him

he seems to be better than any of our Jasons

There's a standard to match.

No Lawton, please! And would someone please take the hex off the Dodger dugout. Perhaps someone should do a sweep of the training room for voodoo dolls and dead bats. This team is looks like a M.A.S.H. unit and not the cross-dressing Klinger kind.

321 -- but, but...Repko!

I'm weakening. I'm starting to embrace the idea of Preston Wilson. Somebody slap me.

320 - Let me rephrase. He his hitting .284/.325/.622 this year. Last year he hit 26 home runs in 330 AB's. Seems pretty good to me. He is tearing up the Giants tonight BTW.

#309: It's hard to type this, but I definitely agree with Kevin Kennedy. Matt Lawton has contributed 4.2 WARP for the Pirates so far and Adam Dunn has contributed 4.0 for the Reds. Even if you go back to last season, Lawton contributed 5.4 WARP for the Indians and Dunn contributed 6.5 WARP for the Reds. The reason the numbers are so close this season is that Lawton has been 18 FRAR (Fielding Runs Above Replacement) defensively and Dunn has only been 3 FRAR (yuck!). Lawton isn't actually that good, but Dunn really is that bad. Over the last three years, here are Dunn's FRARs: 2 in 2002, 1 in 2003, -4 in 2004. Correspondingly, here are Lawton's FRARs: 8 FRAR in 2002, 6 FRAR n 2003, and 18 FRAR in 2004. Lawton's numbers are a little lower than expected because he has spent significant time in right field.

But, the most important factor is that Lawton would only require mid-tier prospects, because he'd be a salary dump. Additionally, we'd get a compensation pick for him if we don't resign him.

Also, Lawton would be a legitimate leadoff or #2 hitter. Of course, that means Tracy would bat him 7th.

Just to add insult to injury, Beltre heating up right on cue.

Jon I can understand the case for Saenz playing against LHP when were in a pennant race. I cannot make a case for a 35 year old journyman getting the most ab's in his career while the player we shipped our all-star catcher for sits on the pine. If Choi had been a complete failure then we could have some rationale but other then the low BA, I think Choi has done just fine. Fearing Blue brokedown the Choi numbers. I use a roto site called HQ that shows that based on his 1st half stats his XBA(Expected Batting Average) would be around 290 showing that he is hitting in tough luck. This XBA is very useufull as most players given time will climb or fall to the XBA.

#315: You know Xei, you could at least look it up before you type that :). Lawton has a .314 EQA this season and he had a .315 EQA last season. His batting line of .271/.376/.448 (.824 OPS) is better than Werth, Repko, Ross, Chen, Edwards, Grabowski, and Chen.

#325: What does XBA think of Saenz?

Also, I asked this earlier, but you might not have been around. Do you think the Reds would be interested in Antonio Perez? He's another guy I would be willing to part with while his value is high.

#323: Wily Mo Pena has a lot less service time than either Adam Dunn or Austin Kearns, thus he's a lot cheaper. The Reds really need to trade one outfielder, but I'm guessing the most expensive ones, Griffey and Dunn, will be first on the list to trade.

Even Grabowski!? :)

Lawton is starting to look like not a bad play, as long as he is cheap to get. The Pirates have already paid most of that salary - it would end up being $3 million for us, without committing for the long term (this year's Roberto Kelly). He's not going to win us a pennant, but no one is. It would keep us sane, and save us from having to see two of the aforementioned every night flailing away scrappily.

Of course, Lawton could flail away scrappily just as well. I'm torn. I guess I should sleep on it.

The Red's have a 2nd baseman in Freel but as you know he's incredibly injury prone so they need a great backup. A Peraz would fill that role but he certainly isn't better then Jiminez who they dumped because of personality issues.
If I were the Red's I'd only be looking for pitching and as much as possible.

XBA
Saenz - 296 right in line with his actual
A Perez - 247 a good 70 points below his actual. He is hitting in incredible good luck with a hit% of 42% when it should be more like 27%.

I like Wily Mo but he doesn't walk like Dunn, his defense is far superior, incredible power, and as you said a lot less service time then Dunn. I hear the Nationals are trying hard to get him but I would think we could out bid anything they offer if we were interested.

If we were still in the pennant race then Lawton would make a nice grab but since he's a FA at the end of the year, Depo would have to be playing for this year.

A Perez - 247 a good 70 points below his actual. He is hitting in incredible good luck with a hit% of 42% when it should be more like 27%.

which in translation: sell high on antonio perez.

If we were still in the pennant race then Lawton would make a nice grab but since he's a FA at the end of the year, Depo would have to be playing for this year.

or give the illusion to play for this year knowing he didnt have to part with his crown jewels.

also, if lawton continues to play well, someone will offer him a multi yr deal this offseason, so we will get draft picks.

if we could get wily mo, that would be awesome.

and i agree with molokai #325. i mean, saenz is injured and worn out anyway. why is choi marooned on the bench? and if saenz is healthy enough to play, why are choi's at-bats coming at the expense of putting edwards and repko in the starting lineup? put saenz at third.

#332: Even if we're playing for next year, we have a lot of starters in AA & AAA with 4th / 5th starter potential (Eric Stults, Derek Thompson, Eric Hull, Joel Hanrahan, William Juarez, D.J. Houlton). I'm comfortable parting with one or two of them to give us a few extra chips for the long-shot this season.

#334: Yeah, the draft pick is icing on the cake. If he continues his quality play, we'll likely get a second-round pick out of his departure. We may be able to draft as good of a player as the B-level pitching prospect we trade for him.

lawton would be a type A free agent this offseason.

so we will get a first rounder and first round supp for him.

which would be highaway robbery but it is what it is. but if we do offer arby, we risk him accepting it...

If he is going to trade for Lawton, DePodesta should do the trade sooner rather than later. Our outfield is dismal as it currently stands and the Pirates have already declared themselves sellers.

#338: Wow, type A? I was assuming type B, but I haven't really read the rules. Lawton accepting arbitration wouldn't be the end of the world. We could use another outfielder for 2006, and it's the only way we'd be able to get one on a 1-year contract. The only problem is that he'd be pricier than we'd like.

Tonight's minor league update will be posted tomorrow afternoon (as will usually be the case during the week). I need to get some sleep since my wife has work in the morning. Goodnight all!

So why would the Pirates trade him if they were to get a number one pick from the team that signed him as a FA? To save 3 million? The number one pick could be better then any mid level prospect they might get.

Hey, C Wilson is just about to come back from the DL, maybe he's an option.

*The compensation formula is based off a negotiated formula, heavy on triple crown stats, for the previous 2 seasons. Type A players are those that rank in the top 30% of his position. Type B players are those that rank below top 30% but still in the top 50%. Type C players are those that rank in the top 60% but not the top 50%.

A type players fetch the 1st-round draft pick of teams in the top half of W-L record or a 2nd-round draft pick of teams in the bottom half of W-L record and an additional pick between the 1st and 2nd rounds. B types don't get the sandwich pick and C type players fetch a sandwich between the 2nd and 3rd rounds. The higher the player's ranking in the compensation formula, the higher priority the old team gets in acquiring draft picks. *

thats the definition i found on FAs. is it top 30% in the FA class or in the entire majors? i assume entire majors. either way hes probably up there.

#342: Well, if it's a second-half first round pick plus a supplemental, I'd give them 2 mid-level prospects :). For the Pirates, saving $3+ million is certainly part of it. The other part is that players who are lower-risk, lower-upside, but can contribute immediately seem to be more valuable to small-market teams. The draft picks may have a higher-upside, but the risk is higher, and the horizon is 3-4 years.

Of course, we could always extend the deal to include Kip Wells, but then we'd have to kick in some really good stuff.

The injury to Kent is best summed up by the line from the ESPN commercial:

"Why don't you just kick my dog while you're at it?"

It's sad I've had to use that twice this season, and the first time was prior to Drew and Kent going down.

Making a rough guess as to the pre-season rank of our best hitters, here's our season:

1-Drew - probably done for the year

2-Kent - out, who knows how long

3-Bradley - missed tons of time so far, with no end in sight

4-Choi - healthy, we presume, but not playing

5-Werth - broken hand, still not playing 100%

6-Valentin - out for at least half a season total

7-Izturis - at least 15 days

8-Phillips/Bako - at least Phillips is healthy, right?

This about that, pretend for a second that Bako is our starting catcher, and you realize that all 8 postition players have been or currently are hurt. I've never seen anything like it.

if we get kip wells, then that would be an indication that weaver wont be here next year.

342 -- Aren't the Pirates dumb?

347- they arent the sharpest tools in the shed

So with a righthander pitching tomorrow and Kent likely to be unavailable, the Dodgers lineup could go
Robles SS
Perez 2B
Saenz 1B
Werth RF
Grabowski LF
Phillips C
Edwards 3B
Repko CF
Penny P

Yikes, those dumb Pirates are only 2 games back of us in the loss column.

I just replayed Choi's 6 HR weekend off the Tivo. Pardon my stating the obvious but we were 33-29, 2.5 back of SD and heading to KC. SD would get swept the next 3 days. If we went 11-10 since then we'd be 44-39 and .5 game out. That was 3 lousy weeks ago. Unreal.

I went my way through all of today's comments. Three things:

1. If McCourt really means to cheap out, drafting Hochever was a weird way to do it.

2. If Lawton really can be gotten so cheaply as others on this board think he will be, he sounds like a steal.

3. Lawton and Dunn wouldn't seem to be mutually exclusive. Even if Drew and Bradley come back late in the year, Lawton and Werth could platoon, and Dunn could replace whatever devil-sent Saenz/Edwards/Grabowski firstbase platoon Tracy dreams up.

4. Choi is going to have a big season for somebody, and it doesn't look like it's going to be L.A. And it doesn't look like they're going to get much of anything for him when he goes.

5. Saenz looked bad tonight. He went 2-4, but Vin was absolutely right: he looked like his back was bothering him. Phillips could've beat him in a foot race.

" 4. Choi is going to have a big season for somebody, and it doesn't look like it's going to be L.A. And it doesn't look like they're going to get much of anything for him when he goes."

Yeah, I just know Beane's gonna wind up with him.

The really funny question is this: If Kent AND Izturis miss the A-S game, who is the Dodger rep? Everyone who is healthy is either a reserve or a minor leaguer. In fact, there might not be a single guy with enough PAs
to qualify for the batting title. As for pitchers - egad!

No really, who?! Antonio Perez? Saenz? That would crack me up.

353- That's the funniest thing I've read today.

All good stuff tonight, but have some analysis from the land of Willy Mo, and Adam Dunn along with other possible Reds players as they visit the Bay Area. Dunn hit a 2-run homer and Willy Mo drove in a couple of runs. Matt Lawton is interesting but a boring answer. I would much rather see us do what the team on the other side of the Bay is doing and hopefully Billy is telling Paulie to do the same thing-bring up the kids. We all think that Guzman, La Roche and even Abyar are better than Repko, Gabrowski and possibly Werth. I think it is unfair to totally destroy Repko as many do on this site, the reality is he is a 4th-5th outfielder at best. Having him take has many atbats as he had this season is an illustration of how bad things are this year.
If the Dodgers bring up some of the kids now they can get valuable experience and in the long run help the team as much this year than any lawton or Dunn move.

it's time to call it quits on 2005 ...

Unless Olmedo Saenz is called healthy ... do we even have any position player that isn't (temporarily) broken that's being paid more than 500K? ack.

without the pitching staff ... we really read like a AAA club... and we're scoring like one as well... in Coors of all places...

bokonon42 has the same worry I had back at #130. Choi is gonna get playing time from somebody and have a big year or two, so why not us? Anybody notice what Konerko has been doing for the White Sox for the past few years since we traded/released him?

okay i want to trade for adam dunn.

navarro, tiffany and jackson. take the deal obrien.

So many different combinations. So many ways to get Adam Dunn. To paraphrase Zero Mostel...

"I want that hillbilly!"

adam dunn's destiny is to be a dodger.

He is...our density...I mean, our destiny.

A weird sort of clemency, Plaschke's inevitable up-yours-DePo article gets put on the shelf for Hockey talk. I wonder what it would've been like if Brett Butler apologized to Dodger fans after the MLB strike.

http://tinyurl.com/8cvoy

I've been doing some, um, research using the computer game Baseball Mogul 2006. Cincinati's virtual GM wants Weaver, Grabowski (you're welcome, Steve), Antonio Perez, Dioner Navarro, and Joel Hanrahan for Adam Dunn. And it'll take Erickson if I throw in a million bucks. Or, I can substitute Henri Stanley for Navarro, if I'm willing to take Eric Milton with Dunn. Also, it'll trade Willy Mo Pena for Navarro and Grabowski.

By the way, I'm not a drug addict; I'm just on vacation this week and Inland Empire summers are more tolerable after dark.

re my own 353: Sportsline says that Izturis will attend the A-S game, but just won't play. So at least we won't have to endure Jason Phillips as the Dodger represetative. Nothing against JP, but, well, you know...

Maybe MLB will broker a 1-day trade of Jeter to the Dodgers, so that the face of baseball can be in the game, and the Dodgers can say they were represented. Yuck, maybe not.

351 -- It took me a while to notice, but you really did read all the comments (all 564 of them).

Bokonon is Vonnegut something right? I almost know it, but not quite all the way. And wasn't there a Kilgore Trout here for a while?

I submitted this comment/question over in the Bronx Banter post titled "Pow" but expect I'm more likely to get an answer from the crazy people who live here. . . .

Re POW (title of this post) -- Does anyone remember a kids TV show from the 70s called POW! A kid would call in from home, then they'd show a videogame type screen on the tv with some sort of falling targets, and then the kid would shout "pow pow pow" into the phone in the deluded belief that when s/he yelled "pow," a little video game gun would shoot at the targets.

I really believe I saw this show, but I've never met anybody in my life who also saw it (and my old friends deny it just to spite me for moving away from CA).

Minor League Update

Las Vegas 51s (AAA):
The 51s beat Fresno 4 - 3.

In the first of a chain of a moves, Todd Donovan was brought up from Jacksonville to replace Chin-Feng Chen in the outfield. At 26-years old, Todd Donovan is not a prospect. In his first game with the 51s, Donovan was brought in as a defensive replacement in the bottom of the 9th inning. All of the damage in the game came by way of solo shots, two by Henri Stanley (27-years old), one by Joe Thurston (25-years old), and one by Tony Schrager (28-years old). Stanley was obtained from Boston in the Dave Roberts trade, but the fact that Repko, Ross, and Chen were all called up before him makes his prospect status clear. Thurston used to be a Dodgers top prospect, but his upside now is a utility infielder / pinch-runner. Thurston is effectively blocked by Willy Aybar, who is younger (22), stronger defensively at two positions (2B & 3B), a better hitter, and has starting potential. On the night, third baseman Aybar went 0 for 3 with a walk. Catcher Dioner Navarro went 2 for 3 with a walk, but was not involved in any of the scoring.

In his first rehab appearance, Wilson Alvarez pitched one scoreless inning, allowing 1 hit while striking out 2. Harold Eckert and Pat Mahomes finished off the night. Mahomes was credited with the win after pitching 3 perfect innings with 5 strikeouts.

Jacksonville Suns (AA):
The Suns game against Mobile was suspended after 5 innings with the game tied 4 - 4.

In the second part of the chain, Justin Ruggiano was promoted from Vero Beach to replace Todd Donovan. At 23-years old, Ruggiano is one of the few outfield prospects in our system. Prior to being promoted, Ruggiano was crushing the ball in Vero Beach to the tune of .307/.394/.510. He's a little old to be getting his first taste of AA-ball, but if he continues to succeed, he'll likely pop up on the Dodgers radar. Ruggiano did not play in the game. It was a good game for the Dodgers position prospects, as 6 of the 7 hits came from catcher Russell Martin, second baseman Delwyn Young, third baseman Andy LaRoche, and first baseman James Loney. Martin went 1 for 2 with a walk and 2 runs scored. Young went 2 for 3 with 2 doubles and 2 RBIs. LaRoche went 1 for 3 with a double. Loney went 2 for 2 with a double and a sacrifice fly. Joel Guzman was the only prospect held hitless on the night, going 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Justin Orenduff continued his struggles in AA. He pitched 5 innings allowing 4 runs (all earned) on 5 hits (1 homerun and 1 double) and 4 walks with 4 strikeouts. The outing dropped his ERA to 9.45 in 13.1 innings pitched.

Vero Beach Dodgers (High-A):
The Dodgers lost 4 - 3 to St. Lucie.

In the third part of the chain, Jamie Hoffman was promoted from Columbus to Vero Beach. At 20-years old, Hoffman was having a decent season in Columbus (.308/.383/.414). He'll need to develop significantly more power to be a legitimate outfield prospect. Hoffman made it to Vero Beach in time to start the game, going 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts. It was a good night for Dodgers prospects in Vero Beach as well. Second baseman Tony Abreu went 3 for 5. Right-fielder Matt Kemp went 1 for 4 with a run scored and and an RBI. Cory Dunlap went 2 for 3 with a walk. Shorstop Chin-lung Hu went 1 for 5 with a run scored and an RBI. Hu has had a disappointing season overall, batting .269/.313/.395. Hu has strong defensive tools, but will need to develop offensively to have a shot. Designated-hitter Anthony Raglani had the best night, going 2 for 3 with 2 doubles, 2 walks, and 2 RBIs, raising his average to .293. Raglanie was the Dodgers 5th round draft pick in the 2004 draft out of George Washington University in DC. At 22 years old, Raglani like Ruggiano is a little old, but he's having a good season with a .293/.399/.444 batting line. Raglani leads the team in walks with 42 in 232 ABs, but he needs to cut down on the strikeouts (59) and increase his power (.151 ISO).

The Dodgers starting pitcher, Glenn Bott, took the loss, allowing 3 runs (all earned) in 4.2 innings on 4 hits and 5 walks, striking out 8. Bott is a 23-year old left-hander, and not considered a prospect. He was recently demoted from Jacksonville. Since his demotion, he's pitched 8.2 innings, allowing 6 earned runs on 6 hits and 9 walks, while striking out 13. The pitching performance was rounded out by Alvis Ojeda (21), Justin Simmons (23), and Casey Hoorelbeke (25). Ojeda allowed the 4th run (earned) in 2.1 innings of work. Ojeda, Simmons, and Hoorelbeke are not considered prospects. Simmons was drafted in the 21st round in the 2004 draft from the University of Texas.

Columbus Catfish (Low-A):
The Catfish beat Hickory 12 - 6.

In the fourth part of the chain, Jeremy Brown, a draft-and-follow from the 2004 draft, was promoted from the GCL Dodgers. Brown was drafted in the 37th round of the 2004 draft out of Pratt Community College in Kansas. In 21 at-bats with the GCL Dodgers, Brown was batting .286/.423/.286. As Nate reported earlier, the best performance of the evening was by designated-hitter Travis Denker. Denker went 3 for 3, with 2 homeruns, 2 walks, 4 runs scored and 3 RBIs. His overall batting line of .287/.412/.498 is extremely impressive for a second baseman. Denker's 60 walks in 279 at-bats leads the Sally League, which I'm sure DePodesta has noticed. Denker is making a claim for top second base prospect in the Dodgers organization, as Delwyn Young will likely move to the outfield and Tony Abreu is not hitting for power. Including Antonio Perez and Willy Aybar, second base is one of the deepest position in the Dodgers organization. Third baseman Blake Dewitt had a good night, going 2 for 4 with a double and walk, scoring once and driving in another. Moneyball favorite, and last year's 6th round draft pick, Daniel Batz, also had a good night, going 3 for 5 with a double, a run scored and 4 RBIs. Backup shortstop Dominique Laurin hit a solo homerun for the second day in a row.

Blake Johnson started the game and got the win, but his performance was poor. Johnson pitched 6 innings, allowing 6 runs (5 earned) on 8 hits (1 homerun), while striking out 3. Johnson was the Dodgers 2nd round draft pick in last year's draft out of Parkview Baptist High School in Louisiana.

Ogden Raptors (Rookie):
The Raptors lost 6 - 5 to Idaho Falls.

Every night I feel like I'm raving about right fielder Sergio Pedroza, but he just keeps hitting. In the game, Pedroza went 3 for 5, keeping his batting average right around .600 (.593 to be exact). 18-year old second baseman Jesus Soto went 2 for 5 with a solo homerun and a double, scoring twice. 18-year old shortstop Juan Rivera went 2 for 4 with a double and a walk, scoring once. In 10 games with Ogden, Rivera hasn't shown much power with a .318/.412/.364 batting line. Third baseman Russell Mitchell hit a homerun for the second night in a row (a 2-run shot in the 3rd, his 5th HR of the season). Overall, Mitchell went 2 for 5, and now leads the Pioneer League in homeruns. Left fielder B.J. Richmond had a great night, going 2 for 2 with a double and 2 walks, but only scored once. Richmond was the Dodgers 7th round draft pick in the 2004 draft out of Spartanburg Methodist Junior College in South Carolina. Richmond, a 21-year old left-handed outfielder, has a batting line of .333/.388/.467 in 12 games for Ogden, and is not much of a prospect.

Starting pitcher David Pfeiffer (19 years old) only pitched 2.2 innings to record the loss, allowing 5 runs (all earned) on 7 hits and a walk, while striking out 1. Jordan Pratt, a 20-year old right-hander, and Ramon Troncoso, a 22-year old right-hander, both pitched well in relief. Pratt pitched 3.1 innings of scoreless relief, allowing a hit and a walk while striking out 5. In 10.2 innings for Ogden, Pratt has yet to allow a run, while striking out 13. Pratt was a 5th round draft pick in the 2003 draft, and this is his third time through the Pioneer League. Troncoso pitched a perfect inning of relief, striking out 2. Troncoso was demoted from Columbus to join the Raptors and is not a prospect.

GCL Dodgers (Rookie):
The Dodgers lost 5 - 4 to the GCL Nationals.

The Dodgers 18-year old designated hitter, Josh Bell, had a good night, going 2 for 5 with a double and a run scored, but striking out twice. Bell was the Dodgers fourth round pick in the 2005 draft from Santaluces High School in Florida. His batting line of .314/.314/.343 in 9 games is not impressive. Second round pick, Ivan DeJesus, started the game at shorstop and went 0 for 5 with a walk. His batting line of .222/.276/.222 in 7 games has not been good. With 2 doubles on the night, the GCL Dodgers passed the GCL Mets to move into second-to-last place in extra-base-hits.

The Dodgers pitching was consistently mediocre, as the team went through 5 pitchers on the night (Steven Johson, Chris Hobdy, Wilfredo Diaz, Kalen Gearheart, and Miguel Ramirez). Ramirez, a 21-year old right-hander, took the loss allowing one run (earned) in 2 innings pitched. Johnson (13th round), Hobdy (7th round), and Diaz (15th round) were all selected in the 2005 draft.

Thanks as always Fearing Blue.

To SAM DC:

I remember the "POW" game. It was on KHJ, channel 9, I believe, just after Richard Blade's Video One show. Anyway, it was laughable--I'd love to see a tape of it now.

366 - I haven't thought about it in about 25 years, but yeah, I remember it. A blast from the past to be sure.

Jeff Shaw is standing by to be the Dodgers All-Star representative.

poor choi... it looks like he's not going to be in the home run derby after all, either. no mention of him in the article on mlb.com:

http://tinyurl.com/8ha63

Well, I'm off to start up a POW blog (better Google, I guess, to see if anyone's beat me to the punch). On Bronx Banter, I learned that the NY version was called PIX. If you had any doubts about Cali v. NY, I think that pretty much settles it. PIX?

Continuing my am tour of Baseball Toaster, for those feeling a bit, um, bearish about the Dodgers these days, the Cubs post that's up is a pretty good look at life on another side of the fence. As you can see from the link above, it's titled: "That's Not a Mouldering Corpse. That's My Team!"

There's a Suns article that touches on the Dodgers new approach to pitching prospects:

http://tinyurl.com/876cb

Here's a brief excerpt:

Despite the strong showing, Jackson will now spend some time in the bullpen as part of a new concept that Dodgers pitching coordinator Rick Honeycutt has carved out for all of the organization's minor-league starters. The plan is for them to take a couple turns in the bullpen on a rotating basis before returning to their role as a starter.