If Bradley and Ledee are allowed to play every day than that eliminates 2/3 of the Jasons from the outfield and turns our team into something halfway decent. I realize that we probably won't win the division, but I wouldn't mind winning a couple of games and making it interesting.

In two weeks we could have Bradley and Valentin, which in our current state will probably be our #3 and 5 or 6 hitters. This is the ideal lineup (though unlikely due to Tracy's opinions on the matter).
Perez (until he cools off)
Choi
Bradley (Bradley could be moved to 4th to keep up the L/R alternation)
Kent
Werth
Valentin
Phillips
Ledee
Izzy/Robles

Evidently I thought we were playing in the AL, this is what I meant
Perez (LF/3B)
Choi (1B)
Bradley (CF)
Kent (2B)
Werth/Ledee (RF/LF)
Valentin(3B)
Phillips(C)
Izzy/Robles(SS)

Half the team can play multiple positions, so I am sure it could be worked out. While the above lineup isn't great at least it has the possibilty of scoring runs up and down the lineup as opposed to Grabbo-Repko-Pitcher like last night.

Is anyone here? Can I blog for the leadup homer?

Jon is sneaking in the game chat early to beat the heat.

Yeah... Bradley and Valentin should help our line-up a lot. Not sure if I'd have Choi bat 2nd (I'm fairly certain his good numbers at 2nd are simply because that's where he usually starts and if he batted in a different spot he'd do just as well), but line-up order doesn't matter that much so yeah. Hopefully Bradley and Valentin can give us some hope.

(I'm now in the depression stage)

Tracy, DePodesta and McCourt will be guests on KFWB's Dodger Talk at noon today.

Tracy and DePo together... hmm. It'd be nice if somebody would ask them a controversial question...

Minor League Update
Statistical summary format is AVG/OBP/SLG for hitters and ERA/IP/K/BB for pitchers.

Las Vegas 51s (AAA):
The 51s won 7 - 4 over Tucson.

The 51s two top hitters, Brian Myrow and Norihiro Nakamura, each homered in the contest. Nakamura went 2 for 4 with a double, a homerun, and 2 runs scored (.290/.351/.576). Myrow went 2 for 3 with a homerun, a walk, 2 runs scored, and 2 RBIs (.284/.401/.529). Second baseman Willy Aybar went 1 for 4 with a run scored and an RBI (.301/.362/.443). Left fielder Henri Stanley went 1 for 4 with a run scored (.281/.356/.506). Stanley, a 27 year old left-handed outfielder, is not a prospect, but he could provide some value by replacing Grabowski on the major league team.

Wilson Alvarez started the game and pitched another inning of relief in his third rehab appearance. Alvarez allowed 1 hit and 1 walk while striking out 2 (2.35/7.2/9/2). Alvarez's last appearance was on July 9th, so he may still need to work his way up to regular appearances before rejoining the Dodgers. Left-hander Eric Stults pitched 4.1 innings of relief, allowing 4 runs (all earned) on 7 hits and 4 walks with 2 strikeouts (5.25/24.0/20/11). The performance was Stult's worst since joining the 51s. Twenty-five year old right-hander Alfredo Gonzalez and 27 year old right-hander Mike Neu combined to pitch 3.2 scoreless innings of relief to finish the game. Gonzalez pitched 1.2 innings, allowing 1 walk while striking out 2 (4.62/39.0/22/21). Neu pitched the final 2 innings for the save, allowing 1 hit while striking out 2 (3.57/35.1/28/29).

Jacksonville Suns (AA):
No game scheduled.

Vero Beach Dodgers (High-A):
The Dodgers crushed Clearwater 14 - 3.

The Dodgers had 24 men on base in the game (17 hits, 5 walks, and 2 errors). Every Dodger starter reached base at least once, and only center fielder Jamie Hoffman and left fielder Anthony Raglani were held hitless. Hoffman went 0 for 4 with a walk (.226/.242/.226). Hoffman was a third base prospect last year but was moved to center field due to the Dodgers minor league depth at third base. Raglani went 0 for 3 with 2 walks and 2 runs scored (.284/.389/.436). Shortstop Tony Abreu went 3 for 6 with a double, a triple, 2 runs scored, and 3 RBIs (.324/.349/.443). Abreu was just selected as the Dodgers' Minor League Player of the Month for June. In June, Abreu compiled a batting line of .453/.467/.593 in 20 games and 86 at-bats. Second baseman Jimmy Rohan went 3 for 6 with 2 doubles, 2 runs scored and 3 RBIs (.271/.308/.365). Rohan has received limited playing time as a 21 year old backup middle-infielder. Right fielder Matt Kemp continued his hot hitting, going 3 for 5 with a double, a run scored, and 2 RBIs (.290/.328/.593). Since June 1st, Kemp has raised his batting average from .254 to .290. Twenty one year old third baseman Cole Bruce went 3 for 5 with a homerun, 2 runs scored and 2 RBIs (.286/.339/.510). Bruce has had limited at-bats on the season between Columbus and Vero Beach. First baseman Cory Dunlap went 2 for 5 with 2 doubles, a run scored, and an RBI (.278/.375/.373). Twenty-three year old catcher Edwin Bellorin went 1 for 2 with 2 walks, a triple, a run scored, an an RBI (.272/.308/.385). Twenty-four year old designated hitter Mayke Cabrera went 2 for 4 with 3 runs scored an an RBI (.281/.384/.292). Neither Bellorin or Cabrera are considered prospects.

Starter Brian Pilkington pitched well, but was not dominating, allowing 2 runs (both earned) on 4 hits (2 solo homeruns) and 2 walks while striking out 2 (3.90/57.2/35/9). Reliever Justin Simmons pitched 1 inning, allowing 1 run (earned) on 2 hits with 1 strikeout (3.58/37.2/33/19). Reliever Mark Alexander finished the game, pitching one scoreless inning with 1 walk and no strikeouts (1.67/43.0/64/17). At 24 years old, Alexander appears ready for a promotion to Jacksonville.

Columbus Catfish (Low-A):
The Catfish won 6 - 3 over Greenville.

Second baseman Travis Denker provided the big blow, with a 3-run homerun in the 1st inning. Denker's homerun was his only hit in 5 at-bats (.285/.400/.513). Denker's 18th homerun on the season moved him into 4th place tie in the Sally League homerun race. Recently promoted right fielder Sergio Pedroza went 2 for 5 with a run scored (.375/.444/.375). Third baseman Blake Dewitt went 1 for 4 with a walk and a run scored (.270/.319/.422). Shorstop David Nicholson went 3 for 5 with a run scored (.263/.315/.335). Left fielder Lucas May went 2 for 4 with a double, a homerun, and 2 runs scored (.234/.271/.362). Twenty-year old May was an 8th round draft pick in the Dodgers 2003 draft and was primarily a shorstop coming into this season.

Twenty-one year old right-hander Zachary Hammes picked up his 6th start of the season. Hammes pitched 6 scoreless innings, allowing 6 hits and 3 walks while striking out 4 (4.50/56.0/44/41). Reliever Liam O'Flaherty allowed 3 runs (all earned) over 1.2 innings pitched (3.68/7.1/8/6). Twenty year old O'Flaherty was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2002 out of Australia. Brandon Weeden got the save in his first relief appearance. Weeden was extremely impressive, pitching 1.1 perfect innings with 3 strikeouts (5.13/79/70/27). Weeden's career has stalled since joining the Dodgers organization in the Kevin Brown trade. At 21 year ols, Weeden is on his second trip through the Sally Leagu. Hopefully a move to the bullpen can get things going for him.

Ogden Raptors (Rookie):
The Raptors won 8 - 4 over Helena.

Designated hitter David Sutherland went 3 for 5 with a double, 2 runs scored and an RBI (.449/.524/.517). The extra-base hit is just Sutherland's 4th on the season, but it is his second in two days. Right fielder BJ Richmond went 2 for 5 with a run scored and an RBI (.304/.392/.435). First baseman Jason Mooneyham went 2 for 4 with a homerun, a walk, and 3 RBIs (.217/.309/367). Yesterday, Rob of 6-4-2 linked to a good human interest story on Mooneyham's big league ambitions (http://www.sltrib.com/sports/ci_2859533). Shortstop Juan Rivera went 0 for 6 with a run scored and a strikeout (.282/.364/.346). Second baseman Jesus Soto went 1 for 4 with a run scored and an RBI (.306/.343/.649). Third baseman Russell Mitchell went 1 for 3 with a double, 2 walks, and a run scored (.320/.343/.649). The walks are really nice to see, as they are only Mitchell's second and third walks in 97 at-bats with the Raptors.

Starting pitcher Cory Wade struggled over 4.1 innings, allowing 4 runs (3 earned) on 9 hits (3 solo homeruns) and a walk with 3 strikeouts (3.86/16.1/12/20). Twenty year old right-hander Jordan Pratt pitched well in relief to earn the win, allowing just 1 hit and 1 walk over 2.2 scoreless innings, while striking out 6 (0.59/15.1/22/4). Pratt was the Dodgers 5th round pick in the 2003 draft out of Central High School in Oregon. Prior to this season, Pratt had struggled for 2 years as a stater in Ogden. The Pioneer League is notoriously tough on high school pitchers due to the high density of college talent. This season, all of the Dodgers top high school pitchers are starting their professional careers in the Gulf Coast League. Reliever Jonathan Meloan pitched a perfect 8th inning with no strikeouts (2.57/7.0/11/2). The Dodgers are using Meloan out of the bullpen due to the high number of innings he pitched with the University of Arizona. After this season, he could go back to starting, although he does project well as an overpowering reliever. Ramon Troncoso pitched a scoreless 9th to finish the game, allowing 1 hit and 1 walk with 1 strikeout (2.38/11.1/12/2).

GCL Dodgers (Rookie):
The GCL Dodgers continued to struggle, losing 4 - 1 to the GCL Marlins.

The Dodgers managed 9 baserunners in the game (8 hits and 1 error), but stranded 7. Catcher Kenley Jansen accounted for the Dodgers only run with a solo homerun in the 5th inning. Overall, Jansen went 2 for 4 adding a double to his homerun (.333/.333/.545). Jansen's two extra-base hits were the Dodgers only two of the game. Third baseman Josh Bell went 2 for 4 with a strikeout (.316/.361/.456). Center fielder Jeremy Brown went 1 for 3 with a strikeout (.286/429/.286). Brown was sent back down from Columbus once Pedroza joined the Catfish. Shorstop Ivan DeJesus went 1 for 4 (.269/.296/.308). Designated hitter Eduardo Perez went 0 for 4 (.311/.415/.422).

The best news of the evening was that reliever Jose "Jumbo" Diaz made his first rehab appearance with the Dodgers. Diaz is recovering from offseason Tommy John surgery. Prior to his injury, Diaz was hitting up to 99 mph with his fastball. In the game, Diaz started and pitched 1 perfect inning, striking out 1 (0.00/1.0/1/0). Relievers Miguel Sanfler, Jon Haldis, and Kalen Gearhart combined to allow 4 runs (3 earned) over the final 8 innings. Sanfler allowed 1 run (earned) over 4.1 innings on 3 hits and 2 walks with 3 strikeouts (2.04/17.2/17/8). Haldis allowed 1 run (unearned) over 1.2 innings on 1 hit with no walks or strikeouts (3.38/2.2/0/1). Gearhart allowed 2 runs (both earned) over the final 2 innings on 4 hits (1 homerun) and a walk with 1 strikeout (6.43/7.0/4/5).

Someone should call in to find out why Tracy hates Choi and to find out where Tracy and Saenz are registered.

"Hey Trace, you ever think playing Choi (via the pinch hit) once a week is actually hurting his development instead of helping it?"
"Hey DePo, you ever gonna make Tracy start playing Choi every day?"

5 - Dealing with visiting relatives starting tonight ... and so it goes.

Jayson Werth remains a big concern. He repeatedly lets fastballs right down the middle go by, especially first-pitch fastballs with runners on. Last night with the bases loaded, Hawkins gave him cheese just begging to be hit. He let it go.

When the bases are juiced, you have to anticipate a fastball like that, especially on the first pitch. He has done it numerous times this season. Other pitches that are ripe to crush, he fouls off or completely misses. Then he fishes for outside pitches a la the old Beltre.

I don't know if it is a "sophomore jinx" or if he's not 100% or if 2004 was a fluke. But he looks terrible. And their whole OF is just horrid. I am so glad to hear Bradley is returning. I agree that Ledee should be back out there. Tracy seems afraid to extend him, though.

0-2 pitches going for HR's, especially to featherweights like Viqzuel, are just inexcusable. I remember thinking, "Okay, you'd better not give him anything good." Houlton could not have placed that ball any better if it had been on a tee.

13 - Agreed... I could not believe Werth looked at the first 2 pitches. I groaned, but could have easily forgiven the transgression if not for the fact it has become routine. Add to the fact that he struck out in his previous at-bat on a slider in the dirt.... uuurggh!!!

10 -- Repko will be jealous.

Werth, not Houlton, and not Kent, was the goat last night. They put up a graphic that his 16 HRs last year was third-highest among rookies. Scoreboard guy, stop living in the past.

From where I sat, Schmoll appeared to be, uh, this must have been a hallucination, overwhelming. It was nice to see. He was pitching against the Giants, however.

If Jon has in-law business this weekend, he should put up all 3 game chats now.

The readers of DT should flood the show and try to get a couple of questions in.

The questions that absolutely have to be asked are:

Why doesn't Choi play more, and why bother pinch hitting him when he seems to not do well at all in that role?

Why is Erickson on the roster?

Why does Grabbowski start over Ledee?

#18: I would skip the last question and go straight to "Why is Grabowski on the roster?"

Random Dodger game callback

July 15, 1947

In an historic season filled with revolutionary changes and great success, the Brooklyn Dodgers really stunk on this particular Tuesday getting swept at Ebbets Field by the woebegone Pittsburgh Pirates, 12-4 and 9-3 before a crowd of over 25,000 people. The losses dropped Brooklyn's record to 48-34, still good enough for first place by 2 ½ games over the Boston Braves.

Harry Taylor got knocked around for the Dodgers in the first game, giving up seven runs in just 2 innings of work. Rex Barney, Hugh Casey, and George Dockins tried to stop the bleeding, but the Pirates salted the game away when Wally Westlake belted a grand slam off of Casey in the seventh. Westlake drove in seven runs in the first game.

In the nightcap, Joe Hatten was the sacrificial lamb for the Pirate hitters. He gave up all 9 runs in just 3 2/3 innings of work, including a 2-run homer to Pittsburgh's Jimmy Bloodworth. The Dodgers stranded 15 runners in the nightcap, 24 for both games.

1947 would be an historic year for the Dodgers, this dismal performance notwithstanding. It was, of course, the year that Jackie Robinson broke into the majors, ending decades of de facto segregation in the sport. In his rookie year, Robinson, playing first base for the first time in his career, batted. 297 with a .383 OBP. He led the NL in stolen bases with 29. Meanwhile, the Dodgers would win the National League pennant with a 94-60 record. Robinson would win the first ever Rookie of the Year award in the majors. (There was just one awarded in 1947 and 1948.)

But the season started out roughly when Commissioner Happy Chandler suspended Dodgers manager Leo Durocher for the season for his association with gamblers. Clyde Sukeforth filled in for two games (and went 2-0) before Branch Rickey brought back his old friend, Burt Shotton to manage the team. The Dodgers would lose to the Yankees in the World Series in seven games. The Dodgers lost the first two at Yankee Stadium, but rallied to take two of three at Ebbets Field.

Returning to Yankee Stadium, the Dodgers won Game 6 by a score of 8-6 before losing Game 7, 5-2 as Joe Shea pitched five innings of shutout relief to close it out.

Besides Robinson, the Dodgers had quite a powerful offense. The double play combination of Eddie Stanky and Pee Wee Reese had a tremendous year. Reese led the NL in walks with 104 and Stanky had 103. Reese put up an OBP of .414 while Stanky had a .373 OBP. The Dodgers didn't have much power as Robinson and Reese tied for the team lead in homers with 12.

21-year old righthander Ralph Branca was the ace of the staff, going 21-12 with a 2.67 ERA. Hatten was 17-8 and Casey was 10-4 in relief and had 18 saves.

Despite the pennant, Rickey knew he needed to retool his team somewhat. He had some players, like outfielder Dixie Walker, who were uncomfortable playing with Robinson. Walker was sent to Pittsburgh in the offseason. Stanky was traded to Boston. This enabled the Dodgers to move Robinson to second base, a better position for him and allow a backup catcher named Gil Hodges take over first base. And another catcher in the minors, Roy Campanella, seemed ready for a callup. And outfielder Duke Snider probably deserved more playing time in center field.

Durocher would return in 1948, but there were to be many more changes in the borough of Brooklyn that year.

Thanks to the NY Times, BaseballReference.com and Retrosheet

people PLEASE call in. i'd love to hear some good questions asked. especially regarding choi.

Yes. Anybody in socal with a phone. Please please.

I won't be able to hear the interview, will someone post a link or a transcript after it is over?

#23: KFWB has a web broadcast linked from their website, http://www.kfwb.com/.

"...like outfielder Dixie Walker, who were uncomfortable playing with Robinson."

Now that's an understatement. As I read the history, Walker tried to lead a players' refusal to play.

(Werth) repeatedly lets fastballs right down the middle go by, especially first-pitch fastballs with runners on.

The Todd Zeile school of hitting.

Yet Walker eventually returned to the Dodgers as a coach.

This joint appearance has a whiff of desperation about it. Not that desperation isn't called for.

28 - maybe even acceptance so they can expound upon realistic goals and objectives for the rest of this season and next.

10 - I think the Ja(y)sons Club should throw a big bachelor party for Tracy... it's the least they can do.

26 - The Todd Zeile school of hitting.

Now I remember who my least favorite Dodger of the near-past is...

Need to post for the cycle... sorry!

#9 - Sign me up as the first member of the Jumbo Diaz fan club. What's his ETA? 2009? I'll be waiting.

I was at the game yesterday, and I thought Kent's shot in the 9th was gone, but the air at Dodger Stadium push it back. Maybe Werth should take a couple days off, because he is not hitting the ball. Also D.J. Houlton should've thrown some pitch off the plate and not down broadway to Vizquel. Hopefully these 5 loses in a row are wake up call to them and maybe when Bradley and Valentin come back, they will be back in the geoove of things, like they were in the start of the season.

expound

Sadly, I suspect that exposition will be at a minimum.

But it doesn't matter. I'm taking the kids to go see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Sitrick & Co. will have to find me some other way.

Is it Werth It?
Tracking down the travails of the Dodgers struggling outfielders:
July 6
9th inning, Strikes out against Dan Miceli of Colorado
July 7
1st inning, Walks against Joe Kennedy of Colorado
2nd inning, Grounds into force play against Kennedy
4th inning, Strikes out looking against Kennedy
6th inning, Walks against Marcus Carvajal
9th inning, Strikes out swinging against Brian Fuentes
July 8
2nd inning, Strikes out swinging against Roger Clemens
4th inning, Walks against Clemens
6th inning, Flies out against Clemens
8th inning, Grounds out against Dan Wheeler
July 9
1st inning, Strikes out swinging against Roy Oswalt with two on
4th inning, Strikes out looking against Oswalt with runner on
6th inning, Flies out to center with runner on
7th inning, Strikes out swinging against Chad Qualls with two on
July 10
2nd inning, Grounds out to third against Brandon Backe
4th inning, Strikes out swining against Backe
6th inning, Grounds out to catcher against Backe
July 14
2nd inning, Strikes out swinging against Jason Schmidt with runner on
4th inning, Walks against Schmidt
6th inning, Strikes out swinging against Schmidt with runner on
7th inning, Strikes out swinging against LaTroy Hawkins with two runners on

34 - Definitely in denial!

Houlton should have thrown his pitch down North Broadway, which has a lot of curves in it, rather than South Broadway which is pretty straight.

#33: Diaz was signed as an amateur free agent in 2001. Last year at age 20, he dominated Low-A competition in Columbus before being promoted to Vero Beach. His

Diaz (2004 A): 2.12 ERA with 59 Ks, 12 BBs, and 1 HR in 34.0 IP.
Diaz (2004 A+): 1.64 ERA with 15 Ks, 5 BBs, and 0 HRs in 11.0 IP.

Assuming he gets back to form and stays healthy, 2008 or 2009 seems like a good estimate. It could be a little sooner since he's a reliever.

36 - Some one in L.A. should call and ask Tracy...

exactly, i posted on here months ago that i do not understand why Werthless is in there all the time with no problems and choi can't play. i mean what gives.

36 - So a young player had a bad 21-at-bat stretch, with an especially high number of strikeouts. Many are arguing that there are fundamental flaws in his approach at the plate, such as taking too many good pitches to hit. However, this young player has shown the potential for some power in the past.

Sounds like a description of Choi just as much as Werth. Shame on JT for giving one the benifit of the doubt and not the other, but shame on a few posters here for arguing or implying that Werth should be benched while Choi should be allowed to develop by playing every day (especially given the current state of the outfield versus the infield). For the record, I would be for starting both players.

A non-Korean should ask the Choi question. I would more than love to do so myself, but if you heard last night on Dodger Talk, I made my piece known to A Martinez....

Jibin from Buena Park

I have to admit that I thought Werth would come around and perform at least as well as last year... what really burns me is Tracy's apparent capriciousness on the subject. He lets the Jasons continue to suffer; but Choi, oh no, he doesn't handle that arm angle well... what's up with that?!

Apropos of nothing: Team Depo is headed off to London and Prague for the next week. Tell ya what - I'll take this lousy Dodger juju with me, and dump it over the North Atlantic. I'll come home next Sunday night to a 9-game winning streak. Or something.

Any LA-ers sign up to call yet? Us out-of-towners are very curious.

42 - shame on a few posters here for arguing or implying that Werth should be benched while Choi should be allowed to develop by playing every day (especially given the current state of the outfield versus the infield)

I think you have misinterpreted the intent here... as have you, everyone is really questioning Tracy's unabashed biases and preferences with no good supporting arguments either way.

Also realize that we have fewer outfield than 1B options. We can stick a few different players at 1B, but not in the OF. That's got to be the reason Werth can be allowed to slump: no alternatives. Whether benching Choi is right or WRONG, we have a few other guys that can play there, too.

42 & 47 - they should both be benched...let's play a lineup of just 6 players

DEREK LOWE WATCH.

When will he win another game for the Dodgers?

as soon a a few more come off the DL

50 - soon after he gets to the 5th inning

DEREK LOWE WATCH.

When will he win another game for the dodgers?

It will take flawless defense to have a chance.

I was more attracted to the "Is it Werth it?" pun than anything else.

54 - that pun wasn't werthy of comment

Wonder if Depo supplies Tracy with the stats to generate his lineups and in-game strategy or Tracy uses his own program. Obviously it's not the same program or stats being used.

55 - No pun intended?

56 - Correct... Tracy uses his post game statements and rationales from the previous game to construct the current games lineup.

58 - I meant to add that's why no understands them.

Dodgers vs. Noah Lowry
Izturis 0 for 5
Kent 1 for 3, HR
Saenz 0 for 3, 2 K
Weaver, 0 for 2, 2 K
Werth, 1 for 2, HR, K

Giants vs. Derek Lowe
Alou, 0 for 4
Cruz, 5 for 22
Durham 4 for 15
Feliz 1 for 4
Matheny 1 for 4
Sanchez 1 for 12
Snow 2 for 6
Tucker 6 for 16, 1 HR
Vizquel 6 for 23

Must... resist... posting... for... cycle... twice...

Alrighty, Jim, let's hear your Choi rationale...

60 - so what you are indicating is that Choi won't start cause he has no history with Lowry and will thus be unfamiliar with his pitching style, and further that Werth will bat cleanup cause he is clearly the most successful against him

Improvement of Repko? Giving him at-bats? Then why do you pinch-hit for him in the 8th inning?

60 - and that Izturis will bat leadoff cause he is due...and Robles needs a rest cause he is so tired from running the bases

"No, I want guys to be in the clubhouse hugging each other."

63 - Hopefully will provide direct proof of my theorem on the JT Lineup Choosing Method in post #58.

Any updates on the KFWB chat?

So far only a question about the field sight line? My feeling is that the callers are screened to ask Mickey Mouse questions... and then A Martinez asked a question rather than fielding another call

i say someone call in, pose a mickey mouse question until you're on the air and then ask your real one.

20 minutes... and 1 question

Questions to get one's self on air:

"Jim, how is it that you are able to squeeze so much out of the lineups you are given?"

"Jim, how great is a guy like Repko to have around the clubhouse?"

"Jim, how bad does it hurt to see Bradley go down to injury after he apparantly turned his life around and became a model citizen?"

...and so on...

70 - nice try...that is why they delay their broadcasts

Would that be conceivable that you could do something like that?

I've been on record to say....

How much do they delay them by?

BTW did anyone just hear the ridiculous start to his answer by Tracy. It was so long and convoluted I can't even remember or imitate it.

I have no idea what Tracy is talking about right now.

Wow.... Tracy is talking about moving Jeff Kent to first base permanently...

Any Choi questions on the KFWB chat yet?
I guess they're screening all the calls very carefully.

The chat is just another public relation effort to keep us interested and they will not field any REAL CALLS.

its a 5 to 7 second delay at the least, sometimes more

77 - I'm not sure I entirely disagree with the move... we might even get Kent to extend another year or two.

Depo is just waiting for Dodgers to fall out of the race so that he can start selling and fire Tracy probably at end of season. It's just taking so long because SD keeps losing also.

Somebody just called Jeff Weaver our ace.

82 - I'll assume that is not a direct quote from the KFWB chat...

Will there be any questions on the young man from South Korean?

It's better not to talk about questions that deal with the vicinity of the subject of the nature that best represents the issues.

--Sign Jeff Weaver to a long-term contract?? What the?

--Tracy: Jayson Werth is up there.. HUGE JAYSON WERTH fan... he's going up there... he's not having a lot of fight in him... what is your input on that?

Well, you have to keep in mind like we were talking about earlier... back on the 2nd of march by AJ Burnett... this guy was a key component winning last year. Jayson werth has been running up an uphill battle since injury. As easy it is to like to think to come back from minor leagues and pick up left off year ago, the likelihood, one in a MILLION as evidenced by the fact when unfortunately he counted for 4 runs... all the things Werth is dealing with is mechanical... there is no one that is "paining" more than Werth when they walk Antonio Perez is intentionally walked.... Werth is not 29,30,31... he's 23 but one of the more experienced guys on the team.

haha funny... they're talking about all the Jasons on the team

Tracy has very short memory with certain players but he has very long term memory with other players. Is he schizophrenic maybe?

Also Depo is so great at talking from both sides of him mouth. I think he might be in the wrong line of work.

All J's... wow... how great... I can be on the team because my name starts with a J.

This conversation is insulting to true fans.

I'm not sure what all of you were expecting from this "conversation"

Tracy is an excellent excellent manager... Wow....

it's easy to look back... this guy should be playing first... Tracy is doing well...
DePodesta is doing well... McCourt puts his money in his mouth.... I think they're doing a good job.... long-term perspective... a little bit of a challenge... this isn't.... this is Los Angeles....

Sounded like Jim Tracy's son

Tracy probably spends hours before each game going through all different permutations in order to come up with a lineup that will confuse the other team.

During games, Tracy cannot adjust or make changes if things do not go according to his pregame scenario.

I'm expecting at least one real question.

Why does Tracy use "hell of a lot" so frequently? I'm surprised that TV and Radio lets him say that so often.

Heart surgery? I think a heart surgeon could do better than Tracy.

what a waste of time on the air (complete fluff). Someone needs to get DT an hour a week on KFWB for some intelligent baseball discussion. I'd look forward to Fearing Blue's "State of The Farm" segment.

See Post #9

Jon's posting everything really early with visiting in-laws. Somehow it doesn't impress your mother-in-law to excuse yourself for several hours to chat with people on a computer about baseball.

96 - its okay, as he gets older, he will find nothing impresses your mother in law, so he might as well chat online about baseball

92 - its PR fluff, don't expect any more than that...you don't seriously believe they are going to tell the mass media who and what and when, do you?

Do you really think that Depo and Tracy respect each other or actually despise each other? This year's roster moves and game strategy totally conflict each other's philosophy. If Depo continues to get the players that play according to his philosophy, then he needs to get a manager who will have the same philosophy. Tracy is more retro and old school which does not mesh well with Depo.

"Despise" is a pretty strong word. They may disagree, but neither person says anything bad about the person publicly. DePodesta doesn't second-guess Tracy in public and Tracy doesn't complain about DePodesta either.

I think they are just two guys who work together. They may part ways, but I doubt it will be like Bill Russell or Davey Johnson leaving.

McCourt just said "It's all about fans". If that's the case, don't we deserve better product unless McCourt WON'T or CAN'T pay to put better product.

Well, the chat is finally over and I can't seem to remember anything they said.

101 - We may "deserve" better product, but you can't argue completely that he did not try to put together a winning team... it's the injuries.

103. I guess for this year, we can use "injuries" as excuse. Curious to see what will happen this off season.

That darn McCourt should pony up the money to make JD Drew, Milt, Odalis, Cesar, and Valentin bionic men. Then he would show the LA fans that he really does want to put a better product on the field, regardless of money.

101 - I don't mean to defend or condemn McCourt...but...

WON'T? it may be a bit much to expect the Dodgers to have been prepared for the rash of injuries they have faced to date

CAN'T? don't buy into the LA Times' writers constant belittling of McCourt's finances...they don't know any more than we do about his holdings

I think we lost the first game of the season to SF and then went 12 - 1... maybe we can start the second half the same way (optimism dashed with a bit of denial).

107 - we didn't have Repko in CF on opening day, for example

Since I can't watch tonight's game, the question is:
Do I bother to record it on my DV-R to watch late tonight?

Tomorrow afternoon, I will be checking to see if the Curse of Jason Ellison still holds up.

Happy Friday, all. Well, sorta. Over the AS break I was really missing the Dodger games, and wondering if I was optimistic or masochistic for it. But last night's game? Ouch. (Not sure where I fall on the 5 stages, currently...resignation, maybe.) I was at the As game watching Harden toss a perfect game up to the 8th inning, and following the Dodgers game on my cell, but of course the cell didn't explain things like Penny being thrown out. I had to read last night's game thread this morning for those details!

Speaking of being at last night's As game, I get very nice seats through the radio station I work for - section 120, row 16, right along the third base line. I have someone to go to tonight's game with, but I have an extra ticket available for Saturday's game and for Sunday's game. Is anyone interested? Vishal? Berkeley Doug? The ticket(s) are free. (And for the prurient-minded, no, I'm not trolling for a date. :P Well, unless it were Bob, but he's in SoCal.)

One of the reasons, by the way, that I'm thrilled to see Harden, Haren, and Blanton doing so well is because I keep hoping that'll make Beane willing to trade Zito to the Dodgers. (I certainly wouldn't mind us getting Harden or Haren, but Beane isn't going to give up either of those two.)

It must have been the gigantic red fanny pack, Christina?

Baseball America just released their mid-season prospect rankings. It's an subscription article, so I'll just give the higlights.

Stayed about the same:
Joel Guzman (#6 overall)

Moving up or into the top 100:
Chad Billingsley (#7 overall)
Jonathan Broxton
Andy LaRoche (#12 overall)
Russell Martin
Justin Orenduff
Chuck Tiffany

Moving down and possibly out of the top 100:
Edwin Jackson
James Loney
Greg Miller

Of the 10 Dodgers prospects mentioned in the article, only Chuck Tiffany and Greg Miller are not with Jacksonville. Wow.

111 - hee. Your impressive recall of Dodgers history, your sense of humor, and the way you write do not begin to make up for the giant red fanny pack.

However, your cat, on the other hand, does.

Guys, let me explain how it works for a woman.

Owning a cat - 5 points
Owning a cat with medical problems - 10 points
Taking said cat to a multitude of doctors, asking around for advice about said cat, etc. - JACKPOT

Er, I should post about something Dodger-related. Let's see, a few days ago I saw a poster wondering why women would take Edwards over Choi. I can't explain that one, since I myself would personally take Choi before any other Dodger on the roster. Damn you, JT, for reducing my Choi-viewing time so severely. Sigh.

this is from the BA chat when someone asked manuel why he picked billingsley over cain.

John Manuel: Thanks Chris. Billingsley and Stewart are probably the two players I went out on a limb the most for. I am on record as being a big Matt Cain fan but I couldn't ignore the torrent of scouts praising Billingsley anymore. The secondary numbers tell a different story, Cain's command has gone backward just a tad this year (not that I'm off the bandwagon), while Billingsley has made excellent progress, throwing quality strikes and really shoring up the biggest weakness he had. He's got power (up to 95 consistently), two breaking balls that at times are plus pitches (the slider's made real progress), a solid changeup and he's learning to pitch. His upside is scary, and it's why I think he's the best pitching prospect in the minor leagues not named Felix.

so everyone can just stop putting billingsley into any trade proposals now okay?

112. Can you give us the rankings for the others like Broxton, Martin, etc.

Do we have the most players in the top 100?

115 - does this ruin your double-super secret plan?

Once Bradley and Valentin are back, how about the following lineups:

VS. RHP:
Izturis (SS) (There's really no use fighting it.)
Choi (1B)
Kent (2B)
Bradley (CF)
Valentin (3B)
Werth (LF)
Repko (RF)
Phillips (C)

VS. LHP
Izturis (SS)
Perez (3B)
Kent (2B)
Bradley (CF)
Saenz (1B)
Werth (LF)
Phillips (C)
Repko (RF)

Hee Seop Choi does well when he bats second, when he starts at 1B, and when he faces RHP. Let's give him the opportunity for the trifecta. At least neither of these two lineups would be embarassing to run out on the field on a daily basis.

115. Can we just put billingsley into our rotation next year.

118. How about Ledee replacing Werth/Repko against RHP?

I still don't understand why Grabowski is on the team. He should not be on the freakin team! Much less starting! I really don't understand it. It's incredibly frustrating. He starts over Choi? O.K. maybe Choi can't hit left handed pitching well. Well, Grabowski can't hit any kind of pitching. He's hitting .165! He's horrible. I hope tracy puts Edwards in left, perez at 3rd, and starts choi at first. But I know he won't, because he likes to mess with my head. He wants to see how far he can push me with his dumb decisions before I run onto the field on $2 tuesday and strangle him ( you know,just a little). End of rant. sorry guys, I was at the game last night and left incredibly frustrated, apparantly it hasn't gone away.

118 - use your RHP lineup against all comers, except Kent at 1B and Perez at 2B

120 - I'll second that.

121-not to mention Grabowski drove in the first run last night

121. I feel your pain and frustration. This year there has been a lot of decisons that just does not make any sense. Thank God, we have this chat site to keep us sane.

124- the giant's first run also came in on his error.

120 - I'll third that. I'd prefer Ledee in instead of Repko - Werth I'm more willing to give a chance to. I think he'll go on another home run tear as soon as Steve calls him the New Grabowski again.

125- I agree, thank goodness for this site.

126 - so he was 1 up and 1 down...how did Werth do last night?

and on Werth vs Repko, I'll take Repko, he is better defensively

125. I've been watching less and less of the Dodger games this year and instead following this chat site which is infinitely more enjoyable than watching the games.

If anyone wants my cat in order to woo Christina, I can rent her out.

132. Do you have a dog, too? What kind?

I live in an apartment, so just a cat. Whom I'm betting is sleeping on the floor right now in front of a fan.

Bob, do you prefer cats over dogs as pets?

133- I think this heat here in southern cali these days only ads to my frustration.

#116: They only specifically broke down the top 25, of which we have three in the top 12. The rest were listed in various categories (rising, falling, graduating, etc.)

By the way, where's the love for Travis Denker?

more good news on dodger property, luke hochevar wont he roger clemens award for best pitcher in college. yipee!

http://www.clemensaward.com/05winner.html

fearing blue,

BA hates denker, i know it. it sucks. i asked a denker question in the chat and he didnt even answer me.

dont worry, denker will prove all of them wrong and become better than joe morgan.

I like cats personally because I don't want to have a pet I have to take for a walk.

But I appreciate dogs too.

#122: Yuck. Kent looks like he may be worse defensively at 1B than Choi and Perez is definitely worse defensively at 2B than Kent. Additionally, by any evaluation method available, Choi is a better hitter against RHP than Perez.

137 - wonder how much more Boras will want because of that...

#138: I came close to asking a Denker question myself, but by the time I read to the end of the chat, it was done. How can you not like a 19 year old middle-infielder with tremendous plate discipline AND power? They probably don't like his "tools". It's unfortunate that the Dodgers can't promote him to Vero since Player of the Month, Abreu, is blocking his path.

#141: Hochevar certainly will not come cheap and this doesn't help. Fortunately, the Dodgers have a little bit of a leverage in that don't really care if he signs this year. He's already thrown 140+ innings for Tennessee and there's no need to rush him with our system so stacked already.

this is true, BA rates very highly on a players tools than performance when it comes to prospects in the low minors.

maybe they dont like that he is like 5'9 or something. other than that, he must have tremendous batspeed to generate so much power and a great batting eye. oh well.

140-you may say yuck, but MoneyBall values OBP much more than defensive prowess

3 prospects in the top 12, you certainly can't complain about that. When was the last time a team could make that claim? The nearest I can remember would be Texas, with Texeira, Blalock, and Pena; which certainly worked out OK for them.

I presume they didn't previously have Navarro in the top 100, as he was not listed with those dropping. Either way, not a bad guy to have as the 10th to 15th best prospect in the organization.

The three guys listed as falling out of the top 100 are three guys that most teams would still love to have. All three of them have pretty high upside, if they can find a way to stay injury-free for 12 consecutive months.

Take out LaRoche, Guzman, and Billingsly. Given the depth the system has, why not trade 2 of whoever else someone wants for an Adam Dunn? Or add in a couple of the ever-so-coveted an "major league level youngster" like Werth, Brazoban, or Perez, and call it good. We get hitting, and keep the A prospects.

While on the subject of young guys, has Kuo pitched since the arm incident from a couple weeks back? Is he assumed to be fine?

#145: Moneyball is about exploiting inefficiencies in the marketplace to effectively win with lower resources. Recently, defense has been undervalued, which is why the A's have targetted players like Mark Kotsay. Moneyball does not say anything about relative evaluations of OBP vs. defense.

Statistics on the other hand have shown that a player's defensive contribution is on average worth about half as much as a player's offensive contribution (with the ratio obviously varying by position).

All that being said, the problem with your fielding lineup is that it's worse offensively AND defensively.

129= Werth showed a great deal of potential the entire second half of last season. That's more than I can say for either grabowski or repko. And despite his recent slump, werth's numbers are still better than both of the outfield jasons.

Werth= .244/.322/.400 .722 OPS
Repko= .222/.304/.333 .677 OPS
Grabs= .165/.230/.282 .512 OPS

But if scrappyness in your thing, then who am I to stand in the way?

kuo pitched once, then they had thier all star break. AA games resume today, i assume kuo will pitch again sometime this week.

#146: The Diamondbacks have 3 players in the top 20 (Stephen Drew, Carlos Quentin, and Conor Jackson). The Angels and Tigers each have 2 in the top 25. It doesn't look like any other team has more than 1 in the top 25.

#90-
Yeah that was a silly call. In fact, that entire PR gig was kind of silly. I think everyone is dissapointed that there weren't better/more questions.

Caller: "I am sick and tired of so-called Dodger fans criticizing every move you guys make..." [reading his lines from a notecard?]

JT: [agrees with caller, then starts incoherant ramble about a 'heart-surgeon' analogy given to him when he started managing]

"Would it be ridiculous for me to be giving a surgeon advice when he is performing a heart surgery? of course it would..."

[ then relates it to how he knows the team best and how he shouldn't listen to the advice of a heart-surgeon...]

*Ouch. i would really be offended if i were a heart surgeon.*

if BA rated justin upton, he would have been in the top 25 as well, so the dbacks would have 4 in the top 25. pretty darn good.

although, they dont have one pitcher that makes any kind of list.

i would trade a pitching prospect for one of the dbacks hitting prospects.

147 - absolutely. Note that the As also dumped defensive liability Byrnes, who murders LHP, off on Colorado and replaced him with Payton, who admittedly has hit RHP better than Byrnes over the course of his career, but is also a significant defensive upgrade.

Byrnes had the nasty habit of doing exactly what Grabs did last night - scoring a run with his bat, and then giving it right back with his glove. Which is why Beane severely reduced his playing time, and shipped him away as soon as he had Kots signed.

At what level are the DBacks hitting prospects. If they are at AAA, they're playing in Tucson, which I think is THE hitter's park of the PCL.

#146 - Skimming through the old BP's on my desk, here are some impressive top-3's from recent past, along with LA's:

2005...

* LA: 7-Guzman, 20-Billingsly, 34-Aybar
* Anaheim: 4-McPerson, 5-Kotchman, 16-Weaver
* Oakland: 9-Barton, 26-Swisher, 29-Meyer,

2004...

* LA: 6-Jackson, 22-Gutierrez, 25-Loney, 33-Miller
* Anaheim: 14-Kotchman, 18-Mathis, 19-McPherson
* Milwauke: 4-Fielder, 9-Weeks, 20-Hardy

2003...

* LA: 39-Thurston, H.M.-Loney
* San Fransico: 8-Williams, 13-Foppert, 19-Ainsworth
* Cleveland: 4-Martinez, 6-Phillips, 20-Hafner

2002...

* LA: none in top 55!!
* San Diego: 3-Burroughs, 11-Tankersley, 12-Peavy

Conclusion: LA has certainly shown a nice progression from turning one of the worst systems in baseball into one of the best. And with LaRoche added into the mix, I would go out on a limp and say that next years pre-season rankings will show LA among the top 2 or 3 systems in the game, again.

At what level are the DBacks hitting prospects. If they are at AAA, they're playing in Tucson, which I think is THE hitter's park of the PCL.

quentin and conor jackson are. but they both have produced significantly in the lower levels both have awesome k:bb ratios and OBP.

140.
I think Kent ought to get credit for making several 1B plays while at 2B.

In fact, right now Kent is the best defensive player on the field... although Robles did a nice Izturis impression last night... And NOBODY said anything about the bad bounce from the Kent throw into Robles' crotch. Youch--even if it just got tendon.

I'm just hoping tonight we don't lose phillips for throwing his helmet at the ump when he goes for a tucker popup bunt.

#156: I'm hoping for #1 next year. Anaheim is the team ahead of us this year and they've "lost" their top 2 prospects. Casey Kotchman has regressed significantly to the point where people are questioning whether he'll ever be a major league first baseman. Dallas McPherson has been graduated to the majors and will no longer be ranked as a propsect. They still have a great minor league system, but I'd say ours is better.

107--I'm fairly certain Repko started in LF on Opening Day due to Werth's injury. I think he hit a two-run HR. I was there and am picturing it now, unless I'm hallucinating.

BTW, whoever asked if Tracy is schizophrenic because of memory problems, they are not a symptom of schizophrenia. Sorry, but it is one of my pet peeves that schizophrenia is thought to be the same thing as having multiple personalities (which are very, very rare, by the way) or having mood swings. Those three things are all separate disorders.

our positional guys match up very well with the angels. but what separates the two farms is our incredibly deep collection of high cieling pitching talent.

they have santana and weaver.

also, if we continue to suck we will get a top 10 pick in next years draft. maybe then we can get that high cieling polished college hitter i always wanted.

160-I could be wrong, it has to happen some time you know...but I think the bums only scored one run opening day? I'll have to look at the scoreboard tonight for that Repko HR...it was his first major league hit, and everytime he comes up, they remind us of it

Repko played left in the home opener. Can't really tell the difference between him and Werth anymore anyway.

Werth has a moustache

Are you sure it's not a fake? It may be Tracy pulling a Bobby Valentine and putting Repko up in Werth's uniform.

Opening Day lineup for Dodgers
Izturis SS
Choi 1B
Drew RF
Kent 2B
Bradley CF
Valentin 3B
Ledee LF
Phillips C
Lowe P

Repko batted second in the home opener and homered in the first inning off of Rueter. But that was a week later.

That lineup went
Izturis SS
Repko LF
Drew RF
Kent 2B
Bradley CF
Saenz 1B
Nakamura 3B
Phillips C
Weaver P

Werth is a lot taller than Repko.

Repko wears platforms.

And dyes his hair.

Repko moves his arms when he runs. Werth runs like Molly Shannon's character did in "Seinfeld". Or Raquel Welch too.

Repko has the freakiest looking picture on Gameday. Yes, even more so than the Goggles Gang.

171 -- An honor he's taken from dearly departed Cody Ross.

Anyone know who is being sent down if Izturis comes off DL today?

173 - Not Scott Erickson.

Not Jason Grabowski

Trying to guess the starting lineup and the batting order these days is the most exciting part of Dodger games. Also, trying to guess who stays on the roster and who gets sent down is pretty interesting too.

Tracy sure keeps us guessing on his next moves!!!

Anyone interested in starting a contest to see who can guess the lineup most correctly?

Earlier it was stated that's it likely that Osoria is going to the minors.

179. Erickson must be moving up to being a closer soon.

One man's guess
Izturis SS
Robles 3B
Kent 1B
Phillips C
A Perez 2B
Werth RF
Repko CF
Chen LF
Lowe P

May God have mercy on us all.

im sure this has been discussed, but i thought kuo's career is over? someone mentioned above that he is pitching? whats really going on?

if we trade weaver now and save 4 million or whatever he is owed this year, wouldnt that conceivably go towards next years budget? wishful thinking?

Y'know, I think we've been going about this wrong, Steve. I actually think that DePo should sign some sort of statement, in his own blood or whatever, that Erickson is safe for the rest of the season from being sent down.

Then maybe Erickson would stop making sacrifices to the Dark Father each night in exchange for one Dodger after another being injured so that there continues to be a place for him on the roster.

I mean, really, how else do you explain what happened to Wunsch?

181. That seems most logical. But you never know with Tracy what logic he will use tonight. We should put best infield defense as possible considering it's Lowe pitching.

I guess our outfielders must be pretty bad when they all bat at the bottom of the lineup.

183. The way this season has gone, it wouldn't surprise me if Erickson stays on the roster through rest of this season. He might even get a chance to close one game for us before end of this season.

I'm in:
Izturis SS
Repko LF
A Perez 3B
Kent 2B
Saenz 1B
Werth CF
Phillips C
Edwards RF
Lowe P

My hope of Robles seeing any starting time are low.

186. If Tracy has any common sense, he should keep playing Robles until he stops hitting. Wow, that's new one. Edwards in RF. Maybe, it should be Edwards in LF, Repko in CF, Werth in RF.

Izturis, ss
APerez, lf
Kent, 2b
Saenz, 1b
Phillips, c
Werth, rf
Repko, cf
Robles, 3b
Lowe, p

for what it's worth....

188-maybe Robles bats second and the rest move down one....

Then maybe Erickson would stop making sacrifices to the Dark Father each night in exchange for one Dodger after another being injured so that there continues to be a place for him on the roster.

If I were a McCourt critic, I would be pointing out that McCourt is too cheap to admit this mistake, and even eat $200,000 to have Erickson hit the bricks, rather than waste my time talking about Adrian Beltre or Shawn Green.

Considering this white chalk or whatever the hell Depo called his extra money is being unused, Navarro needs to pan out or the Shawn Green trade looks horrible. He would have been a HUGE upgrade over Werth and Co.

Is Depo little gun shy this year after getting so much negative criticism from last year's mid season trade?

#183-

That is the best Erickson theory i've heard... but shouldn't Erickson have sacrificed Gio and Duaner instead of our lefty-guy!? Or are those two unacceptable?

Izturis
Repko
Kent
Saenz
Perez
Werth
Phillips
Edwards
D.J. Houlton in Lowe's Uniform

Repko hits second to bunt. Phillips drops because Saenz plays. No Robles because he is lefty.

191 -- like I said...

192-I don't think DePo cares what we or the media think...any GM who does, could not function as a GM

193 - there's a reason why making deals with the devil is dangerous. There's always that catch...

1. Drew
2. Choi/Saenz Platoon
3. Bradley
4. Kent
5. Green
6. Valentin/Perez Platoon
7. Phillips
8. Izturis

looks so nice.

198 -- yeah, until you get to 9.

Steve, you owe me a new keyboard. LOL

200 -- Actually that lineup looks good until you get about to 4, but my earlier comment makes the point a little more starkly.

Hard to imagine but if we lose tonight we are only .5 game up on SF. We could drop into 4th place by tomorrow.

201 - at least Beltre wasn't included too, that time.

If the Dodgers lose tonight, they will fall into 4th Saturday. That's because I'm going to the game.

The Dodgers will struggle to score 2 runs off of Brett Tomko and will lose when Lance Niekro hits a bases-loaded triple to left.

203 -- Or did you mean Beltran?

Whenever the next collective bargaining agreement deadline is, and we lose a season and a half, those two contracts will be about 75% of the reason, with Magglio Ordonez good for another tenner.

Schmoll and no Sanchez, that is fine with this cowboy. I'd be happy if old Duaner never saw the green grass again. Maybe the Reds could use him! haha.

I'm guessing that Erickson is somehow involved in a bet. DePodesta bet somebody, maybe Logan White or Billy Bean, that he can keep Scott Erickson all the roster all year, and the winner gets $50.

205-Magglio's contract is all incentives, so its not nearly as bad as the others.

whats wrong with 9 in that lineup?? you are forgetting about your man's white talc.

No extra money if Shawn Green is getting paid $1 million a win share.

But I agree, Ordonez's contract is nowhere near as bad as Beltre's. Too bad we couldn't get Adrian to sign with us for that amount.

the problem with 9 in the lineup is that it's Josa Lima. Or Scott Erickson. Or Pat Mahomes.

what are we getting now for 10 million other than great trade gossip with the saved money?

#212 - Derek Lowe and Dioner Navarro.

We get to not pay Shawn Green $16M. And we get Dioner Navarro. Those things are worth $10M combined, easy.

212 -- We are getting the pleasure of not wasting it on Derek Lowe instead of Shawn Green. Really, it's fantastic. That's why DePodesta is "my man." Or something like that.

212 - stubbs, eventually that $10 million will be used for someone who's worth it. Just because we have the extra money doesn't mean we should spend it immediately for the sake of spending it. But when the right deal comes along, it'll sure be nice to have that money handy.

215 -- I miswrote that. It should have said

"We are getting the pleasure of wasting it on Derek Lowe, instead of not wasting it on Shawn Green."

Proceed.

215 -- I miswrote that. It should have said

"We are getting the pleasure of wasting it on Derek Lowe, instead of not wasting it on Shawn Green."

Proceed.

Nope, that's not what I meant either. Shawn Green makes me so angry, I can't think straight. Somebody else explain it, because I can't.

211-how do u figure? we only saved 6 million on green. we would still have Lowe just no money to spend now. im sure no one here will agree, but we arent trading for anyone better than Shawn Green right now, plus green wouldnt have cost us any prospects save for Dioneer Navarro. Dioneer Navarro wouldnt come close to netting Adam Dunn.

Christina-
Shawn Green's contract was up this year before the Dbacks extended him, so this is a one year thing.

http://tinyurl.com/brd9w

Hey folks- this kind of defies description but I thought I'd share.

stubbs - that didn't mean that, at the time the decision was made to ship Green off, that DePo didn't feel that during the course of THIS season there would be something better to use the money that we would otherwise have spent on Green for. Instead the money could have been used at midseason to get that "one last piece" for a run at the playoffs. That's why it's nice to go into a season with some cash left to play with rather than having spent it all before the season for the sake of spending it.

Of course, as we all know, injuries have severely screwed up the plan for this season.

223-true, hindsight is 20/20 but there were plenty of people who were skeptical while it was happening.

224 - and just because some people were skeptical at the time, doesn't mean that they were right.

Do you really think that this season, as it has gone, would have been significantly salvaged by having Green on the roster? After all, your proposed lineup - leaving aside the problem of who we would have pitching - includes two power bats who are currently injured. So even if we had Green, that isn't the line-up we'd be seeing actually being put out on the field. So the one-year retaining of Green would be, really, wasted money.

224 - I don't know what that means. What does people's impressions of the deal have anything to do with the value of the deal itself?

IOW, we're still better off having that money in reserve for a deal that will help 2006.

222- !!!

226-just that it wasnt a clear cut no brainer and as it turn out, we would have been better off imo having Shawn Green and less flexibility this year than Dioneer Navarro and 6 million to spend right now.

226 - I think stubbs is arguing that because of the way this season has gone, we made a mistake in not keeping Shawn Green, and that had we known beforehand how the season would go, we would have kept Shawn Green, and that therefore the people who were skeptical at the time were right.

I disagree with all three points.

227-that i agree with, we should be dumping right now for 2006-Saenz, Weaver, Alvarez??,whoever. Id venture to say that an expiring Shawn Green right now would be worth at least Dioneer Navarro if we were dumping him now.

229 - but why? Again, your lineup is not what we would be seeing out on the field. We're not going to make the playoffs this year, barring a ridiculous run on our part and a nuclear meltdown on San Diego's. Could Green have made such a significant difference that we'd make the playoffs, and more than that, the World Series rather than an early first-round exit?

I find it unlikely.

Green instead of Werth this year would have been a significant upgrade...can anyone here calculate?

Would the Dodgers have signed Drew if they planned on keeping Green?

233 - you're ducking my question, stubbs.

I think Shawn Green is better than 6 million in "Wiggle Room" and Dioneer Navarro. If your theory is that having the prospect and money is better to make adjustments midseason, i disagree. In this sellers market, u arent getting a better bat than Shawn Green for 6 million (lawton, Wilson-none of these types are better), plus u are giving up prospects to add someone now, which cancels out Navarro. Plus u have Green the whole year rather than this mythical addition after the break.

But again, keeping Green would in all probability kept us from Drew and Lowe, not to mention Navarro (etc).

I loved Green as a Dodger, but his contract was an astonishing albatross, especially considering his diminished play in recent years.

why couldnt we have signed Lowe and Drew with Green? I dont buy this. Only thing signing Green costs us is the wiggle room now.

236 - one more time. Would we have made the playoffs, let alone deep into the playoffs, if we had Green this season? Remembering that in your proposed lineup, we'd still have Bradley and Drew on the DL?

If not, then keeping Green this season really doesn't matter, for all that he's a better bat than Werth. 2005 is a bust in any case.

Could we have signed them with Green? Perhaps.

Would we have? I doubt it -- that would have significantly boosted payroll past $100 million. If you're not taking payroll into account, why not re-sign Beltre, keep Green, AND get Drew?

I'd love that lineup, but it's not remotely feasible.

#236: Green's production is inflated by the BOB and Dodgers' pitching. Green has a .785 OPS on the road and an .817 OPS against teams not named the Dodgers. And on the money side, the choice is essentially between Odalis Perez and Dioner Navarro for $16 million or Shawn Green and Pat Mahomes for $16 million. I'd take Perez and Navarro.

The Angels are an interesting case study vs. the 2004 Dodgers. They're pacing for 96 wins but with 14 Red Sox/Yankees games on the horizon. So call it 93 wins. Publicly Stoneman is standing pat, but to me this team is due for an early bounce. I figure the WC comes from the East and plays CHW. So the Angels could conceivably face the Red Sox and Yankees back-to-back. They've got to be a big starter and a big bat away from pulling that off. But of course Stoneman doesn't want to "blow up a winning clubhouse."

WARNING: Extremely long post ahead.

Since the beginning of the season I've been trying to understand how good the Dodgers really are. Injuries throughout the year have obviously masked their true talent level. Thus the important question is, "What is the difference between the performance we've received and the performance we should have expected?". In order to address this question in the past, I've used a WARP-based (Wins Above Replacement Player) DL analysis. This approach is a good estimator, but it has two key problems. First, it doesn't take into account the quality of our actual replacements. Second, it doesn't take into account how much time a player is expected to contribute for. For instance, while J.D. Drew's injury timeframe this year will exceed reasonable expectations, nobody should have expected him to play 155 games.

Now, onto the approach. First, for each fielding position, I estimated expected playing time based on PECOTA projections and health history. Second, I estimated expected performance at the position based on PECOTA projections, historical performance, and adjustments for platoon splits. Last, I compared the expected breakdowns to the actuals. I'll go through the numbers position-by-position. The format for each performance line is Playing Time %: Player - AVG / OBP / SLG ( OPS ). This analysis does not include Pitchers, Designated-Hitters, and Pinch-Hitters, so the cumulative numbers do not match up with the team's overall numbers. At the end, I'll give a comparison of actual playing time vs. expected playing time for each of the players referenced.

Catcher Actuals
77.2%: Jason Phillips - .250/.300/.398 (.698 OPS)
13.9%: Paul Bako - .250/.362/.300 (.662 OPS)
8.9%: Mike Rose - .148/.233/.185 (.418 OPS)
100.0%: Team Total - .241/.302/.367 (.669 OPS)

Catcher Expected
75.0%: Jason Phillips - .255/.315/.395 (.710 OPS)
20.0%: Paul Bako - .230/.310/.330 (.640 OPS)
5.0%: Mike Rose - .240/.325/.315 (.640 OPS)
100.0%: Team Total - .249/.315/.378 (.693 OPS)

Catcher Analysis
The Dodgers have been getting slightly less production from catcher than expected. Primarily this is due to Jason Phillips mildly underperforming his expectations. Additionally, Mike Rose has done very little offensively, though his at-bats are limited. Paul Bako has exceeded expecation for performance, but has missed his playing time projection.

First Base Actual
62.0%: Hee-Seop Choi - .250 / .330 / 490 (.820 OPS)
28.8%: Olmedo Saenz - .333 / .400 / 634 (1.034 OPS)
4.7%: Jeff Kent - .538 / .667 / 769 (1.436 OPS)
2.0%: Jason Phillips - .000 / .000 / 000 (.000 OPS)
1.7%: Norihiro Nakamura - .167 / .167 / 167 (.333 OPS)
0.8%: Jason Grabowski - .333 / .333 / 333 (.667 OPS)
100.0%: Team Total - .280 / .358 / 525 (.883 OPS)

First Base Expected
65.0%: Hee-Seop Choi - .260 / .350 / 490 (.840 OPS)
30.0%: Olmedo Saenz - .310 / .375 / 600 (.975 OPS)
5.0%: Jeff Kent - .276 / .341 / 498 (.839 OPS)
100.0%: Team Total - .276 / .357 / 523 (.880 OPS)

First Base Analysis
The Dodgers have been getting expected production from first base. Hee Seop Choi has mildly underperformed expectations, but that has been balanced out by Olmedo Saenz's performance. As should be apparent to anyone not named Jim Tracy, Jason Phillips, Norihiro Nakamura, and Jason Grabowski should never be allowed anywhere near the first base bag. Additionally, unless it's due to injury concerns, it doesn't make sense to move Kent to first base fulltime, as the Choi/Saenz platoon has been one of the few bright spots in the Dodgers lineup.

Second Base Actual
88.6%: Jeff Kent - .295 / .367 / 505 (.872 OPS)
9.8%: Antonio Perez - .394 / .459 / 515 (.974 OPS)
1.4%: Oscar Robles - .200 / .200 / 200 (.400 OPS)
0.3%: Norihiro Nakamura - .000 / .000 / 000 (.000 OPS)
100.0%: Team Total - .302 / .373 / 500 (.873 OPS)

Second Base Expected
80.0%: Jeff Kent - .276 / .341 / 498 (.839 OPS)
15.0%: Antonio Perez - .270 / .340 / 390 (.730 OPS)
5.0%: Oscar Robles - .285 / .335 / 335 (.670 OPS)
100.0%: Team Total - .276 / .341 / 474 (.814 OPS)

Second Base Analysis
Jeff Kent's offensive performance has been the highlight of the Dodgers season so far. Additionally, Perez has made some significant offensive contributions while resting Kent at second base. Second base is one of two positions where the Dodgers have exceeded expectations.

Shorstop Actual
80.5%: Cesar Izturis - .275/.322/.338 (.660 OPS)
14.2%: Oscar Robles - .412/.474/.471 (.945 OPS)
4.5%: Antonio Perez - .294/.333/.294 (.627 OPS)
0.2%: Jose Valentin - .000/.000/.000 (.000 OPS)
0.2%: Mike Edwards - .000/.000/.000 (.000 OPS)
0.2%: Norihiro Nakamura - .000/.000/.000 (.000 OPS)
100.0%: Team Total - .293/.342/.351 (.693 OPS)

Shortstop Expected
95.0%: Cesar Izturis - .280/.325/.365 (.690 OPS)
5.0%: Jose Valentin - .230/.305/.440 (.745 OPS)
100.0%: Team Total - .278/.324/.369 (.693 OPS)

Shortstop Analysis<