Accuse me of looking ahead, but I noticed that Philly jumped ahead of Houston in the WC recently, meaning that we are...er, the NL West winner is...now in line to play Atlanta in the first round, instead of StL.

This thing is going down to the last weekend. No idea who will be involved but it won't settled until Oct 1-3.

I predicted a few days ago, and I'll stick by it...

I said if the Dodgers could win the series against the Braves, they would win the NL West, and make it to the NLCS...

Just my opinion of course, but outlasting the west rivals is something I think they can do...and if Philly is the wild card, the Dodgers have shown they can play with the Braves, who they would meet in the Division Series...

It's just the diehard in me coming out...

if that happens, and of course it is a huge if, wouldn't be too bad an accomplishment for DePo & McCourt, with all the bashing they have taken, to have us go to the Division series their first year, and the NLCS their second...

4 - If the Dodgers can take this season down to the last weekend against the Padres, that would be a major accomplishment.

Making it to the NLCS this year is almost too much to fathom right now.

Random Dodger game callback

August 19, 1926

There was a heated pennant race in the National League in 1926, but on this day in August, the Brooklyn Dodgers were nothing more than a slight obstacle for the second place St. Louis Cardinals to overcome as Brooklyn fell 6-2 at Sportsman's Park. Brooklyn was 55-63 and 12 games behind Pittsburgh and St. Louis and in fifth place. The Pirates led the Cardinals by .004 in the standings.

The Dodgers had trouble hitting St. Louis southpaw Bill Sherdel, accumulating eight hits, only one for extra bases, a double by Sammy Bohne. Brooklyn starter Jesse Barnes gave up 13 hits in just 5 1/3 innings.

Brooklyn did lead 2-0 after 2 ½ innings. Outfielder Dick Cox reached to lead off the inning on an error by St. Louis shortstop Tommy Thevenow. Cox then stole second and went to third on a single by Gus Felix. Bohne drove in Cox with a deep fly ball and Hank DeBerry doubled home Felix.

In the bottom of the third, the Cardinals tied it up. They used three hits and two sacrifices to score two runs.

The Cardinals went ahead in the sixth. Catcher Bob O'Farrell doubled to lead off the inning. Thevenow hit a grounder to shortstop Johnny Butler who caught O'Farrell off the base. But in the rundown, Thevenow made it to second. Sherdel then doubled home Thevenow to make it 3-2. As the New York Times writer Richards Vidmer wrote, "The other St. Louis runs didn't matter."

Brooklyn would finish 1926 with a 71-82 record. They finished in sixth place, 17 ½ games behind the Cardinals, who would win their first ever National League pennant.

Brooklyn's 1926 squad was a mixture of older players on their way down and some younger guys who didn't pan out. Hall of Famer Zack Wheat played his last season in Brooklyn, batting .290. Wheat would play one more year for the Philadelphia Athletics.

Hall of Fame pitcher Dazzy Vance came back from a 22-9 season in 1925 to go 9-10 with a 3.89 ERA. Another Hall of Famer, Burleigh Grimes, went 12-13 with a 3.71 ERA. Jesse Petty led the team with 17 wins and led the National League with 17 losses.

The best rookie on the team was first baseman Babe Herman. He batted .319 with an OBP of .375. He hit 11 triples and 11 home runs. Veteran Rabbit Marranville stopped by for 78 games. Max Carey was acquired from Pittsburgh in August after he was let go in the fallout of an argument between manager Bill McKechnie and players Babe Adams, Carson Bigbee, and Carey. It would be dubbed the "ABC Affair". It was probably easier for the Pirates to let go of Carey as he was batting .222 at the time and he would finish at .231.

Carey threatened to leave the Dodgers after joining them, but he stayed around. And Carey even got to manage the Dodgers in 1932 and 1933.

The 1926 team earned its place in history just four days earlier. Brooklyn was in Boston and in the first game of the doubleheader; the teams were tied 1-1 in the seventh. The Dodgers had catcher Hank DeBerry on third, Vance on second, and second baseman Chick Fewster on first. Herman was at the plate and he lined a shot off the right field fence. DeBerry scored to put Brooklyn ahead, but Vance held up at third. Meanwhile, Fewster rounded second and headed to third. And Herman was thinking triple all the way. The end result: three men on third base. The Braves threw the ball around the infield and eventually someone tagged out all three runners. Officially, Herman was out for passing Fewster on the bases and Fewster was out because third base belonged to Vance. (The exact accounting of this play differs.) The NY Times boxscore scored the DP, 9-4-2-5-4. The image of the Dodgers having three men on third forever cemented the image of the 1920s Dodgers as "the Daffiness Boys."

Thanks to the New York Times, Bill Deane, Dodgers.com, BaseballReference.com and Retrosheet

The division title is a reasonable expectation. Advancing past the NLDS is pushing it.

7 - Are the division series still best of 5?

I'm not sure what's a longer shot - the Dodgers taking the division, or subsequently taking 3 of 5 from the Braves.

I can just picture the scene at PETCO on October 3

The 79-82 Padres facing the 78-83 Dodgers. Chan Ho Park dueling against Odalis Perez. The crowds are in a frenzy.

Meanwhile the 78-83 Diamondbacks are at SBC Park as Russ Ortiz goes up against Brett Tomko.

Park and Perez both last 3 innings. The Dodgers trail 5-4 after 3 innings.
Meanwhile up north, Vin Scully tells us that Craig Counsell has just put the Diamondbacks ahead 1-0 after scoring on a three-base error by Randy Winn on a Shawn Green fly ball.

The Dodgers tie it up in the 6th when Cesar Izturis reaches on an error, takes second on a Chris Hammond balk and scores when Oscar Robles' pop fly is lost in the sun by Damian Jackson.

The Giants tie up the game in San Francisco when Mike Matheny hits an inside-the-park home run after Green and Gonzalez collide in center field.

The Dodgers and Padres head to the ninth still tied. Trevor Hoffman is in. Mike Edwards pinch hits for Steve Schmoll and strikes out. Izturis comes up and drops a drag bunt and gets thrown out. Robles works an 11-pitch walk out of Hoffman.

Then we hear, "Look who's coming up. Talk about a roll of the dice...."

Yep, it's Jason Grabowski ....

To be continued.

when the dodgers lose, they lose barely by 1 or 2 runs, unless the starting pitcher has a bad day like perez did a few days ago.
i truely believe the determining factor of winning this division is in tracy's hands.
if he will sit izturis and move robles to short and play perez at 3b and go back to a choi/seanz platoon at 1b, we will have a shot at this division.
i personally would play perez at ss and platoon robles and seanz at 3b with choi at 1b, but i guess that creates a defensive liability on the left side of the infield, which means tracy will never do it.
but having perez at 3b,robles ss, choi/seanz platoon 1b, isn't a defensive liability and tracy should start doing this for the best of the team, this might be the determining factor in tight games, an extra run or 2 from adding perez and subtracting izturis, and adding choi/seanz platoon and subtracting phillips.
also keep valentin out of the lineup, have ledee in there when he can, otherwise cruz.

I've sort of been out of touch with DT, but not the Dodgers. I actually really enjoyed the excellent broadcasts, mainly the camera coverage, the score cards, and I like the broadcasters all right, too.

I think it was a good sign that Weaver and Lowe could pick up wins against a decent Braves team. I was really disappointed in Perez. I have become more anti-tracy lately, though, even with the wins. I think Werth and Bradley heating up came at a great time, when Kent is cooling a bit.

Awhile back people were discussing moving Kent to first, I see merit in that, but is there anybody else out there besides me that feels like HOF type guys ought to remain at their position? I thought moving Piazza to 1B on a regular basis was an injustice. You've given a team alot at a position and you've earned a spot at that position, so unless you are REALLY hurting the team, I think you deserve to keep that position so you can keep racking up the numbers at it.

Also, I've seen some really nasty incidents with kids and foul balls recently. So if you take yours to the game, keep an eye out for the dangers. Bradley bats, etc. :-)

9 - Can we settle on a 4-way tie for "first" in the NL, and then send a NL West All-Star team to face the Braves/Cards:

1B - Tracy
2B - Kent
SS - Greene
3B - Glaus
CF - Bradley
RF - Drew
LF - Giles
C - Matheny

Penny
Schmidt
Peavy
Vargas

i truely believe the determining factor of winning this division is in tracy's hands.

Well, it's in DePo's hands too (his moreso) if he makes Tracy do the right thing.

The way Werth's been hitting, an OF of Werth, Bradley, Cruz/Ledee and an IF of Perez, Robles, Kent, Choi, and Navarro is a solid and very balanced line-up. Werth and Choi are getting their OPS over 800. Cruz is around 800. Robles and Navarro are lower but their OPS's are OBP heavy. That line-up can score some runs.

The pitching on other hand still needs help, but the bullpen looks better than it did a month ago.

i also think tracy should use dessens more often, and make a double switch when we are leading after 6 innings, so dessens can be used for both the 7th and 8th innings.
when carrara came in yesterday for the 8th inning, i was holding my breath.
also if sanchez uses his change up effectively he might turn out to be a good pitcher, that change up looked good yesterday.

i was in an argument last night on another board about sanchez's change up.
did he add the change up just a few weeks or so ago or has he had it all year long?
can anyone clarify this for me?

I think we have enough spare parts and loose ends to win this thing. It's just a matter of Tracy incorporating the right ones (which are pretty obvious).

Dessens should be made a partner in the Free Choi and Perez Firm.

Sanchez, May 16th, 2005:

"Meanwhile, Sanchez is excited about the possibility of getting a start.

"I would like a chance to go back to starting," he said. "I always liked doing it. I've been throwing the changeup since the last month of last year, trying to get better so I can have more pitches and stay in games longer."

4
if that happens, and of course it is a huge if, wouldn't be too bad an accomplishment for DePo & McCourt, with all the bashing they have taken, to have us go to the Division series their first year, and the NLCS their second...

Do you think DePo and McCourt would be given the credit for it, though? Even aside from any pro-Tracy, anti-DePo bias that may exist in the press, don't field managers usually get most of the credit when a "bad" team makes good? I think if the Dodgers make the NLCS, it will cement Tracy's reputation as one of the game's best managers. I wouldn't agree with that, but I think it would happen.

definately 3 guys that are underused, A. perez, dessens, choi.

anyone at all with knowledge of how long sanchez has had a change up pitch, did he just add it a few weeks or so ago or has he had it all season?

Also, I really don't expect Drew to do anything productive. Wrist injuries always come with power droughts, right? Like Werth? Maybe he'll get it back the last week of the season or something but if we're gonna scale the wall, we'll have to be able to do it without him.

16---- thanks for the info.
so he's had the change up all year.
i wonder if the change up has been the pitches he use to throw in the dirt.
i wonder if he's had it but not been able to throw it effectively untill his recent sucess.

Wasn't there talk in the past that Gagne was helping Sanchez to develop a changeup? Or was that Yhency? (Or both?)

Sanchez is awful sometimes, but sometimes his stuff is just awesome, and he's young enough that I think he has the potential for a very good career. Was he considered a good pitching prospect as a starter?

I think he's learning the changeup because his slider is horrible.

Does his changeup look good? I haven't seen him throw it. He only needs 2 pitches.

Random Dodger trivia I picked up in Atlanta last night..

What Dodger was on hand for both the breaking of Babe Ruth's home run record by Hank Aaron -AND- the breaking of Ty Cobb's hit record by Pete Rose?

Pretty easy one but may not pop out at you at first.

12 - I still think the Cardinals will beat that lineup. That is how sad the NL West is.

13 - As if JT would not start Izzy regularly. Baby steps, folks... if JT would just move him down to the 8th spot in the line-up; I'd take that.

24--Dusty Baker?

12--I will never consent to a Dodgers/Giants alliance.

26 - I was just speaking in hypotheticals on how "good" we could be if we "tried." But I'd take Izzy in the 8-spot, too.

22 - His slider IS bad... hopefully he can continue to master the change (like he threw it last night) and consistently locate his heat well.

27 - The only West team I'd consent an alliance with (out of the 4 "winners") is the snakes. And that's only because they haven't done anything to offend me really.

9--

Bob,

If Steve becomes either a Padres fan or a Diamondbacks fan, does that alter the conclusion of your proposed games?

24 - it's popeye himself, my hero and yours, steve garvey.

23--- so you haven't seen his changeup either.
i swear i've never seen a changeup from sanchez until last night.
but that changeup that i saw from him last night had the braves hitters off balance.
i don't get to see many dodger games on t.v., and i'm wondering if he just started throwing the changeup, and if his recent sucess is from the changeup.
cause sanchez has been like night and day, 2 different pitchers, about 3 weeks or so ago sanchez has been a totally different pitcher than he was before a few weeks or so ago.
and i'm wondering if that is when he finally started throwing the changeup or started to throw it effectively.

Sanchez has actually been fairly consistent throughout the year, with the exception of a bad week around Memorial Day and a couple of other bad outings. Nothing spectacular, but a decent appearances-eating middle reliever.

The NL West VORP MVP candidates

Jeff Kent 47.8
Brian Giles 44.1
Jake Peavy 41.3

Both Moises Alou and Brad Penny are around 34.

I have to say, Jon, That I particularly enjoyed today's post. It's very timely. I didn't realized that the team had actually managed to play .500 ball for about a month's worth of games. It's good that you pointed out that a little luck seems to have something to do with this recent streak. So we don't get too excited and start thinking this team is actually good. I think it could be, but many things will have to continue to go well and some will have to improve.

While every break seemed to go against us this season, the one thing that we got very lucky with is how horrible the division is. That is the only reason we remain in contention.

I now realize that the team is playing better. We've gotten a little lucky. and that I shouldn't expect too much. But we still have a chance at this... Yup, sounds about right.

sanchez pre allstar game 4.14 era
post all star game 2.60 era
i know era isn't the best stat to look at but still.
and also since aug 9th, 7.1 innings pitched zero earned runs allowed, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts, 0 homers allowed, 3 hits allowed.
also from july 26th- aug 9th other than 1 bad outing in there, 1 walk 6 strikeouts zero homers zero earned runs 2 hits in 3.2 innings.
basicaly 1 bad outing since july 26th on aug 4th when he pitched 1.2 innings 2 hits 4 earned runs 1 homer 2 walks no strikeouts.

so 3 weeks and 3 days ago, it seems like sanchez has turned a corner in his career with the exception of that 1 bad outing on aug 4th.
i'm wondering if this is when he started to throw the changeup, or if he has been throwing the changeup all along, but july 26th is when he has been throwing it for strikes.

its like night and day between pre july 26th and post july 26th.

21 -- When we got him, Sanchez was basically considered a guy with a great arm but no idea how to pitch. I think he was considered a good prospect at one time, but obviously the Pirates got tired of waiting for him to figure things out.

12 - The fact that Mike Matheny is the division's all-star catcher pretty much says all you need to know about the NL West this year.

the tickets I bought in February for the last weekend of the season in San Diego are looking more and more valuable....

What's the over/under on stolen bases by Juan Pierre for this four-game series?

#38: That's the same way I felt when I read Chad Tracy at 1B.

the tickets I bought in February for the last weekend of the season in San Diego are looking more and more valuable....

Kinda like having front row seats to the Special Olympics.

40 - I'll say 8, 2 per game

42 - don't knock the special olympics, we volunteered there and hosted some participants..it was a great event and very rewarding to be a part of...

44 - Not knocking anything, just seeing a lot of similarities.

45 - sorry, I'm not with you on this one

#37: I think it's all just a trick of sample sizes, as is always the case for relievers. Since the All-Star break, Sanchez has only pitched 17.1 IP. His K-rate hasn't really changed (~1K/IP) nor has his BB-rate (~.45 BB/IP).

Here are his month-by-month ERA splits:

April: 13.2 IP w/ a 2.32 ERA
May: 12.1 IP w/ a 2.84 ERA
June: 16.2 IP w/ a 7.02 ERA
July: 15.1 IP w/ a 1.76 ERA
August: 9.0 IP w/ a 4.00 ERA

That's about as consistent as relievers get, which is why they are generally so frustrating. I also remember him throwing the changeup all year long (and successfully), which is why his K-rate is up to 1K / IP this year vs. .55 K / IP last year.

37 Sanchez has been throwing the change-up all year, but not 'til recently has it resembled Mota/Gagne's. Earlier in the season he would rely on his sporadic fastball and then mix in one of his other two ugly pitches. That pitch was usually a slider away and in the dirt.

Robert Fick has the highest VORP of NL West catchers at 12.9, although he's played a lot at other positions.

Matheny would be next at 12.3
Ramon Hernandez is at 11.6
Kelly Stinett is at 8.5
Todd Greene is at 5.9
Jason Phillips is at 5.5
Miguel Olivo 5.1
J.D. Closser 4.8
Dioner Navarro 2.3
Danny Ardoin 1.8
Paul Bako 1.2
Dave Ross 0.5
Yorvit Torrealaba 0.3
Koyie Hill -0.6
Mike Rose -1.4
Chris Snyder -1.6
Yamid Haad -2.2
Miguel Ojeda -6.6

46 - Let's just say that the athletes (NL West teams) we are currently rooting for are not the world's (or league's) greatest, yet we still derive much enjoyment from watching them go out there and try their best.

Didn't mean to offend the PC police. Sorry.

That pitch was usually a slider away and in the dirt....

or in the right field bleachers.

47-48-- thanks for the info guys, so he's had the changeup all along, and has a couple ugly pitches, a slider being 1 of them.
i guess it all depends on what he decides to throw that determines his fate.
pitch selection is his ups and downs i guess.

I dont expect drew to provide much power either. But if he can hit for decent average, combined with his excelent plate discipline, Drew should still be an asset. He will be way better than valentin, and will probably be better than ledee, who has never hit for a ton of power anyway.

In the current SI Tom Verducci has a little squib noting that after going 12-2 to start, the Dodgers went 39-61. Only two other times in history has an LA Dodgers team had a 100-game stretch that bad: 1987 and 1992.

could it be, is it possible, that Navarro is better calling Sanchez' pitches than Phillips was...is that a remote possibility?

55--- good point, you might be on to something.

Despite having an off year, Todd Helton leads all NL West first baseman in VORP at 34.7.

The NL West VORP all stars

1B - Helton (34.7)
2B - Kent (47.8)
SS - Vizquel (19.8)
3B - Glaus (35.5)
LF - Alou (35.5)
CF - Bradley (20.7)
RF - Giles (44.1)
C - Fick (12.9)

Pitchers -
Starters

Peavy (41.3)
Penny (34.2)
Webb (26.8)
Lowry (23.8)

Setup
Ostuka (17.8)
Linebrink (17.1)

Closer
Hoffman (6.2)

May be Duaner should give up on the slider... I don't think he threw one last night. If he works on locating 2 pitches he may become more consistent. As I recall, Trevor Hoffman has a high-80s fastball and wicked change, both of which he locates well (especially the fastball).

for that matter, with the exception of Perez' imploding and his annual blaming of an injury for his poor performance, the whole staff seems to be doing a little better with Navarro behind the plate...

38/12 - even worse than the catcher is the best 1B of the group is probably Saenz/Choi, neither of whom even start for the Dodgers.

Tracy (my selection) doesn't start for AZ either. Tony Clark is their starting 1B now.

57 - Helton's team stinks, so he doesn't get to be on our NL West hybrid All-Star team.

60 - yeah too bad, and Tony Clark is having such a poor season to top it off...

Sorry to be off Topic yet again, but Why is it that just about everytime The Dodgers face an ACE Houlton is the Dodger on the mound to counter act that ace? Is it to inspire the offense to produce runs?

62 - I think it was a good move getting him in the lineup everyday, but the repercussions stemming from that move are staggering:

Tracy moves to RF. Huh?
Green moves to CF. Look out.
Clark gets a 2-year extension. No wonder this team is in financial hell. And I don't think the Dodgers and Yankees will be making anymore $25M donations this offseason.

Clark's VORP was at 31.8 and he has far fewer PAs.

And to increase the similarities, Clark now has a longer contract at a high salary for no real good reason.
If Arizona thinks that Clark will keep having years like this one, they are seriously deluded.

my point only applied to this season's performance by Clark, not to the business savvy of the D'backs

I rather have Houlton facing Burnett than Penny. I'm tired of seeing Penny's efforts go to waste. So if we're going to lose, we might as well lose with our worst starter.

If Arizona thinks that Clark will keep having years like this one, they are seriously deluded.

And the future just looks brighter-and-brighter for the Dodgers...

63
Is Burnett Florida's real ace? Beckett and Willis are both pretty good too.

The Marlins have pretty good starters regardless of whom they trot out

If they only could hit.

66

Howard,
It's always fun to poke fun at the lack of business savvy shown by Arizona.

66 - No offense intended to your point Howard. Clark is having a great year.

I just think its funny to see AZ able to dig themselves out of the financial mess they were in post-WS 2001, only to see them hand out long-term contracts to Green, Clark, Ortiz, and Glaus.

It also is yet to be determined whether Vazquez will demand a trade this offseason.

67 - Agreed. Put up our worst against their best and the other games become more attainable. If Tracy is actually thinking like this and realizes winning series is more important than every game, then there is a check in the "pros" column.

Of course, it is more likely that JT is adhering to the prescribed rotation... nevermind.

69 - Aces 1a, 1b, and 1c.

Only one is pitching for a contract, though.

Im dreading monday when Odails Peanut faces Willis.

71 and after all is said and done, knowing the way ball players are, Vazquez will probably demand a trade to the Dodgers or Yankees

Has anyone with the right to demand a trade in the offseason ever received one? Usually the team just gives the guy a contract extension.

Jeff Shaw asked for one after he got traded to L.A. But we kept him and extended his deal.

Eww, I just felt a shiver down my spine typing that.

72--

Tracy has always promoted the idea of winning the series and not every single game.

76 - Don't forget Brian Jordan. He so graciously decided that he would keep the Dodgers' $11M salary for the next year, rather than test the open market.

74- The Dodgers have traditionally hit Willis well though... right?

74 In 3 starts against the Dodgers, Willis has allowed 15 ER in 13 IP. It's safe to say he's not fooling the Dodgers.

They DRailed him last time but then again MLB Players traditionaly hit O. Peanut well too right?

Odalis Perez recieves more irrational hate than any player not named Choi.

He's a Peanut

81 Pierre: 5/27
L. Castillo: 8/13
Encarnacion: 3/13
A. Gonzalez: 5/13
Mike Lowell: 2/11
Jeff Conine: 3/8
M. Cabrera: 1/8
C. Delgado: 0/5
Paul LoDuca: 0/2

84 - How many HRs does Willis have against OP?

Willis has never batted against Odalis Perez.

82
My irrational hatred is all reserved for Russ Ortiz.

I try not to have an irrational hatred for any Dodger. I even give Jason Phillips the benefit of the doubt.

87 - Is Erickson still considered a "Dodger"?

Why the hate for Ortiz, Bob? You seem like such a nice guy.

88

It's irrational.

I think it stems from the fact that it seems that Ortiz gets hit pretty hard a lot and usually has a pretty good won-loss record.

And Dusty Baker always spoke him of well.

I've come to the conclusion that if Dusty Baker likes a player personally, he usually stinks.

Evidence:
Darren Lewis
Russ Ortiz
Shawon Dunston
Neifi Perez

Is there any reason why Dessens doesn't start over Houlton? Is it because Houlton's not suited for the bullpen?

Because after watching them both over the last month or so, I'd definitely rather have Dessens start, say, tonight f'rinstance. But of course I hope Houlton proves me wrong!

90. You may get your wish shortly because Odalis is a question mark for his start next monday with his very mild strain. If Odalis misses his start perhaps Dessens would get the nod if he doesn't pitch in relief on saturday or sunday. Another option, and one I would be all for would be to call up Edwin Jackson to pitch monday if it fits into his schedule. I suppose Broxton could be another option and limit him to a certain number of pitches. Thoughts? vr, Xei

90 - Last 3 year's splits for Dessens:

as a reliever - 69 ip, 2.48 era, .251 baa, 3:1 so/bb

as a starter - 390 ip, 4.44 era, .286 baa, 1.9:1 so/bb

Don't ask me to explain it. It just is what it is. (Of course his relief stats could just be small sample size too).

90. was a response to much earlier mentions of Dessens, btw.

Also, Fanball mention on Edwin Jackson:

"News
Dodgers promising pitching prospect Edwin Jackson is getting back on track after struggling at Triple-A this season and in a brief major league stint last year. In eight starts for the Dodgers last year, Jackson went 4-2 with a 5.01 ERA and 1.50 WHIP. He was sent to Triple-A to start this season, where he went 3-7 with an 8.62 ERA before being demoted to Double-A Jacksonville. In two starts with the Suns last week, Jackson went 2-0, scattering seven hits, one unearned run, and three walks while striking out 12 in 15 innings.

Views
Jackson is finally starting to work his way back to the player who was ranked the Dodgers best prospect just one year ago. While that may be too lofty of a goal given the depth of tremendous prospects in the Dodgers system, Jackson is clearly inching back into a form synonymous with major leaguers. He's a possible September call up, but the Dodgers will be particularly careful not to deal another blow to his confidence."

91 - if it were me, and of course its not, I take the Edwin Jackson option, much like the Angels did with Saunders

Is it just me or is Broxton literally giving up 1 run every time he comes in and pitches an inning? 1 run, no less, no more.

Obviously that doesn't translate into a good ratio for a starter... but I'm expecting the more innings he works the better he'll get and the one run per appearance thing will change.

95- Seems to me that Broxton's problem to date is largely his control. If he gets a handle on it, I think he'll do very well -- his stuff looks nasty.

I was very impressed with Broxton's last outing, BTW. His fastball hit 98 and his breaking ball was falling off the table. He wasn't particularly wild, either -- many of the "balls" he threw should arguably have gone the other way. With an ump with a slightly more generous strike zone behind the plate, no way Atlanta scores off him.

95 - It's not just you. In 5 of his 7 appearances in the ML, he has pitched exactly one inning, and given up exactly one run.

Other two - .1 IP, no runs and 1 IP, 2 runs.

his issue is control, I don't know how he was in the minors, but I believe he was walked almost as many as he has struck out?

Actually, I forgot to mention what impressed me most about Broxton the other night: the fact that he had enough confidence in his breaking ball to throw it on a 3-2 count with the bases loaded -- twice. Smart pitching there. Most pitchers don't learn that until they've been in the big leagues several years.

His walks, such as they are, appear to be from attempting to be too fine with his pitches, as opposed to general wildness. That bodes well for his future.

99 - Yup. Before last night (I think, I'm not sure how often The Hardball Times update their stats), his K/G (K per game) is 12.8 but his BB/G is 9.6

I'm not too worried about Broxton. He'll get better everytime he steps on the mound.

uh huh, wild like Sandy Koufax was early in his career

BTW, I hope we don't keep Broxton in the pen. At least not without giving him a shot at starting at some point.

In his minor league career, Broxton fanned 306 and walked 110 in 286 innings. Broxton will be fine. The theory is: young pitchers with high strikeout rates early in their career figure to post low ERAs in the future. Broxton is striking out about two batters an inning, so I'm gonna put my money on a sub-2 ERA in his best season.

I'm not too worried bout him either, he looks better each time out. As for starting, I could see him as another Penny (not a bad thing at all) in make up and results. Right now they need more help in the bullpen, though, so that's where he shall remain for a spell. Maybe Kuo will come up in September.

Broxton will almost certainly have injury issues in his career, due to his weight and build. And we also have a ton of other starting prospects on the way, not to mention three guys in the major league rotation already signed to long-term contracts. For those reasons, I think we should keep Broxton in the pen. And besides, there's nothing wrong with having a Gagne Jr. around. It's better than suffering through Carrara in the 8th.

107 - I never suffer when Gio comes in...I know what is going to happen to us, and occasionally I am pleasantly surprised by something good happening...

108 - Now THAT is acceptance.

109 - Dang it fanerman! Beat me to the punch... the little bubble above my head said the exact samething when I read Howard's 108 post.

It looks like Carrara has now become our setup man.

Because whenever he comes in, it's a setup.

Actually Carrara is better against LH (.253) than RH (.274) so he could be our LOOGY.

I looked in the Daily News this morning and it does not show the Dodger game being televised tomorrow.

Can that be?

Schmoll should be used only against RH (.260) vs LH (.317).

The Dodgers are not on TV Saturday. The game falls inside Fox's window of exclusivity.

The Marlins are a -280 betting favorite tonight.

And they are only the third biggest favorite tonight.

The Cardinals, with Chris Carpenter starting, are -320 against the Giants (Brad Hennessey).

The Athletics, with Rich Harden starting, are -350 against the Royals (LIMA TIME!)

116 - DAH. I'll be back in LA tomorrow! Oh well, there's the whole week.

110 - Haha. Well, it's not like I clicked refresh every 10 seconds and hit the keyboard as soon as I saw the post. My reply was like 5 minutes after Howard Fox's comment.

114 -- I think that's right. It's a Saturday afternoon game, so the only network with rights to televise it is FOX, but they've apparently chosen not to, seeing as how one team is in 4th place and the other is 10 games below .500.

Unlikely that Shawn Green will hit four home runs in this game, however.

RE 116 & 119
Last week the Dodgers were on FOX and the Angels were on UPN 13. Might the same thing happen for the Dodgers tomorrow?

119 - hands down the best thing about moving to twins territory is making a promise to myself that i would take an annual road trip to see the dodgers somewhere to make up for missing the games at dodger stadium and the big a. that's why i was in milwaukee to see green's 4 hr game, and why i have been to pacbell, fenway, wrigley and busch stadiums over the past few seasons. hopefully they go to seattle next year...

120
Nope, get out a radio. Listen to Charlie and Rick attempt to describe the action.

Not wanting to pull the old fogey card out here, but I think a lot of us remember that when the Dodgers came to L.A., the only games we would see televised were Giants games. Then they expanded to Sunday road games. And sometimes Padres games.

Then there were there were those people who splurged and got ON TV and bought the descrambler to watch, I believe Geoff Witcher and Al Downing call the action.

Then came cable. And the Dodgers were on SportsChannel (which you had to pay extra for) and you got to listen to Eddie Doucette and Al Downing or Ron Cey.

Eventually that petered out and eventually we got Fox Sports West 2, which a lot of cable systems refused to pick up for the first year or so.

It wasn't until McCourt took over that he insisted on trying to get every game televised.

Of course, when O'Malley moved west, he was lured by an early form of pay TV that never caught on. O'Malley (Walter that is) did not want many games televised, although nearly all of the Brooklyn Dodgers games were.

And there were the days when you couldn't listen to the game on the radio and you tried to tune to Channel 11 when they would have "The Dodgers scoreboard" which was an announcer telling you what the final score of the game was. And that was it.

And we liked it!

http://tinyurl.com/a4nu7

From the Hardball Times. Nothing new by any means, but more coverage on the Tracy situation isn't necessarily bad

122 - My earliest memories of watching Dodger games and being old enough to care was 1995. To me, it seemed like every game was televised.

124

Sigh.

Kids today! You don't know how good you've got it!

You don't know the agony of sitting through "The Merv Griffin Show" waiting for the Dodger scoreboard to come up.

Have I become a Grouchy Old Man before I turn 40?

121 -- Since the last time I saw the Dodgers play at Dodger Stadium (1987), I've seen them play at:

- Candlestick
- Oakland Coliseum
- Coors Field
- The BOB
- The Astrodome
- Wrigley Field
- Busch Stadium
- Olympic Stadium
- Three Rivers Stadium
- PNC Park
- Shea Stadium

At this point, I've decided I should stay away from Dodger Stadium because I bring bad luck. The last time I went there, one of the Dodger coaches collapsed and died on the field. (No Tracy jokes please...)

they announced last night on TV that the Dodgers would not be on TV on Saturday

"Not wanting to pull the old fogey card out here, but I think a lot of us remember that when the Dodgers came to L.A., the only games we would see televised were Giants games."
----------

I'm impressed that you remember back to 1958, Bob...

122 ON-TV...now that brings back memories

122. "attempt" is right. Especially when it's "Mo" doing the play-by-play. Sometimes he'll never say specifically what just happened, so it's sort of a fun mental exercise to try to piece it together between his vagaries and the sound of the crowd.

126 - Don McMahon? That was, what, 1987?

122 of course we liked it back then...we were listening to Vin Scully and Jerry Doggett...life was beautiful

July 22, 1987
Bob Welch against the Cardinals, if memory serves.

I would like to see the Braves Sweep the Padres then proceed to lose every game thereafter.

122 - fear not bob. i am younger than you and i remember seeing the scoreboard and game announcements on channel 11.

i grew up in santa maria (northern santa barbara county), and sometimes we would get some giants TV broadcasts via atascadero. but, for the most part, it was the handy transistor radio.

i was able to watch a few innings of a dodger game in ottawa, of all places, on ktla back in 93 or 94; presumably the place i was staying had a satellite dish. i remember flipping channels and being frightened when i stumbled across hal fishman doing an in game news update, thinking he had defected. as an aside, i always wondered, and still wonder, why ktla isn't like wgn and broadcast all over the place.

[122] For a while there (maybe around 1987-1988), there were Dodger home games on the Z Channel... I moved away from LA at this time so I am note sure when their contract ran out, but I do remember watching a bunch of home games from the 88 season on LA's last independent regional cable movie channel.

Rick Monday skips pitches and sometimes full at-bats. By the time he finishes a story, there are usually two on and one out.

I find it frustrating without the pictures. If only Vin Scully traveled east of the Rockies.

Longtime posters know this already, but when I was growing up in El Paso (1980s), we were fortunate enough to get Vinny on KTLA and later KTTV (or was it the other way around?) on our local cable system. With a two-thirds Mexican-American population, El Paso was a true-blue Dodger town then.

Thank you, Fernando. Thank you.

I found it odd that one of Mccourt's first proclamations was that he wanted every game to be televised. First of all, it seemed like all the games were on TV already... but more importantly I was thinking , hey how 'bout focusing on bringing us a championship.

I don't remember if this is the first this season that isn't televised, hopefully its the last.

139 Before McCourt, I remember there was always a handful of games at places like Montreal, Pittsburgh, and Florida that weren't televised.

#122, Bob, I have always been of the opinion that listening to a game on the radio with good play by play broadcasters is the best way to follow a game other than being in the stands in good seats. Listening to Vin in his prime on a transistor radio while at the ballpark in good seats has to be the equivilent of baseball heaven.

Right now I am listening to a 1962 game between the Giants and the Cardinals played through the mp3 player on my computer as I type this. Marichal pitching against Bob Gibson. Even better, Harry Caray and Jack Buck are doing the play by play. Right now it is 3-2 Giants in the 4th inning. Harry and Jack are terrific as usual. Sad that the Cardinals don't have the same quality in the broadcast booth these days. Then again, neither do the Dodgers.

Stan from Tacoma

139
I believe this is the first game that hasn't been televised.

Every other game on the schedule is listed as being televised by either FSN2, FOX, or KCOP.

140 yeah, I figured as much. I'm just worried that things like that are at the top of his list.

Wait, considering how bummed I am that its not on TV, maybe I should be glad its a priority.

138

Eric,

A few days ago I bought your book "Ballparks:Then and Now." Very nice.

The Dodgers used to not televise midweek day road games.

For example, the Dodgers and Marlins are playing a day game Monday. That will be televised, despite the fact that the live audience for that will be relatively small.

142 The was the odd game or two this year on the DirecTV access channel or something.

Eric,
The Dodgers started out on KTTV, then went to KTLA, and now are on KCOP. Next year they will be on KCAL, which we knew as KHJ as kids.

The Angels are still shopping around for a broadcast outlet for next year.

The Dodgers had a few conflicts earlier in the season with the Clippers and got farmed out to oddball channels.

I'm glad there's Gameday but things like
"... bunted to deep right field", or delays that have me wondering why the batter has stepped out of the box for 30 minutes, or seeing a comment from a DT'er who is watching the game say something like "That was unbelievable!" leave me wanting more.

149: ...seeing a comment from a DT'er who is watching the game say something like "That was unbelievable!" leave me wanting more.

I know EXACTLY what you mean.

123 Interesting the article did not mention the Izturis situation at all. While, I'm not in the camp that believes he should be benched, I think at least not leading him off, and having someone else get an extra at bat late in the game would be better. Perhaps it is just a small thing in the big picture.

149

We'll all be in the same boat Saturday.

We'll pull through. In the words of Bart Simpson, "There's nothing that can match the imagination of a small boy!"

Doug,
Thanks -- glad to hear it.

For those who know somebody who owns a credit card and doesn't live in L.A., Saturday's game will be available on MLB.tv.

Is it really? Or is that just Audio?

152
I'm in San Diego and watch all games available thru MLB EI or Channel 13 (I pick their digital feed via a UHF HD antenna) but only get radio reception in my car as long as I'm not around power lines. Maybe I'll ask the wife for some errands to run on Saturday afternoon, unless I can think of a better excuse to go sit in my car.

156-Hand Wash your car its really relaxing, washing the car in the sun listening to the Dodger game drinking a DosXX.

MLB.TV usually blackouts any games where someone has the TV rights to the game for your area. (Your area is determined by the zip code/country of your credit card) That menas the FOX saturday games are blacked out for the entire US. Maybe it will be different because FOX isn't actually carrying the game, but it likely won't be.

154/158
mlb.com shows it as a national black out game "National Live Blackout: Live games marked with grey icon will be blacked out in the U.S., Japan, South Korea, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands."

why bother?

So if Fox isn't carrying it, and it's within the Fox exclusivity time (the Marlins affiliate wouldn't be allowed to televise it either), I'm guessing there won't be any TV cameras there.

Will we even see highlights on Sportscenter?

Washing the car... I'd go have to buy all the stuff first. :-)

There will probably be a couple stadium cameras there for the jumbotron. So we should be able to see all the errors the Dodgers make and all the home runs they give up just fine.

It will be like a championship boxing match.

There will just be still photos shown on the evening news!

160 - All games are filmed, whether they're on TV or not. They need the footage for the jumbotron, the other TVs throughout the stadium, the players' video room, and for the MLB offices just in case anyone pulls a Frankie Francisco.

This is why we got to see Shawn Green hit four homers on SportsCenter even though the game was not televised anywhere in the world.

From today's Jayson Stark column on speed:

----
WHO ARE THE SLOWEST GUYS?

GOLD: Jason Phillips, Dodgers: Five seasons into his career, still has no stolen bases and no triples. "Could be one of the slowest young guys ever," said one player.

SILVER: Bengie Molina, Angels: "Talk about timing with an hour glass," said one scout. "When he hits a ground ball, he doesn't even come into the picture. The play's over. Guys are running off the field. And then he gets to first base."
----

Go Los Angeles!

164 - I'll bet he is faster than Norm Larker was...

How can Phillips go behind Molina?

Molina is really, really, really slow. Philllips looks like Loren Murchison compared to him.

i was just reminded that my parents' local cable company is set up so that kcop splits time with nickelodeon. the split is based on time of day, so at a certain time each day, the feed switches from one to the other. my dad describes watching a dodger game when, all of a sudden, the 7th inning was pre-empted by an episode of rugrats.

prime ticket used to be subjected to the same thing in those parts, which only sucked when the kings played the morning game on the day after thanksgiving in boston one year.

OK, that reference was obscure even for Bob.

Norm Larker was so slow, if he hit too sharp a line drive to right field, he would get thrown out at first

162 Yeah, with the sweat flying off the head, from the bean ball.

168
http://tinyurl.com/bcmk9
See comment #4

166. Because Phillips is white we assume he's slower. Throw in the nerdy glasses factor and he wins hands down.

172 No way. I've seen him GIDP, and he is only 2/3 of the way to 1B when he is thrown out. He is banana slug slow.

172 - I think the real Joe Morgan as much as said that black players were faster but not as strong (in a comment about lack of stolen bases and more home runs).

And Molina does have two career triples. Both of them were in 2000.

174 he can say that cause he is black, if a caucasian said as much he would be labeled a racist regardless of topic or correctness of statement

176 Jimmy the Greek! How have you been? ;-)

very funny, but unfortunately it is true, and the real Joe Morgan would be at the forefront pointing the finger

A Perez sighting!

hey, Kent is at 1B and AP is playing 2B....there is a Choi...

This is interesting (apologies if someone pointed to this in an earlier thread, but it's pretty brand new):

What teams would like if there were no free agency or trades (i.e., only using home grown players): http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=cnnsi-roughdraft&prov=cnnsi&type=lgns

The Dodgers would be:
Dodgers 1B: Paul Konerko 2B: Alex Cora, Jose Vizcaino, Miguel Cairo 3B: Adrian Beltre SS: Juan Castro C: Mike Piazza, Paul Lo Duca, Henry Blanco LF: Todd Hollandsworth, Eric Young CF: Bubba Crosby RF: Jorge Piedra SP: Pedro Martinez, Pedro Astacio, Ted Lilly, Chan Ho Park RP: Eric Gagne, Todd Williams, Jeff Nelson, Felix Rodriguez, Scott Proctor

Which is not bad, but it;d be hard to argue it's that much better, if any, better than their current team... or maybe it'd be fun to argue.

unfortunately Phillips is at C instead of Navarro...I guess Tracy wants to see if we can set a record for most SB's allowed

don't forget e-fferman off the bench!

Actually they'd be better at 1B, 3rd, and C, but starting pitching would be Pedro M and then a big drop off... (if this list isn't leaving out someone else), much worse in the OF...

129 Think I metioned awhile back that my SelecTV antenna is still mounted on my roof.

All in the name of preserving bird habitat, you understand...

Juan Pierre is going to have a field day. But we HAVE to have Phillips' bat in the lineup.

Full line up:

SS Izzy
3B Robles
CF Bradley
1B Kent
LF Werth
2B Perez
RF Cruz
C Phillips
P Houlton

vs

CF Pierre
2B Easley
LF Cabrera
1B Delgado
RF Encarnacion
C LoDuca
3B Lowell
SS Gonzalez
P Burnett

Pierre will now only have triples (assuming no one is on). This includes 3 base walks, 3 base HBPs, 3 base errors, etc

Victor Diaz would probably grab up one of those OF spots, Lo Duca the other.

181 That is an outstandingly bad team. Pedro than Lilly is a good 1,2 but everything else is scarily bad.

so our strategy to slow down Pierre is to walk the pitcher every time he bats

At least we have Cruz and Perez.

One good thing about Juan Pierre starting is that he isn't very good at getting on base. His OBP is .316.

181 - The best we've done in CF is Bubba Crosby? Thank goodness for trades/free agency!!!

190 That is a brilliant strategy.

192 A Marlins fan: "One good thing about Cesar Izturis starting is that he isn't very good at getting on base. His OBP is .306. Plus he can't steal."

194 A Dodgers fan: "One bad thing about Cesar Izturis starting is that he isn't very good at getting on base. His OBP is .306. Plus he can't steal."

167 I think it was C-Span that at one point split time with Pax out here, so you'd go from a stirring debate about some big issue of the day to the second reel of a 1950s movie at 4:15pm HST. Boggling.

or Raiders/Jets to "Heidi".

197 Ah yes. I wish I'd been in the country for that one, but no. I was out in the Marshall Islands (not named after either Mike) where we had no television other than videotape.

193. Sad, yes, but could change next year if Franklin Gutierrez starts... Could be a star at some point. OF prospects in general have not been the Dodgers strong suit for awhile...

190 or just keep him off base which good pitchers have been able to do this year with no problem. I think Navarro deserves a day off once in a while, after all he is a catcher.

200 - and including him, we have one legitimate catcher on our squad

200
Have I been dozing off, but somehow I don't think Dioner Navarro is the second coming of Charles Johnson or John Roseboro right now.

202 or Roy Campanella

re: Phillips, I wonder how many players this season have batted in the cleanup spot and in the 8th spot.

Wasn't Steve Yeager also known for his throwing and defense?

If Burnett wins tonight, he becomes the Marlins alltime winningest pitcher.

He is tied with Brad Penny for that distinction.

Bob, Valentin is "en passant" today.

Phillips can never be taken "en passant" since that would require him to move two squares in a single turn.

Phew, okay, we won't be no-hit. Let's keep the K's in single digits, please.

According to Retrosheet, Yeager caugh 38% of all runners trying to steal against him.

He did have a good arm, but another factor is that Yeager also played in an era when players tried more steals. Runners are a lot more selective now.

Such as waiting for games when guys like Derek Lowe are pitching and Jason Phillips is catching.

The Padres #3 hitter tonight has hit one home run.

It's Mark Loretta tonight.

The Padres don't seem to deal with lefties well.

First Inning Houlton + Phillips = Not good

Hope I'm wrong, but this first inning could be ugly, and if not the first, the second. Sure would be nice if Houlton could get into mid-game form quicker

Did Lyons just say Robles played 45 years in the minor leagues or are my ears betraying me?

Re: ATL-SD... since I have Furcal and Giles in my fantasy league, I can now start rooting for them again. (single for Furcal to lead off the game)

Nice to see Houlton off to a solid start as well.

213 I was going to ask the same thing, so he must have said 45. Just a samll exaggeration

It's reassuring to see that Houlton is at least capable of making it out of the first without giving up runs.

Nice play by Gonzalez.

Bad play by Gonzalez.

Do you think Werth was trying to hit the ball back at Burnett?

Why is Tracy attempting a hit and run with Cruz? Who is good at swinging and missing (but also hitting it pretty well). Good thing LoDuca had a problem with it

8 sb's for Werth! Does he lead the team yet?

Cruz checks his swing on every pitch.

Perez has 10 SBs

Wait, Antonio has 10. More reason to bat him leadoff.

Here comes MR. RISP with the bases loaded.

Well, at least Mr. RISP is coming up with the bases loaded....

Time for the RISP King to step up.

This is why Tracy batted his best hitter 8th.

As gimpy as LaDuca looks its had to believe they wouldn't be better off with his back-up. I guess they need his bat.

225 226 227 228

What we have here is "groupthink"

I wonder what you'd get if you mixed hockey player FukuFuji with MicroSukee?

BTW, to those of you who have never checked out Linkmeister's blog, it's well worth a visit (good post on the VOA, Link).

That was so not Risp

A very clutch K, swung at (at least) 2 balls in the AB

Apparently Phillips can't hit if there is a runner on first.

Apparently Phillips can't hit if there is a runner on first.

Pads up 1-0
Reds lead AZ 1-0

we should have had at least 1 run in that inning

Burnett wouldn't have gotten out of that inning without LoDuca in there.

32 pitches for Burnett! How very Moneyball of us.

That'll be the closest they will come to scoring against Burnett now.

Too bad Navarro wasn't playing today. I like his chances at least of working a walk in that situation.

How very Moneyball of us.

Except for our leadoff man who swings at anything he can see.

Phillips and Izturis have quickly become my all time least favorite Dodgers.. They are sucking all the wind out of our sails.

JP's at bat was horrible because Burnett was missing location to Cruz. Terrible plate discpline from a terrible player.

Do you think LoDuca will attempt a bunt single in his first at-bat?

I like the meaningless stolen bases, taking the bat out of Cruz's hands and putting it in Jason Phillips'. Tres chic.

242. Not only a possible walk, maybe a hit, maybe a sacrifice, maybe even a strike out on something less than swinging at ball. Phillips sucks.

4-0 Reds over AZ after a 3-run homer from Kearns.

Heh, in the Blue Jays game today Bush was relieved by League, that's classic.

my 246 was supposed to be to 241. Phillips general suckiness got me flustered.

Lyons did not watch Encarnacion with the Dodgers

This must be really hard for Jim Tracy. Watching LoDuca play for the other team must be like having dinner with an ex-wife and her new husband.

I really feel for the poor guy.

Steve: it might not have been meaningless. I mean, Loduca did block a couple balls in the dirt. If one of those gets past, it's an easy run. And, as bad as Phillips is, I'm not sure I wouldn't rather have him hitting than Cruz...

245 Steve that is the most ridiculous comment I've ever heard. I'm sure they were tooooootally pitching around the fearsome Cruz.

How is Paulie going to be able to get down the line if he does get a hit.

While I'm bitter lately at Phillips playing first base, I don't disagree with being playing a backup catcher (and today essentially spelling Navarro). And, as such, #8 is a good spot to stick him. However, I really wish he'd learn a bit of patience at the plate -- am I going crazy or was he this eager to swing at the beginning of the year (when he was driving in runs)?

Or perhaps success got to his head.

231 Thanks, Jim.

252
Adam,
You don't want to bring up counterarguments against people who don't like Jason Phillips.
It's not worth the aggravation.

255- "Being/playing" - pick whichever suits your fancy.

To get to Jason Phillips, one would wisely pitch around anyone on the roster but Repko and Izturis.

Does Houlton look like he's throwing harder than usual?

The Reds third inning so far against Russ Ortiz

F. Lopez tripled to deep center
- R. Aurilia hit sacrifice fly to right, F. Lopez scored
- K. Griffey Jr. singled to right
- A. Dunn singled to center, K. Griffey Jr. to third, A. Dunn to second advancing on throw
- S. Casey flied out to center
- A. Kearns homered to deep center, A. Dunn and K. Griffey Jr. scored
- J. LaRue doubled to deep left

Izzy to the 8th spot needs to happen...now

What was Izturis swinging at there?

He's become so terrible that it hurts me.

Bob,
I wasn't arguing in favor of Phillips, just stating that Cruz is just as sucky...

He struck out Carlos Delgado with a 97 MPH fastball.

260 Yeah, his arm looks livelier than usual and his fastball even seems to have a little more movement somehow.

Ortiz intentionally walked Edwin Encarnacion to face Brandon Claussen. Then Ortiz walked Claussen to load the bases.

264
I know. I'm just telling you that the people who dislike Phillips really dislike him. I would say the position is entrenched.

265 was direted to 260

Is there some reason we're watching the game from Left Field?

It's ok, Tracy will probably take DJ out in the third inning...he wouldn't him to hurt his arm by throwing too hard...

Robles HBP should have been Phillips an inning earlier.

266 - That's what I was thinking.

5-0 Reds over AZ after Ortiz walks Lopez with the bases loaded.

Burnett looks like he is having real control problems. Thus, could we please have a little self-control here

6-0 Reds. RBI single by Aurilia.

Steve Lyons would be one to know about Good strike outs.

265 - I'd guess that gun's running a little hot, but what is DJ usually clocked at?

that 0 sb, 6 cs by Robles is really worrying them.

Now that Phillips's secret (RISP) is out, all the pitchers will bear down and likely Phillips RISP average will go down.

Jeff Kent's been swinging at a lot of bad pitches lately it seems.

Ortiz left after 2 2/3 IP and 83 pitches including five walks.

Cruz against righties

.344 OBP .467 SLG .811 OPS

Phillips against righties

.284 OBP .356 SLG .640 OPS

But truly, why would you walk Cruz to get to Mr. Clutchity-Clutch?

Bob, you got your wish for Ortiz.

278 - I think DJ is usually clocked at 93, 94.

Chan Ho just plunked Mike Hampton to load the bases.

278 - I think DJ is usually clocked at 93, 94.

Now that Phillips's secret (RISP) is out, all the pitchers will bear down and likely Phillips RISP average will go down.

I think it'll go down anyway, without much bearing down by the pitchers.

Braves lead 3-1

Lead off hitter Izturis-- K's his 1st at bat.
A 2 pitch ground out to the pitcher in his 2nd.

WHomever said it was painful watching him, is right.

What honestly can Tracy be seeing that we do not see?

50 pitches through three innings...

oops sorry for the double post.

What honestly can Tracy be seeing that we do not see?

Pink elephants on parade

280 I don't think it takes much 'bearing down' to get Phillips out.

This has all the earmarks of an 0-5 night for the NL West.

The Rockies have already lost.

I thought Perez was a defensive liability?

If Phillips loses his ability to hit with RISP, what value is he?

290 Clearly he sees little pink hearts floating over his head...can't you tell, Tracy's in love!

Whomever said it was painful watching him, is right.

That was my pain.

Wow, whatever happened to Lowell this year? Horrible year for him.

Lowell caught a case of the Beltres.

DJ Houlton perfect threw 3 innings. Only thrown 35 pitches.

Atl leads 3-1 over San Diego...

Has Houlton ever had 3 straight perfect innings before? I guaruntee he's never made it this far without allowing a baserunner on the major league level to start a game

Lowell caught a case of the Beltres.

Wrong, Bob. Don't you know that Beltre is just adjusting to a new league? He'll hit 48 HRs next year.

Watching LoDuca play for the other team must be like having dinner with an ex-wife and her new husband.
Uh, everything OK at home, Icaros?

295. Bob I didn't look it up but I think the Giants give the Cards a hard time. So the West may go 1-4

307 Not with Hennessey vs Carpenter

What honestly can Tracy be seeing that we do not see?

I think he sees LoDuca and Izturis skipping rope with Jason Repko in a field of cotton candy.

308. Good point

The Giants won 2 out of 3 against the Cardinals in San Francisco, but tonight it's Chris Carpenter vs. Brad Hennessey.

The Cardinals were -320 favorites.

306 - LOL. Home has recently migrated 400 miles north, but everything is fine.

Thanks for the concern, though.

That was horrible, 3 up, 3 down and only 7 pitches...

Dodgers let Burnett off the hook that inning. Only made him throw 7 pitches.

309 -- Jason Phillips would have to be in this picture too.

313, 314 - And we can't even blame Izturis or Phillips for it this time.

Wasn't Juan Pierre a good hitter not too long ago?

315 He's the rope.

Juan Pierre's annual OPS+
55
89
65
98
107

So he has tailed off a bit this year. Those early numbers came at Coors.

Is Houlton throwing as good on TV as it appears on Gameday? Does he have his big curve ball working tonite?

6-3 Reds now. Claussen walked in a run and then gave up a 2-run single to Terrero.

301 I just checked and Mike Lowell is batting .429 with the bases loaded, and a lofty (well, higher than his overall BA) .243 with RISP. He is the new Clutch Master.

Houlton perfect through 4 innings.

Houlton perfect through 4 innings.

Houlton knew Phillips was catching so he's doing his best to allow no baserunners. Brilliant strategy, our other pitchers need to do it.

318 So he was never that great, just a bunch of Peter Gammons hype.

The Cardinals had 1st and 3rd and nobody out in the 2nd and couldn't score.

Now Randy Winn is batting with a runner on. Winn is the Clutch God!

319 Like I posted earlier, it looks like he's borrowed someone else's fastball.

325 Peter Gammons? Hype? You don't say?

Oh, no...no chance for Phillips now...there's nobody in scoring position...

318
Juan Pierre went from 1st to 3rd on a single in Game 1 of the 2003 World Series and was forever lionized.

Someone needs to get Phillips a tee time for that golf swing he's got going.

323 - Oldbear, you just don't talk about thise kind of things here.

332 - Even us SABR geeks believe in karma.

Houlton had the best AB that inning...

330 Aggressive baserunning...if more teams did it, nobody would ever lose.

Is Cesar trying to become the next Alfredo Griffin? That's a lofty goal.

Is there anything Izturis won't swing at.

Pads and Braves tied at 3-3.

Mike Hampton, not ready yet.

Hampton needs to go back on the DL, he allowed the pathetic Padres offense to tie it back up 3-3 in the 4th.

Why was Houlton swinging on 2-0???

Ituris does a little better. This time it takes 3 pitches to get him out, instead of 2.
He swung at everything.

Is there anything Izturis won't swing at.

A strike.

322- It's called a "Big Grabowski" in DT codespeak, and we don't mention them if avoidable, and certainly not before the completion of the 5th or 6th inning.

328 - My favorite "Gammons-hype" players:

Cole Hamels
Ryan Dempster
Dustin Pedroia
Hanley Ramirez
Jason Grilli
Joe Blanton
Mike Lowell
Kevin Millar

DJ dont give up any HR's tonite. Thats going to be the difference in the game I believe.

Phillips, 2-2 in the K dept. You know, he has always been an aggressive batter. When he had a good year in 2003, he was connecting. In 2004, he was missing.

341. Funny Icaros

342 I think every player who's ever worn a Red Sox uniform would qualify...

Houlton to Delgado:

Good Morning
Good Afternoon
Good nite.

Ump is getting into the game.

Charlie just can't get Juan's name right, he keeps saying Encanarcion.

Bob, you'll be glad to know Ortiz's night is over

350
Thanks, but I was already monitoring that closely.

Well at least now DJ can relax.

Nacion foils the perfecto...

Well it was fun while it lasted.

Argh! SD up 5-3.

342

And Mike Crudale

So much for the no no. This is Houlton afterall

8-3 Padres now.
That should be Chan Ho safe.

Did Lyons just say Encarnacion is hard to K? Not last year...

WOW

Un milagro!

"I dont believe, what I just saw"

The Marlins announcers say
"That was an OK throw by Phillips, but Encarnacion had a terrible jump."

According to Lyons, Loduca hardest in NL to strikeout. Is it cause he is 5' nothing?

Holly crap, Phillips had an accident, he threw out a runner. Of course that does little to erase the bases loaded K in the 2d.

Houlton starts a game with 4 perfect innings and Phillips throws out a runner. I didn't think either was possible

Wow, my diabolical reverse jinx plan has worked so far! [g] My plan to have Dessens start over Houlton obviously riled DJ up, even if he didn't actually see it. Except I didn't actually say that, because that would de-reverse the jinx and.. Oh never mind. Now they just need to work AJB a bit more.

And holy crap, they threw out a runner!

I'll be heading home via L.A.'s always efficient public transportation.

So I'll check back in around 8.

Wow... Phillips just threw out a runner.

Today must be a very special day.

DJ with just 61 pitches through 5 innings.

I just started watching the game in the 5th. For a minute I thought losing el perfecto was my fault, then I read oldbear's comment :).

Arizona's pythagorean record is taking another hit.

It's 12-3 Reds in the 4th.

Game is a lot more stressful knowing Pods are up 8-3

One more shutout inning and Houlton gets his ERA under 5!

Cannot believe Werth swung at that POS pitch.

Werth had a good at bat but couldnt finish it off by drawing the free pass.

Alex Gonzales worries because he has power. If DJ can get him, he should have an easy inning.

Lead off walk to Lowell. This isnt good.

The Marlins announcers just said that Scott Boras was an infielder at University of the Pacific, Houlton's alma mater.

Did not know that.

DJ might be losing it. He's getting behind in the count to his last 4 or 5 hitters.

I didn't realize the Marlins drew so poorly...after seeing so many empty field level seats I checked espn.com and they've been averaging about 22.6 K. They're a pretty new franchise but you would think two world series titles and a pretty competitive team this year would make them more popular.

This is a battle of offensive behemoths!

Good job Houlton. Looked like he was losing it there for a second but gets the last 3 guys.

So the Giants and Dodgers are involved in extreme pitcher's duels while AZ and SD are involved in early blow-outs, interesting day in the NL Worst

It's pretty offensive, to be sure.

I'm predicting something huge from Perez here.

The Marlins have now thrown 28 consecutive scoreless innings or something like that. They are DUE to give up something.

I cant remember the last team to have back-back-back shut outs.

or not

Phillips, stop swinging at sinkers in the dirt. Thank you.

Houlton has lowered his ERA .37 with his performance so far today.

I guess Phillips decided that a strikeout wouldn't be good enough this time up...

Of course we all knew he was going to GIDP but no one said it out loud hoping against hope that somehow the enivitable wouldn't happen. . . so much for superstition.

JP with 2k's and a GIDP. Was it really that important for Navarro to get an off day today?

I hope this performance at least ensures JP never plays 1st base again.

Brutal.

Lets see if Houlton can get through 1 more inning. If he can, he's probably done.

Hard to fathom walking Cruz for Phillips, given the already cited numbers, the fact that Burnett only has the one walk today, and that Phillips can't hit on a good day, much less today.

Leadoff man on and Cabrera/Delgado up. DJ's gonna have to really bear down now.

Hmmm, DJ has made Delgado look silly so far today, I wonder if they assumed he would finally figure him out.

Bad feeling here. . .

Uh Oh. Plaschke's pen is at the ready.

6 minutes of silence here... somebody say something!

Ouch, my heart and soul

And why wasn't Schmoll brought in?

That will just about do it for this evening.

Not hard to predict the LA Times headline.
I just heard Plaschke's typewriter turn on.

Breaking the wrists doesn't matter, Charlie...did the bat head cross the plate?

Be glad you didn't have to hear the Marlins announcers call that one.

Icaros, no fair second guessing when you didn't suggest it in the first place.

DJ pitched a really good game. Its too bad he couldnt get through the 7th.

I would have let him pitch to Delgado. He already had K'ed him twice.

Bad Paulie. Bad!

404 - If you were here with me, you would've heard me say it.

Should I post my bathroom breaks for you, as well?

407 -- Only if you podcast them

407 A likely story, shouldn't thoughts like that be posted on...Dodger Thoughts? ;)

Well, I didnt think we'd win thise one anyways with our #5 going against their #1. Hopefully we can take 2 of the next 3 games.

Hm... Gameday is stuck with a right-handed Hee Seop facing Steve Schmoll.

411 When you're god-like you have the power to instanly become ambidextrous and travel through time.

I'm officially rooting for Izturis to have an injury.

It's the only way this madness will stop.

403 absolutely brutal. Not only the persistent homering, but the "heart and soul" take came out, and of course there was the "everyone in LA remembers all those clutch hits" crap.

411 You don't want to know how it turns out. . .K

Izzy sure doesnt see many pitches. Thats something you'd expect out of your leadoff hitter.

He's now batting .259.

416- Alas, it recovered.

415 - I remember just as many double play groundouts as I do clutch hits.

I remember a lot of hits in May.

Braves are showing signs of life against SD, 9-6 in the 6th

Has anybody noted that it is Cincinnati 17, Arizona 3?

417 and his OBP is hovering around .300 That screams leadoff hitter to me.

Braves close to 9-6 against the Padres after 6.

Giants up 2-0 over the Cards on homers by Vizquel and Durham.

17-3 Reds.

So, A.J. goes for the complete game shutout...

At least we get to face Brian Moehler tomorrow

422- Yet Adam Dunn hasn't homered.

The Dodgers already lost to Brian Moehler. IIRC, the Dodgers couldn't hit him at all.

This game is a nighmare for Depo. Not becasue he doubts himself but becasue it provides some of the richest fodder yet for the Anti-Depo crowd. What could be worse than a single game where:

1) LoDuca gets game winning hit;
2) Our worthless catcher strikes out with bases loaded and then GIDP; and
3) Choi K on 3 or 4 pitches.

Perfect storm.

Jon Weisman needs to do a post about the futility of Cesar Izturis leading off, and a sabermetric analysis of how many runs/wins its costing us.

Forward that piece to Steve Henson and then maybe he'll ask Tracy about it.

Choi/AP/Izzy leading off are amongst the most grievous offenses in Tracy's tenure.

The Anti-Depo crowd jumps on arguments just as quickly as the Pro-Depo crowd does when it suits them.

Which just means that everybody does that.

Brazoban can't pitch in non-save...

I mean...I mean...never mind.

Choi/AP/Izzy leading off are amongst the most grievous offenses in Tracy's tenure.

Don't forget the time he had J.D. Drew bunt. Don't ever forget that.

The Anti-Depo crowd jumps on arguments just as quickly as the Pro-Depo crowd does when it suits them.

But the latter is always right and the former is always wrong :-)

Time for the Tracy special.

#435: I'm pleasantly surprised that Bradley did not go on that one.

434 -- Jose Valentin

It took two months, but we have now arrived at the single most painful moment of not having JD Drew.

437 - I'd still rather have him at short than Izturis.

Can't fault Werth for looking at that first strike. . .cause it was a ball

439 -- And touche to you, sir.

Why is Ledee hitting for Perez when he should be hitting for Cruz or Phillips?

Why don't you let Perez hit and PH for Cruz

442-443

Groupthink strikes again.

#442 - unbelieveable.

You got me five secs, Steve

where's CHOI?? Only your best power hitter available.

Well Jose, this is it. Your opportunity to erase those first 8 ABs and show the Sox and D'Backs they were wrong

9-7 Padres.

447 came and went

FJT.

This is one of the worst magerial decisions of the year. A gimpy Ricky Ledde pinch hits for a .300+ hitter? Yech.

Yet, Cruz, is allowed to hit.

Todd Gagne

451. Managerial, I meant.

Just saw we wasted Choi earlier in the game :(

Francouer made the last out in the 7th.

Going to the 8th: San Diego 9, Atlanta 7.

I guess the Sox and D'Backs weren't wrong.

#451: Tracy was playing the matchup game. I agree it was a bad decision, but it likely doesn't break his top 10 or even top 20 for that matter.

The Padre game is all but over: Steve's favorite pitcher Dan Kolb is in.

gotta tip our hats to Houlton though. This team should be fun to watch next year.

I'm just not sure what the match up is in the match up game. Isn't Perez followed by Ledee better than Ledee followed by Cruz? Whether you want to take numbers or just gut feelings, I think it works out better either way with the former.

Jim Tracy must just really really hate Hee Seop Choi and Antonio Perez. Why would you pinch hit for your best hitter?

The guy keeps Izturis leading off, and takes out AP...

Amazing. Nothing makes sense anymore.

Well on the [possible] bright side, Odalis is going to miss his start Monday and the mlb.com guy thinks Billingsley might be the choice. Dessens isn't an option while Jackson and Erickson are both starting tonight. If Erickson is pulled from his start at the last second I'm gonna puke.

Kolb gives up lead-off 2B then single which should have been scored as an E. 1b and 3B no outs

Perez was 1 for 1 against Todd Jones in his career!

Ledee was 1 for 4 coming into the game.

But I think Tracy wanted to use his best pinch hitter when he had the chance. Even Werth, who had been hitting well, didn't fare too well against Jones.

459. Houlton was great tonite. He just ran out of gas in the 7th. It might have been wise to pull him after 6, but his spot was due up the next inning and he pitched great for 6 innings.

Steve, if the A's end up losing to the Royals this weekend... Then you certainly should be considered the curse.

12-7 Padres in the 8th on a 3-run homer by Sweeney.

Kolb gives up PH 3R Jack. Now 12-7

The Cardinals have two on, with two out in the 8th. Giants still ahead 2-0.

Stan from Tacoma

Does anyone know whether a HBP counts toward OBP?

#460: I meant lefty vs. righty matchups. By pinch hitting for Perez he had lefty, Ledee, and then switch hitter, Cruz. I don't agree with the move at all, but there are so many other questionable moves to choose from, it's hard to break the top 10.

HBPs count toward OBP. SFs don't.

The NL West could go 2-3 tonight!

Cardinals fail to score against a quartet of Giants pitchers in the 8th.

Thanks Bob. What is SF?

#462: It's interesting that MLB.com is reporting that. Billingsley is not on the 40-man roster and is not required to be on it until after next season. Considering the already tough decisions we'll have with Rule 5 draft exposure, it would be surprising for the Dodgers to choose to make the problem worse.

SF = Sacrifice flies

Old Friends not helping tonight:

1) What Paulie did to us;
2) Grudz ends scoring threat in StL
3) Quantrill pitches scoreless 8th in Atl.

So since you have to count sac flies in the "plate appearances" category (but not in batting average), you can have an OBP lower than your BA.

475. Of course. Thanks

476
Park is also in line for the win in Atlanta.

Jose Lima has already given up a home run and a double and Oakland leads KC 2-0.

Keep hope alive, Steve!

Jackson was pulled after an inning tonight, I'm going to guess either him or Broxton will start.

Just tuned in the Rainiers/51s game on the radio. Erickson is on the mound for Vegas. After two innings Tacoma leads 1-0.

Stan from Tacoma

Sounds alot like Edwin "the Unit Killer" Jackson is coming home.

Daughter loves the guy. Second favorite after SG.

If Jackson or Billingsley were called up, there would have to be somebody sent down for a while.

Brazoban? Schmoll? Broxton?

I would put my $$ on Broxton

#481: I read a comment on this at Scout.com. Joe Block, the Jacksonville announcer, reported that Jackson was pulled in case he is needed to start on Monday. I would be surprised if they went with Broxton since it's been a long time since he started a game.

484 Ledee, but to the DL. His hamstring isn't responding to cortisone

Broxton has been in the pen since somewhere around June 18. Do you think he would be ready to go six innings now? I'm not trying to be facetious, I want to know if it you guys think he would be ready.

Im betting on Edwin since it was a pregame decision that he come out after one.

4-0 Giants in the 9th. Cardinals got their first two men on in the 9th against Walker.

In 485, I meant I would put my $$ on Broxton being sent down for Edwin to come up.

Molina makes it 4-3 SF

Rally killing 3-run homer by Yadier Molina makes it 4-3 Giants in the 9th.

All over in Atlanta. Padres win 12-7.

Hm, was watching the Giants-Cards game and it just went from 4-0 Giants to 4-3 on a 3 run homer in the 9th off Tyler Walker. Maybe the NL Worst will stun un-come through after all.

As for tonight's game, I'll try to fuhgedaboutit as quickly as I tried to forget about Wednesday's. That seemed to work. Sort of.

Pinch single by Rodriguez. Still no one out in St. Louis with Eckstein up.

Felipe Alou going to his closer:

Jeremy Accardo

Eckstein sacrifices. Nunez up. Pujols on deck.

Larussa calls for a bunt yet again. Man on 2nd, one out

Nunez singles, men on the corners for Pujols, one out

1st and 3rd, one out, Pujols up.

Would love to see Prince Albert crush one

Pop up to shallow right. That hurts...really badly. Edmonds up

Well, that was anticlimactic.

Should be time for Christiansen to face Edmonds with the game on the line.

This means that Alou will be using six pitchers tonight: Hennessey, Hawkins, Eyre, Walker, Accardo, and Christiansen.

And he's winning!

Alou makes pitching change. Not sure i agree. Although Accardo has looked too good he made a nice pitch to get Pujlos. I would make a JT gut call and leave him in. Of course, it was never in doubt, Alou changes pitchers more often than he changes his underwear.

Edmonds!

Edmonds hit it deep for a double, CARDS WIN!!!

Glad the Dodgers don't lose ground to the Giants

Stan from Tacoma

Alou, is an idiot. Not becasue he changed pitchers but becasue he had already used all his other relievers. Magowen sure glad you gave him that extension. Should be good for a few extra Giant loses and yes, I would rather have JT than Alou.

So, 1-4 for the NL West after all. But I didn't expect the Padres to get the win. I certainly didn't expect them to get 20 hits.

But I'm always heartened to see the Giants bullpen explode. Every time I think that they've put things together, they fall apart.

The only team more infuriating to root for this year than the Dodgers is likely the Giants.

Although I assume Yankees fans would beg to differ.

508
You do know that Tracy is a disciple of Felipe Alou.

Didn't realize the Montreal connection. Still wouldn't want Alou.

Phillips starts… Dodger offense stumbles. So taking a look at the last FIVE games.

G1. Saenz starts = Dodgers Win
G2. Choi starts/Tracy ejected = Dodgers Win
G3. Phillips starts = Dodgers Lose
G4. Saenz starts = Dodgers Win
G5. Phillips starts = Dodgers Lose
Notice the pattern...?

Phillips leaves four men on base and strikes out twice. Atleast he wasn't starting at first base. Buntermaker went with Phillips/APerez/Robles instead of Navarro/Choi/APerez, which would've been better.
Baby steps. vr, Xei

512 Must agree. I didn't get to watch or listen to the game, but it appears Phillips blew their best scoring opportunity (until the 9th) in the 2nd inning by striking out with the bases loaded and one out, with the pitcher coming up behind him. Jim Tracy, that's pathetic. That's so un-clutch, so lacking in heart, so wanting in soul. Not even a fly ball? Can't even get the bat on the damn ball, push a run across on a forceout? I thought Phillips had more baseball savvy than that. If Phillips had given D.J. that one run, that little cushion, the game would probably have turned out different. But no. Phillips failed utterly.

If Choi had failed in the same situation, we wouldn't see him in the lineup again for three weeks.

But perhaps the stark contrast in performance with his past beloved one, Paulie, the Dukester, number 16; maybe that finally showed JT that this rebound love affair with Phillips is going nowhere, and it's time, sadly, to...move on!

Alou is a lunatic. This is what you get when you use five bad pitchers to get six outs, one of them is almost guaranteed to blow up. That's why you have to spread them out.

Meanwhile, it appears that you can't stop Jay Payton. You can only hope to contain him.

Ken Macha goes to Huston Street in the eighth with the bases loaded. Result: Oakland 4, KC 0. Not a hard game if you don't make it so.

Vegas has a one run lead in the 9th against Tacoma. Osorio pitching in the 9th

Stan from Tacoma

The Padres are 4-0 against the Braves this year.

Old friend Astacio faces the pride of Inglewood, Horacio Ramirez

Sunday will match up Dodger killer Brian Lawrence against John Smoltz.

Don't have one run lead anymore. Grandslam for Wiki Gonzalez to win it for Tacoma, 9-6

Stan from Tacoma

Just got home and saw the sad results knew about all of the other relevant NL West scores..Bob it is wonderful to hear the huberus in the voice of the Giant broadcasters especially at the begining of the 9th tonight and then hear them cough it up. Cheapeaset entertainment around. Can't figure out the logic behind the 9th inning pinch hit of Perez by Ledee. Perez is a contact hitter if he gets on base or worst case scenario hits it on the ground chances of the DP are slim. You can then either let Cruz bat or pinch hit for him with Ledee and hope he clobbers one. But Ledee with the bad hammy is almost a certain DP if he hits it on the ground..everything else we know about but don't get that in game decision

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Cardinals rally of five in the ninth to win after being down four has happened only 30 times in major league history and was the first such instance since the Dodgers did it against the Rockies in the Milton Bradley vs. Bottle Incident.