Baseball Toaster: Dodger Thoughts : Getting a Save Situation for Gagne the Hard Way

Getting a Save Situation for Gagne the Hard Way

2006-05-29 15:50

by Jon Weisman

Salt Lake leads Las Vegas, 6-0 in the middle of the eighth inning. Eric Gagne will pitch the ninth for the 51s.

Bottom 8TH B:0 S:0 O:0
Pitcher Change: Jason Bulger replaces Joe Saunders.

Bottom 8TH B:0 S:3 O:1
Joel Guzman strikes out swinging.

Bottom 8TH B:0 S:0 O:1
Wilson Valdez singles on a soft fly ball to center fielder Reggie Willits.

Bottom 8TH B:1 S:0 O:1
Delwyn Young doubles (16) on a fly ball to right fielder Nick Gorneault. Wilson Valdez scores. (6-1)

Bottom 8TH B:2 S:0 O:1
With James Loney batting, passed ball by Jeff Mathis, Delwyn Young to 3rd.

Bottom 8TH B:4 S:1 O:1
James Loney walks.

Bottom 8TH B:4 S:1 O:1
Eric Riggs walks. James Loney to 2nd.

Bottom 8TH B:1 S:1 O:1
Sergio Garcia hit by pitch. Delwyn Young scores. James Loney to 3rd. Eric Riggs to 2nd. (6-2)

Bottom 8TH B:4 S:0 O:1
Jon Weber walks. James Loney scores. Eric Riggs to 3rd. Sergio Garcia to 2nd. (6-3)

Bottom 8TH B:0 S:0 O:1
Pitcher Change: Chris Bootcheck replaces Jason Bulger.

Bottom 8TH B:0 S:1 O:1
Chris Truby doubles (7) on a line drive to left fielder Anderson Rosario. Eric Riggs scores. Sergio Garcia scores. Jon Weber to 3rd. (6-5)

Bottom 8TH B:0 S:1 O:1
Eric Langill doubles (1) on a line drive to right fielder Nick Gorneault. Jon Weber scores. Chris Truby scores. (6-7)

Bottom 8TH B:1 S:2 O:1
Joel Guzman reaches on throwing error by shortstop Casey Smith. Eric Langill scores. Joel Guzman to 2nd. (6-8)

Bottom 8TH B:1 S:2 O:1
With Wilson Valdez batting, wild pitch by Chris Bootcheck, Joel Guzman to 3rd.

Bottom 8TH B:1 S:2 O:2
Wilson Valdez reaches on a fielder's choice out, pitcher Chris Bootcheck to catcher Jeff Mathis. Joel Guzman out at home.

Bottom 8TH B:0 S:0 O:2
Delwyn Young hit by pitch. Wilson Valdez to 2nd.

Bottom 8TH B:0 S:0 O:2
Pitcher Change: Jonathon Rouwenhorst replaces Chris Bootcheck.

Bottom 8TH B:0 S:0 O:3
James Loney grounds out, second baseman Howie Kendrick to first baseman Ryan Budde.

(Las Vegas could have scored even more runs but stopped so that Gagne would have a save situation - isn't it obvious? Then, in the top of the ninth:)

Top 9TH B:0 S:0 O:0
Pitcher Change: Eric Gagne replaces Greg Miller.

Top 9TH B:1 S:2 O:1
Mike Eylward grounds out to first baseman James Loney.

Top 9TH B:2 S:0 O:1
Adam Pavkovich singles on a sharp ground ball to left fielder Joel Guzman.

Top 9TH B:2 S:3 O:2
Ryan Budde called out on strikes.

Top 9TH B:0 S:0 O:2
Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Curtis Pride replaces Anderson Rosario.

Top 9TH B:1 S:2 O:3
Curtis Pride grounds into a force out, shortstop Wilson Valdez to second baseman Sergio Garcia. Adam Pavkovich out at 2nd.

* * *

Joel Guzman, by the way, went 0 for 5 playing left field. His OPS is .644 in May and .769 for the season in Las Vegas. Whatever's going on, he's not ready for a promotion. Delwyn Young (.963 in May, .831 for the year) is a more plausible choice if Jeff Kent goes on the disabled list. "Nobody's using the words 'disabled list,' but second baseman Jeff Kent missed his third consecutive start with a bruised hand suffered Friday night that doesn't seem to be improving," Ken Gurnick writes on MLB.com.

Or, the Dodgers might go back to 12 pitchers when Gagne is activated, which figures to happen in a couple of days if he comes away from today's outing feeling good.

Comments

2006-05-29 16:17:34

1. ToyCannon

Great stuff, what a comeback. The Angels played the 8th like the Braves played the 1st.

JtD might be pressing as all these other prospects he was suppossed to be in front of are passing him by and getting to the show before him. Can't wait for the Philly series and Gagne's return.

2006-05-29 16:21:20

2. King of the Hobos

Sean Casey is back for the Pirates, and Tracy actually sat Burnitz in favor of Craig Wilson!

2006-05-29 16:25:16

3. Uncle Miltie

2- don't worry, Tracy hasn't become a good manager. The Brewers have a lefty pitching, so that's why Wilson is playing. Don't expect it to continue.

2006-05-29 16:28:18

4. underdog

There was something funny* - or maybe it was sad - about hearing that Curtis Pride (former Expo/Red Sox/Tiger/Brave and of course Angel) was facing Gagne... in a AAA game.

*(Well, I'm sure Chris Truby wasn't laughing anyway)

2006-05-29 16:35:55

5. ToyCannon

E Jackson was been moved to the bullpen as he tries to recover from his 5.95 AAA ERA. Evidently it wasn't just Vegas. So as of this moment the only trade that Ned has made that involved our prospects, one is now a bullpen pitcher and the other is still nursing a sore arm after starting the season with > 10.00 ERA.

2006-05-29 16:39:09

6. ToyCannon

The Pirates scored 3 runs in the 1st inning and Jason Bay had nothing to do with any of it. Is that the 1st run that the Pirates have scored in two weeks that Bay wasn't in the middle of?

2006-05-29 16:40:40

7. underdog

Marlins are up 3 zip on the Giants. Neat!
Arizona-NYM are rain delayed. Peachy!
Brad Penny has calmed down enough to be removed from the cage they usually reserve for the Incredible Hulk. Cool!

And that's your update.

2006-05-29 17:08:09

8. King of the Hobos

An Uggla single extends the Marlin lead to 5-1.
Eric Byrnes homered to give the DBacks a 1-0 lead oevr the Mets

2006-05-29 17:08:51

9. thinkingblue

But it can be sceintifically proven that it was a bad trade ;)

2006-05-29 17:09:28

10. thinkingblue

When will the D'backs come back to Earth? Will they?

2006-05-29 17:16:32

11. King of the Hobos

10 Hopefully soon. The problem is that if their offense slumps or injuries strike, Quentin, Young, and Drew are all ready to replace the incumbents. We just have to hope they start to lose games when Webb doesn't pitch

2006-05-29 17:19:32

12. Steve

The four million dollars in Danys Baez's bank account thank you for that weak justification for their existence.

2006-05-29 17:20:29

13. Steve

Not to mention the extra 600 grand for the Rolaids AAA Fireman of the Year.

2006-05-29 17:31:33

14. King of the Hobos

Old Friend Jose Valentin singles in 2 runs to give the Mets the lead

2006-05-29 20:28:20

15. thinkingblue

Yeah, now Valinetin remembers how to play the game.