No "out" pitch. No filthy changeup, monster hook, or disappearing splitter. Just a series of fouled off fastballs and get me over curves.

Penny hasn't been the same since he decided to throw every pitch as hard as he physically could in his All-Star game stint. I really wonder if it didn't do something to his arm, and he just hasn't mentioned it to the training staff, trying to tough it out.

How about Penny and Tomko for A-rod? That would only cost us about $4M more... Then sign Soriano and a good starter, probably add another $24M to the deficit. Not signing Nomar will save us $10M so now we're only (???) $14M down. Lofton is gone, there's $4M off. Are we losing enough other payments to get the payroll down to about $100M yet? I think there is a small possibility Kent may retire, not sure if I want that or not.

Most of Penny's success has come against the Rockies.

Its interesting of note that only JD Drew, Derek Lowe, and Russ Martin have been consistently good all season.

Nomar- Great 1st half/Bad 2nd half
Furcal- Bad April/May-- Good 2nd half
Kent- Bad April/May/- Good 2nd half
Penny- Great 1st half/ Bad 2nd half
Ethier- Great 1st half- Bad 2nd half

Drew, Russ Martin, and Derek Lowe seem to be the only three the team can count on for the entire season.

Perhaps just a "dead arm" phase. But he doesn't appear to have lost speed off his fastball so it makes it does make it hard to understand. If it's just no "out" pitch, what got him through the first half?
As for the state of the team, I know that fans are fans but c'mon. We are not 4 runs down in the 9th right now. We don't need miracles yet. We're more like 1 run down in the 7th. And many are declaring the game over. Let's see where we are 3 days from now.

Also just wanted to echo something jon said... The Padres and Phillies have been winning an awful lot. If they keep doing that, it will be very tough. But if you can't believe we are going to win 5 of 7, you can at least believe that 1 of those 2 teams will falter.

There may be an injury or a problem of concentration. But what Plaschke (or Lasorda, since I'm not convinced he doesn't write all of Plaschke's Dodger columns) considers character deficiencies would just be eccentricities or passion if he was winning consistently.

5
His out-pitch was that splitter. Now its just straight fastballs and a curve.

I agree with Jon. Explanations for Penny's decline are well past due. Maybe the pitching coach will shed some light on it. Or Little. Or Penny himself.

One word: Greenies. As in, there are no more greenies.

The entire league is looking exhausted, and it comes as no surprise to me that our pitching staff is having problems.

4 JoeyP makes a good point, but should anyone be surprised? I feel comfortable saying that the rookies saved the season, and with the exception of the truly exceptional Martin, they are all beat.

Is it inconceivable that an intangible quality such as competiveness would lead Penny to try and carry the team through the stretch, perhaps minutely altering a mechanic subconciously, and losing effectiveness?

Throughout the last two series I am as disappointed as everyone, but really, if they miss the playoffs, this has still been an improvement over last year, and we learned just how good our youngsters can be.
I am consoled by the thought of an opening day lineup that features Martin, Loney/Nomar, Kent/LaRoche, Furcal, Betemit, Kemp, Drew, and Either with an incomplete rotation of Lowe, Penny, Billingsley, and Kuo.

It's a good team with a bright future. Missing the playoffs this year means avoiding more injuries and avoiding the knee-jerk ownership reaction of selling out the farm for the "one veteran to push us over the edge!"

I have no idea what's wrong with Penny. He seems like he's a tough pitcher still. The OP comparison seems most apt -- a concentration or maybe a confidence problem.

The Dodgers are still right there. 1/2 game behind the Phillies, 1 1/2 behind the Padres with the Padres having a clearly more difficult schedule in the next week.

This is like a close election: A week is a lifetime.

I hope my lifetime has more than a week left.

I don't know if my life can take another week like the last one though.

1-0 Marlins after two pitches!

2-out triple for Josh Willingham!

Keep hope alive!

2-0 Marlins.

2-0 Marlins!

I don't get into excessive use of exclamation points.

Sorry Bob. I'll let you handle this.

Sorry Bob. I'll let you handle this.
And that!

Cody Ross is still our friend.

Nah, I have to get up and go get some coffee and I have to go to work this afternoon.

This afternoon!!!

11 Don't mention elections, please. We just had Primary Day yesterday; now the local tv stations have to go back to soliciting advertisements rather than have all the political ones fall into their laps.

It would be instructive to measure revenue for local TV in election years v. non-election years.

Jamie Moyer is not fooling the Marlins in the first inning. Two homers, a triple, and a double.

Actually two doubles.

11 The Dodgers are still right there. 1/2 game behind the Phillies, 1 1/2 behind the Padres with the Padres having a clearly more difficult schedule in the next week.

This line of reasoning has turned into a red herring. If strength of schedule was going to matter that much, the Dodgers would've rattled off four straight wins against the Pirates and D-backs. As it was, we lost three of the four.

The issue now is whether the Dodgers will simply start playing better, or continue along in this funk. That's all there is to it, and even that might not end up mattering much since the Phils and Pads control their own destiny, and the Dodgers do not.

26 Were we in a funk 24 hours ago? Will we be 24 hours from now? This is going to be a day by day thing so I don't see why it doesn't make sense to stay positive until there is real reason not to be. 4-0 Marlins in the first.

Don't know about "we," but I've been in a funk for four decades. As for the team, I'd say the last month or so, and particularly since Milwaukee. So I disagree it's defined daily, though I agree there's some considerable baseball history to suggest patience for a few more days.
Re: Penny. Check his August and September and playoffs in the Marlin championship run. Up and down, as I recall, with an impressive last round against the Yanks hiding some of that in memory...

27
Won't you take me to
Funkytown
Won't you take me to
Funkytown
Won't you take me to
Funkytown
Won't you take me to
Funkytown

Gotta make a move to a
Town that's right for me
Town to keep me movin'
Keep me groovin' with some energy

Oh guys, there is an easy way to get out of your funk. Become a UCLA fan, re-watch yesterday's game, and slowly develop a total numbness that makes you impervious to all pain and anxiety.

It's tough, but it works. I highly recommend it.

Anybody want to rethink my Scott Olsen for Andre Ethier trade idea?

For all 3 people who turned into Dodgers Live after last night's fine game, Kevin Kennedy made a couple of real good points regarding Penny. In the first part of the season he was also throwing his split. Now he seems not to be, they also mentioned that his back was tightining up. He still had good enough speed on his fast ball and his curve was moving, but pitching is about throwing hitters timming off. It seems to me that Penny has become predictable, even though his K's to walks are still very good. Your commnet about someone talking to him is right on, but will he listen?

Bob has finally lost it.

He has given up the funk.

Someone brought in da noise, but they did not bring in da funk.

The Dodgers are making me ill right now, but at least it's fun to see UCLA stagger about. Yesterday would have been a good day overall if Michigan State hadn't gone into a coma in the fourth quarter.

Rollins hits a 2-run homer to close the gap to Marlins 4, Phillies 2.

Homer #59 for Howard ties it up in Philadelphia.

Whoops, that was Chase Utley, not Ryan Howard.

They look like alike!

Okay, nevermind, I don't want this Olsen jerk after all.

Chris Coste with a 2-run homer and it's 6-4 Phillies in the 3rd.

My reaction to Jon's thoughts -- when does the pitching coach get fired?

Olsen just got ejected for hitting Abraham Nunez.

Jeez. I went to take a shower and it was 4-0 Florida. Now it's 7-4 Phillies? Those guys can hit.

40 Why?! Why?! Why?!

I even lost track of the runs that the Phillies scored.

Jose Garcia is in. Believe it or not, he is the first pitcher in the majors ever who has gone by that name.

Olsen's been lights out in September, yet when we need him most he has one bad inning. Hopefully the Marlins pen can keep it close and the ball will keep jumping off the marlins' bats.

The Phillies had 11 men come to the plate in the 3rd. Jamie Moyer made two of the outs.

Ahh an American League offense combined with National League managing, I <3 my Phillies!

Is it time for Football Thoughts yet?

Yeah, it's pretty obvious: If the Padres and Phillies stay hot, you've got to tip your hat and look to key games given away -- the Chicago game and the infamous Baez meltdown against SD being two clear candidates.

But even if the Pads/Phils cool off a bit, the Dodgers have to string together a few wins in a row. Is it possible? Sure. It is looking less likely, though. Strangely, I've made my peace with the Dodgers and their collapse.... I'm not as broken up as I thought I would be. If they don't pull it out, I can move on. If they do, I'll be pleasantly surprised.

If ever there was a Must Win game, though, today is it. (Actually, pretty much the rest of the games are).

The Tigers are already up 5-0 over KC. A win clinches a playoff spot for them. And with the Yankees losing, the Tigers could go back into the top spot in the AL.

The Twins are up 4-0 over Baltimore.

3 errrr what's in it for the Yankees again? getting a expensive pitcher that'll probably bomb like Beckett and a guy that's already bombing left and right ? it's not like the Yankees have good inhouse 3B options.

If you want a 3B you REALLY should consider trading with either the White Sox for Crede or the Royals for Teahan.

I hope the fans feel appreciated today for some reason. But they don't give away a catamaran anymore! I miss the days when they used to drive the catamaran around the warning track between innings. It was a sign of fall.

sniff...
sniff...

My reaction to Jon's thoughts -- when does the pitching coach get fired?

More important question: when does

www.firerickhoneycutt.blogspot.com

make its debut on the Internets...?

The next few years in the west should be interesting though, Dodgers/Rockies/D-back's young players are starting to bare fruit.. while the Giant's old farts are finally moving on (i hope...) the Padres are more or less in the same position as well..

Detroit, which scored 10 in the first against KC yesterday, scored 9 in the second today.

I remember the catamaran too!

8-4 Phillies now.

Commence Operation Tread Water!

57 I don't believe I have heard your thoughts on yesterday's gridiron fiasco.

58
I saw not one second of the game since I was at work and then went right to the Dodgers game.

Sounds like that was all for the best.

I can't say I was overly surprised. There was some irrational exuberance after the Utah game.

Now, if UCLA loses to Stanford then I will have to walk home from the game!

Fortunately, I don't live very far from the Rose Bowl.

If the Phillies and Dodgers win today and the Braves lose, then our long national baseball playoff nightmare involving the Braves will be over.

First the Dodgers jump out to an early lead before being completely dominated yesterday, now the Marlins are doing the same thing.

Scratch that, the Bruins did it first.

Maurice Drew might be the best running back out of last year's draft class.

He's a Warrick Dunn clone.
Already over 100 yards against the Colts today.

93 runs surrendered in the last 8 1/2 games pitched by the Giants.

Furcal, SS
Lofton, CF
Nomar, 1B
Kent, 2B
Drew, RF
Betemit, 3B
Anderson, LF
Martin, C
Kuo, P

Not sure why Little doesnt flip Nomar and Drew...I dont think Russ is getting another day off until the team is eliminated.

Can someone please tell me the rationale of this lineup order by Grady? Why in God's name does he insist that Nomar bats 3rd and Drew bats 5th? These two should be switched. Grady finally moved Drew out of the 4 hole and put Kent there, but then fails to recognize that Drew is the better 3 hitter who is more patient and is carrying a hot bat. Drew's plate discipline allows the rabbits to steal whereas Nomar is ALWAYS a 1st pitch swinger. How many times have we had Raffy and Kenny on base to lead off the game or an inning only to have Nomar GIDP? I think he leads the team in GIDP or at least is second (too lazy to look up the stats). The other issue is the 6,7,& 8 spots where again Grady insists on batting Wilson ahead of Marlon and Russell when he is clearly struggling. Marlon should be a fixture in that 6th spot then Russell and then Wilson. The Betemit we see now is the player Atlanta traded. He is a strikeout machine who lacks plate discipline, but can tease you with his power. I just don't get Grady and have NEVER heard anyone ask him to justify his batting orders. On a positive note, I would rather have Grady making out a lineup than Tracy.

Rain delay in Philadelphia in the 7th with the Phillies up 9-5.

I'm guessing that they will await around a long time to finish this game.

you know, I like watching Ben Sheets pitch to the Giants

Is it unofficial DT day at the stadium today or are we all still in mourning from last night? :)

Lets Kuo Dodgers!

Doumit for Arch-Diocese! 1-0 Pirates

Pretty sure I spelled his position wrong.

Nice start by Kuo, to fast easy flyouts and a nasty K

Back to Penny problems==

This from a story after his last good outing:

"Penny had command of a fastball that touched 96 mph, but he said the key was his curveball, which he threw for strikes in any count. In 12 starts since the All-Star break, this was only the second time he made it as far as seven innings and the first time he held the opposition scoreless since June 9.

"Even when I get beat, I usually have command of my fastball," Penny said. "My problem usually is the curve, and for whatever reason I had it tonight and the defense was great, and we scored early."

Which also leads again to the question of why he doesn't use his splitter, which has been effective in its rare sightings.

Striking out the big sluggers in the All-Star game may have led him to fall more in love with his fastball. Seems hitters just take or foul off pitches until he messes up and offers a hittable fastball or mediocre curve, meanwhile running up his pitch counts.

Penny appears to be a thrower. He needs to become a pitcher. (Hint: go talk with Maddux--AND LISTEN!)

Hello, pitching coach? Manager? Someone? Anyone?

Eight=pitch first inning for Kuo.

68 Many seem to be mourning not just last night but the end of the season. I can't begin to understand that. Some are even calling this a "collapse". We are 10-12 in September and have had no losing streak so I don't think that qualifies. It's a dissapointing showing but it's not even close to over (we're 1/2 game out of the playoffs with 7 left to play!) and it's as due to the play of the Pads and Phils as it is of the Dodgers. All that said, it seems many if not most DTers have jumped ship.

69
Nice idea, but I think you mean archbishop. You can't make Ryan Doumit an archdiocese any more than you can make me a county.

72 I was trying to decipher that crazy equation until I realized it was a typo.

74 Well, it sounded cool

I'm here. The Dodgers are still in the hunt, and with this bunch of players, they could turn it around today and run the table this week.

I'm trying to find out who keeps telling Frank McCourt that people want him in the booth with Vin.

Open the checkbook, close the mouth.

78 It's damage control! And Vinny addressed him with his term of endearment reserved for Orel- Master of the House.

Wow. Clearly not sold out. Has Fan Appreciation Day EVER not sold out? And with a pennant race going on? I thought it sold out in dud years. I really don't get it.

Thats great Frank--get out.

Good job, Frank. Short, but pointless.

Giants lost and are offically eliminated from both the wild card and division-will they be more or less dangerous next weekend?

How could Betemit look so good for his first month on the team and so bad in the second?

84 This entire team has been a study in duality.

Ugh, bases loaded nobody out for the Padres in the 2nd with Blum up.

The Giants aren't eliminated according to my calculations.

Every time McCourt turns up in the booth, it makes me, as a fan, feel special. It's like he's talking directly to me, like I'm important! It makes me want to go out and buy tickets and hot dogs and hats, all by way of saying, "You're welcome, Frank!"

This fantasy brought to you by Sitrick And Company.

Worst. Sports weekend. Ever.

I've been to Fan Appreciation Days that weren't sold out.

On the brightside, the Padres failed to score any runs despite having bases loaded nobody out.

It's hard to blame pitchers for not going deep into games when the have to make extra pitches because of errors. Not that this has always been the case, but it is today.

Is Carlos Quentin the only Stanford athlete this weekend who isn't completely useless?

89 This is like John Lennon's "Lost Weekend," except that this one won't last 18 months, and there are probably fewer drugs and concubines involved.

HUGE K by kuo!

The box score operators are still having some trouble with these White Sox games. Ryan Sweeney is the big hero today by somehow hitting 5 homers even though he's 0-1.

94- Speak for yourself.

93 I understand John Elway sold a dozen Camry's this weekend.

97 Notice I said "probably"

Damn you Betimet...

Kuo with a clutch strike out..

This is the way baseball goes. When you are not playing well you make guys like Livan look like monsters.
I'm just surprised the Pads or Phillies haven't hit a bad patch-I certainly didn't expect them to become unbeatable. In which case, there's nothing we can do.

On Yahoo, the White Sox-Mariners score has changed from 20-10 to 6-3.

However, it's really 10-6.

Like Jon, I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to all that this season -- I'm going to wait and see.

But: if it does turn out that it's not to be this season, I'm not calling for anyone's head. This has been a fun season.

103
Bring me the head of Alfredo Garcia!

73 Some of the knee-jerk Dodger ship-jumping may be due to being bombarded by instant media analysis/opinion/overreaction--which can be wrong or at best incomplete.

Many TV talking heads and sportswriters seem to think part of their role is to tell us "what it all means," as though we might not have any idea whatsoever ourselves.

I think it can lead to a mindset that overreacts and ranges between euphoria and despair.

Taking a hopeful wait-and-see approach and taking the media with several grains of salt might be just a bit better...

And a glass of hot fat.

Did everyone know that there's a war against metadata?

My professional reading is so exciting.

I would have known about this war earlier, but I had trouble finding out where to locate the information.

Is it against site rules to jinx the opposition's "interesting game"?

108
It's pointless. It's the third inning.

107 Sounds like one of the CIA's secret wars.

107 - I did know that. But I recently heard that an unnecessary war on microfiche has only served to rile up the hostility of the metadata insurgents.

If you can't score in an inning like that you know things aren't going your way.
Is it good that Livan's control is bad, and he has a lot of pitches? I don't think a pitch causes him much effort, and does this mean he can throw 150 if he wants?

Data (whether meta or otherwise) are the enemy of good, sound, ideology. If you're with data, you're with the terrorists.

112 Tell that to the Padres after their 2nd inning.

114 Was it a tough one?

Since Bob must be getting coffee... 1-1 in San Diego on a home run by Branyan.

Kuo's clutch strike outs are fun to watch..

115 Bases loaded nobody out and couldn't score. Our inning was runner on 3rd with 1 out and the pitcher up. Let's not be so defeatist.

113 - Sure, it's all fun and games until somebody's phone gets tapped.

Eli Manning's passer rating: 2.8

Kent came thisclose to making this game uninteresting!

Why didn't they replay that foul"double" by Kent. Did anyone see if it truly looked foul?

According to Vin, Jon's superstition is outdated. And it is only out of the greatest respect for Jon that I won't print the words in big bold letters. I couldn't give a rat's backside about Livan Hernandez or his personal accomplishments. We need to win now.

His NO HITTER is gone. Thank goodness!

Come on Marlon, get yourself etched in my memory bank

how about a 2 out hit right here?

124
Yep, the game is now officially boring.

nevermind.

One clutch hit, that's all I ask.

118 not to worry, I don't think I'm feeling defeatist. I was just thinking about when things were going are way, if we got two BB and a throwing error in an inning, we were rolling home.
And this inning (4th) we started hitting, but there were already two out!
Go D's

two out hits are in short supply

On the next DT stadium outing, Jon's going to require all attendees to wear ties and hats.

another one of those sunday afternoon games when the dodgers dont hit.

The Phillies game resumed the same way it had been going earlier...with another Phillies homer, 10-5

If we had a one game playoff for all the marbles and we had a choice between Kuo and Billingsley to start it, who would you pick? I certainly know who I would pick and he just put the D Backs down 1-2-3 in the 5th.

carlos quinten looks like he should be on a wreslting mat.

Its amazing what the Phillies have done considering they traded Abreu and Lidle for nothing.

Vin was going on about how Livan gives up a lot of hits but it doesn't seem to bother him yet. Then I see we broke up the no-no in the fourth.
At least Kuo looks like possibly good starter material, and I think there may be a few more hiding in our system. How minor league pitching is deciphered is a whole other topic.

123 - For the 24th time, I say that announcers are exempt from the ban against talking about no-hitters.

Kuo: 10 air outs, five strikeouts, zero groundouts (one infield error).

i would take kuo over penny at this point.

Oh, seriously, I am so disappointed Kuo's ball didn't go out.

that ball just could'nt of gone 5 more feet? could it of.

It's Kuo's one man show... rofl, he was posing for the HR.. and then oops not quite out.

Come on K-Lo, I have faith in you!

heres a perfect situation for one of loftons taylor made double plays.

139 I wasn't ignoring that fact. I was just pointing out that HE was saying that it was an old superstition. We're all entitled to our superstions, old or not.

Here comes a double play. I just feel so negative right now.

Is it hard to believe this guy is lobbing junk all day and our pitcher bangs it off the wall, but all these million dollar hitting specialists have one hit in four innings.
Then they hold the poor guy because he is a pitcher and it is bobbled. And no run.
Thats Baseball!

a perfect 1 hopper to the 2nd baseman.

See, all it takes is a little faith!

Or a line drive to left to knock in the run

In my face! I'm so happy to be wrong.

you have to be negative as a dodger fan to survive, just expect the worse. like nomar is going to hit a perfect one hopper to the shortstop.

double steal

Quid Pro Kuo !!

It was good to hold Kuo at third on Furcal's single. No way to know Quentin would bobble it.

Today I had the choice to start Eli Manning or Kurt Warner. I chose Warner, but I should have chosen death.

I have faith that Kent will get a perfectly acceptable sac fly right here.

boy that was close. Nomar really worked him.

boooooo.

Rats.

Come on, you have to send him on a fly ball like that!

pathetic

I am happilly surprised that a run scored.I am almost ready to believe the luck has changed. I hope so.
Ahhh, Drew, I often see him walk with runs to drive in--but he can't walk now; at least not ineffectually!

Taking all the way - I'm shocked.

seriously? are you kidding me drew?

That 3-0 pitch was a ball to crush.

Double rats. Your two biggest hitters can't get one past the first baseman.

ARGH! We choke another opportunity and Bard hits one out to make it 2-1 Padres.

ok, now they deserve to lose.

Feh. You gotta cash in those opps.

this hurts so much

That inning will go a long way to helping the Dodgers break the team LOB record for a season. It's going to be close. Last night's game didn't help.

arrragh... guess we have to hope Kuo hits a solo shot next time up...

3-0 flipped up 71 mph fastball right down the middle. 3-1 flipped up 79 mph fastball, dribbler to 1st. kents awful foul out. they deserve to lose.

we really need a scoreless inning here.

175
But that statement does not address the counterpoint.

Why would Arizona "deserve" to win?

Aren't most baseball games decided by positive actions by one team and not negative ones by the other?

I'm afraid the luck hasn't turned yet.When the other team tries this hard to give you the game and you can't grab it. But we will see-it may be turning.
By the way, despite having fairly good years statistically, I can't ignore the times I seem to see Kent and Drew both come up with men on base and no result. It seems more than 3 times in the last three games.

173 How close are they?

Please Kuo stay out of trouble. I dont want to see Sele.

179
The Dodgers need to leave about 7-8 runners per game.

It's not surprising that they have a lot of LOB. They are getting a lot of hits, but not a lot of home runs, so there tend to be runners left on.

175 You've pointed out that they deserve to lose a couple of times now. I wish I could watch the game and enjoy the DT converstation but it so overwelmingly negative (in a 1-1 game) that it's impossible to be here and keep a positive attitude. Hope to talk to you guys after a victory.

175 - They deserve to lose if they don't score as many runs as their opponent.

Does Kuo allowing no earned runs through five innings fit into the who-deserves-to-lose equation?

they squandered a great opportunity, with 2 of their best hitters up. this is crunch time. you have got to get the job done right there. if they lose this game they will look back on that moment.

177 Arizona deserves to lose, because they gave up 5 walks. LA deserves to lose because they couldn't take adavntage of them. Or something like that.

Whoever scores more runs will win this game, though. I'd bet anybody that.

What does it mean when we always need a scoreless inning

Kuo is throwing strikes today.

The Diamondbacks are similar to the Yankees in that the only way to beat them is to outscore them.

Whoever scores more runs will win this game, though. I'd bet anybody that.

Awesome. Baseball and John Madden. :)

Strike Outs A-Go-Gou

181 But do you know the exact number that the record is and ghe numbr they hae so far? Are they on pace or are they just in position that if they step it up they can get it done?

"They never quit. You know why? They don't let you quit!" John Madden about the Broncos in the Super Bowl against the 49ers.

188 Jeff Brantley, is that you?

On a lighter note, this girl I know was asked out by the Padres' starting pitcher today (Clay Hensley), but she turned him down. She also used to date Corey Patterson. She's like Alyssa Milano-lite I guess. She's only moderately hot though.

I just mean after not scoring after that inning, it would be nice to have a scoreless, stressfree inning for two reasons. One, it might keep us from using the bullpen in the 6th. Two, if we get behind we might see a rerun of our performance last night when it seemed like every Dodger batter had to swing at the first pitch "to get something started".

great performance by kuo

194 To clarify, he didn't ask her out today, he's their starting pitcher today.

189 Haha. That made me think of a Monday night game when the Patriots were down 3 with a about a minute left on Denver's 25 or so. Madden kept repeatedly saying that they Patriot were goin to try to get a touchdown and if they couldn't get it, then they'd kick a field goal. I'm like 'duh'

Kuo's been "hella" impressive. I hope the Dodgers make like the Padres usual game plan and score just enough runs to win.

I'm brilliant!

Okay... off to run errands. Hope something good happens while I'm gone.

Kuo's looking like Johan Santana + Ken Griffey today...

Kuo's done a great job since joining the starting rotation.

The K's are up. The BB's are way down.
Excellent job by Mr. Kuo.

homeruns by josh bard and russell branyon. agruably 2 of the best hitters in the league. just gotta tip your cap to the padres.

Apparently, Kuo's spot in the rotation is being terminated so that Lowe can squeeze in an extra start. Though I like the idea of Lowe getting an extra start, I'd much rather lose Penny than Kuo.

199 You must be from northern California.

195
But the Dodgers did score a run in the 6th.

203. But it opens Kuo up for pinch hitting duties.

I meant only scoring 1 run that inning and squandering a big opportunity. I apologize.

These are the games when the inability to put the ball out of the yard really hurts.

Bard, in over 100 fewer ABs, has one fewer home run than Martin.

205 - Really? I didnt' see any yet. Gameday must be slow.

206 rofl yeah, with how the Dodgers are hitting these days might as well use Kuo to PH.

Come on Russ, you're supposed to undo Bob's typos!

210
Sorry, meant 5th. My righteous indignation got the better of me.

And cue the Philosopher King in 5 4 3 2 1...

214 - I think that's #1 on the list

214 "Thank you for not...

1) using profanity or any euphemisms for profanity"

214- i forgive you.

It was pretty righteous.

The heck was that? Reminds me of Rookie of the Year where he strikes the last guy out by floating one like his mama used to.

How about Kuo striking out 8 so far? This guy's good.

lol, rookie of the year staring gary busey as chet "the rocket" stedmen. what a terrible movie.

Kuo has the assist for all his groundouts.

222 Don't forget skinny Barry Bonds' cameo

until now. That's 1 for Wilson Betemit.

Can anyone besides Martin hit this Cla Meredith character?

They better score some runs here.... or the whole lineup deserve to get shot.

prediction: no pinch hitter for Kuo unless you see a lefty

how was that soft pitch 50mph float ball not a strike? that was amazing.

honestly, when he threw that, i thought his elbow had given out again.

Since Livan has walked five and allowed four hits, would it kill the Dodgers to come up with more than one run?

Game score for Kuo: 73

jim tracy wouldn't tank all his games against the padres to spite the dodgers, would he?

Great performance by Kuo. Wish we could have switched Penny's outing yesterday with Kuo's.

Let's get some runs to support Kuo's great pitching.

I'd say that Kuo can call it a day. Thanks actually pitching and not just tossing 96 mph heaters down the middle of the plate Penny style.

Lugo? Lugo??

Great, another Lugo sighting.

Good time for his 1st HR.

We've all faced this guy. You sit there and watch warm ups and say "We're gonna hang seven on this guy", and then you go out and lay an egg. "How are we not getting to this guy?"

A tale as old as time itself.

232 Well, he didn't sit Bay and Sanchez in consecutive games against the Dodgers.

A song as old as rhyme.

Why are you getting out of the way of a 72 mph curveball?

Wear it, wimp.

i think the lugo and betemit trades have both backfired pretty good.

238 was deceptive. I meant, of course, to say that Tracy sat Bay yesterday and Sanchez today.

I would have let Kuo hit

What was Kuo's fastball hitting on the gun today? I saw his game against the Pirates and it was usually 90-91 MPH, which was down from what he was throwing in his two previous starts, which were on the road. And in Billingsley's last start he was around the same velocity. Both those guys get clocked higher on the road. Is the Dodger Stadium gun just slow?

no its that the dodgers gun is dead on. i heard it one of the most accurate guns in the league.

I'd say that Lugo accrued free agent loot is softly blowing in the breeze after his tenure as a Dodger.

Dang, I cannot tpye straight today. D'Oh

c'mon broxton, put this wrestler away.

The slow gun just had Bull at 99.

:)

242. And Dusty let Lee go home just before the Philly series. It's a league wide conspiracy.

ugh, connor jackson is annoying me.

Kuo had a few 93-94 today.

he's max velocity right now is probably 95. but will usually work in the low 90s.

Oh also, the whole lineup deserve to be shot today...

Hoffman's in the game in San Diego. And we all know Hoffman never blows a save against a team that can't hit homeruns.

With due respect to Jon and in honor of Trevor Hoffman, I believe they are playing "Heck's Bells" at PETCO now.

251 We're on to something. Everybody panic!

If anyone could benefit from going home "early" it is Bonds. Any chance he isn't in the lineup in all three games assuming we're not mathematically eliminated?

It is a conspiracy.

it's interesting, on gameday, pitches clearly outside the strikezone are labelled as called strikes for hoffman

Bull seems angry!

259 Conspiracy.

oh my god. all of the pirates swings off hoffman have been terrible.

and they just humped him in the mound.

261 i know. how else to explain why the dodgers aren't going to make the playoffs this year?

Stupid Pirates

Freddy Sanchez bizarrely jogged to 1b on a ball deep in the hole that Olmedo could have beaten out.

Why is Drew still hitting behind Kent?

1. Drew in between Kent and Nomar gives you a R-L-R lineup.

2. Kent is hurting

3. Drew is swinging it well.

Conspiracy!

... Nice to see the Pirates come into Dodger Stadium focused, then roll over for the Padres. Thanks, guys.

Kuo and Broxton - the Dodgers Shake and Bake?

hoffman is in tears out there. i actually am happy for him. what a career.

Mary McCleary did all she could.

267 Wait. Are you saying Grittle is party of the conspiracy? That would explain Lugo's pinch-hitting against the right-handed Hernandez. I'm getting chills.

270 Blasphamy

Lugo!!! What a slug.

I never thought I would miss Ramon E. Martinez, but I'll take Ramon every day and twice on Sunday.

Lugo does nothing for me.

268. If we are worried about facing a focused Pirate team then the playoffs are the least of our concerns.

it is a conspiracy. it has nothing to do with penny forgetting how to pitch, nomar's average dropping 62 points in two months, ethier hitting the wall, the 1-13 stretch, tomko's blowups against the mets and cubs, nobody hitting 20 home runs for the year, going 4-14 against the padres ...

268 Don't blame the Pirates. They played two teams: one that's playing extremely well, and one that's scuffling. The results indicate as much.

276 Anybody find it ironic that the guy arguing against a conspiracy is named Oswald?

I find the idea that anyone thinks that the Pirates tried harder against one team than another to be repugnant. The Pirates tried their best in all six games out on the West Coast.

This is isn't the 1910s. Teams aren't laying down for anyone.

i acted alone :)

278 - I don't get it

We could use a "magic bullet" if you have one to spare Oswald.

wilson...dude, what are you swinging at?

Kent and Drew are suddenly scarier to us than our opponents.

btw, i'm not a guy. just for the record.

285 The conspiracy deepens.

ugh, how can anyone stand to watch betemit?

ugh, how can anyone stand to watch betemit?

Wilson Betemit has some abosultely feeble hacks up there every once in a while. Baffled.

San Diego is getting great starting pitching right now while our starters are so erratic and inconsistent.

This game is going 20 innings. You heard it here first.

285 Whoa, a female DTer. That has to be a first.

I predict you will be instantly popular.

285. A rabbit perchance?

290 Your Our Starters = Brad Penny. Don't Include Kuo and Lowe.

I don't know what I would do here. Broxton is wonderful, but slightly prone to the HR.
But can we use up Saito here?

you want a magic bullet theory. i got one. ned colletti and grady little know that this year's team is not good enough to win it all, that the team that can win won't arrive until 2008. in order to put that team on the field to be prepared for 2008 loney and kemp need time to develop, meaning that nomar and lofton have to be let go. but we all know that if the dodgers make the playoffs this year, then the pressure will be intense to bring them back at the expense of making a run at zito or that japanese pitcher. therefore, dodgers management has been putting a low level narcotic in the gatorade in the dugout, thereby effecting the performance of the entire team, penny moreso because he is already on narcotics.

happy?

3rd base has been a big hole most of the year and now it's become an abyss.

Awesome! Robles will be batting 3rd in the 9th!

285 & 286 Much like betemit at the plate, this twist to those involved on the grassy knowl baffles me.

and laroche is having surgery, so we are probably stuck with beteMEAT for a while.

296. What about the one-armed man?

I think Robles is a sacrificial lamb in that spot. I'm sure he'll be pinch hit for. Little put him so he makes Bob Melvin force his hand.

Ahh, the never ending battle of wits between Melvin and Little...

301
You mean Kenny Lofton?

296 absolutely brilliant.

296 Your theories intrigue me. I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

I wonder how Soriano would do at 3rd.

306
Rafael Soriano would be a bad third baseman.

307 compared to betemit, or compared to alfonso?

307 He could always try knocking down grounders with his head in hopes they deflect toward first base.

Wilson kids us with his power.

Well, I saw Don Baylor playing 3b in Winter League. It was quite interesting...

Now that I think about it, why am I so worked up over 3B? Bill Mueller is still rehabing to make a comeback, and has a year left on his deal.

We'll be okay.

We'll tell our children and our children's children tales of Marlon Anderson. But they won't believe us...

let's give it the 'ol college try Dodgers!

yeah right.

robles for hero.

who knew Russ could bunt so well!

I hope I'm proven wrong, but how can you let Robles hit here.

And Marlon went to college in the USA!

University of South Alabama.

Come on Oscar- productive out right here!

Robles to bat in a crucial game. And the season comes full circle.

Remember the intense battle for the util spot, with Ramon E. Martinez outwitting, outlasting, and outplaying old Oscar.

remember last year when robles was in the 3 hole? dark days.

well atleast Oscar is giving us a quality at bat.

Oh please let us win this game, I need something to salvage my weekend.

I have no personal experience, but I get the feeling that pennant fever has the exact same symptoms as the Marburg Virus.

322 (shiver!!!)

Thanks Wikipedia:

The Marburg virus is the causative agent of Marburg hemorrhagic fever. Both the disease and virus are related to Ebola and originate in the same part of Africa (Uganda and Eastern Congo). The zoonosis is of unknown origin, but some scientists believe it may be hosted by bats.

Well, about as much as you could expect

productive out by Oscar Robles

mike edwards came through everytime in this situation last year (but we were usually down by 10 runs)

First we have to rely on Robles, now Lofton...

This game is going to help the Dodgers quest to break the LOB record.

Barring a PO or CS, they'll have at least 10 LOB in this game.

please kenny, no pop up to the left side.

Come on K-Lo, I have faith in you!

Can Lofton be the hero, just for one day!

329 Oops- Productive outs are defined as advancing the runner with the first out of the inning, scoring a runner with the second out, or when a pitcher sacrifice bunts with the second out.

this could be nomars last AB in the ravine.

Time for some Nomar late-inning heroics?

the Dodgers love playing with our emotions!

One more walk off hit please Nomar

How about a single, Nomar. It would be a nice sendoff to your Dodger Stadium career.

J.D. Drew, in a time honored tradition, is on deck, for no reason.

Kent will not bat this inning, yet he will stand in the ondeck circle anyway.

How many game winning hits does Nomar have?

Drew would be on deck out of turn!

NOW they get patient.

That works.

Thank you

i love you Nomar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nomar the dream maker once again.

exhale........

Echoes of Steve Finley!

Hahaha, Nomar sure can be endearing sometimes, especially late in games.

i love this thing they call baseball!!

Better with just someone on third. This is awful.
At least some pressure on the pitcher.
Amazing to win it 5-1, even though Vin said 4-1.

hopefully they keep up the momentum.

NOMAH!

Those extra runs will help our Pythagorean W-L record, be thankful for that.

Nomar has a taste for the dramatic.

....and there was much rejoicing.

Oh man. What a team. Riding Nomah to the playoffs is a dicey proposition, I'm afraid.

I think James Loney just lost 400 pa's for 2007 at least.

Nomar makes it easy on those scoring the game by coming around to score.

the Padres need to loose already!!

Time to think good thoughts about Jason Hirsh, who's flinging for the 'Stros tomorrow in Philadelphia.

Arizona is now in last place.

Temporary euphoria is brought back down to earth by Bulger fumbling with his team up by 2 points and 2 minutes left in the game.

361 - well, we're gamblers then

Sigh...grandslam.

It's nice to see Kuo pitch so well. He should get another start before the end of the season. Unfortunately, the Dodgers weren't able to gain any ground on Philadelphia or San Diego. I am really hung over today; nothing was going my way until Nomar deposited that pitch into the seats.

That hurt the Dodgers quest to break the team LOB mark.

Well Nomar 1for 4
Kent 0for 4
Drew 0for 3.

I expect either the Pads or the Phillies are due for a horrendous stretch, unless the gods are playing a huge cosmic joke on the D's this year.

Nomar is clutch, which is why we will sign him to a 10-year/$100 million deal in the off-season.

Next game, I want to win an 11-2 laugher. Every game at this point is like another ulcer.

Just blow somebody out already.

if that was Nomar's last at bat in the Ravine what a way to go! WOW

heres hoping the cards smash the padres the way they crushed the dodgers this year.

Oh wow, as if Bulger fumbling wasn't boneheaded enough, Warner does the same thing with his team in easy field goal range. Thank you Kurt Warner!

I'm pretty sure the Cards will do what they do best against the Pads, let's just hope we win 2 or even 3 against the Rox

Anybody with Tivo want to rewind and see who was on deck? I would have sworn it was good ol' number seven. But Bob's right, he would have been out of turn, even though it wouldn't matter. I sense scandal. I think Drew's trying to get the best place in the receiving line clip, probably as a way of increasing his marketability for advertising.

The alternate explanation is that my eyes aren't very good. Evidence for this theory would be that I've got, right now, new glasses on order.

I guess we did deserve to win today. I hope that with six games left and 1/2 game to pick up (and two teams who can collapse and hand it to us if we don't take it), more of us can believe that this team still has every chance to play in the post season. And one way or another, how can you not appreciate the excitement and fun that this year *continues" to provide?

honestly, whats the point of having a stephen jackson when you dont run him in the endzone?

and, whats the point of having a larry fitzgerald when you have QB that cant get him the ball?

I think im just venting since they both are on my fantasy team but both teams are so frustrating.

If I can remember correctly, is it 3rd walk off HR for Nomar this year?

377 It was Kent. Enjoy those glasses!

I think you're counting the GS on the road at Houston.

379 Mostly bad luck for Jackson today. Anytime they got a 1st and goal it was at about the 9, which is tough to run in.

I'm not sure how you could be that disappointed with Fitzgerald, 65 yards and a TD ain't too shabby.

What I'm stoked about is all the meaningless 2nd half action in the Seahawks/Giants game since I have Eli and my opponent has the Seattle defense. I went from a 10-point deficit to a 25 point lead in no time.

Let's hope that Arte Moreno sees the highlights of today's game.

382 Yes, you're right that was on the road.

381- Lies! Oh, alright. Kent then. I deserve to be wrong for stepping on Bob's bit, anyway.

386
Looks like the drugs and concubines have finally taken their toll.

I think the Dodgers almost have to reconsider their rotation from here on out and find a way to include Kuo. He's seems like #2 right now.

373 - Dont forget the playoffs. Nomar might still have a few Ravine ABs in front of him.

388 I mean in the batting order.

It's going to be really hard not to resign Nomar. There's Loney and Kent is looking more like a firstbaseman every game... Can Loney do centerfield?

i really think grady should consdider putting olmedo at 3rd for 2 maybe even 3 games next week. we are going to need all the offense we can get, especially with how the rockies are swinging the bats. beteMEAT and lugo just cant provide anything right now.

Loney is ready, Nomar will take too much money, and we have other needs (you know, like getting an actual slugger).

Nomar, you did a nifty little job for a year. Thanks, beautiful. Good luck elsewhere.

I have this deep-seated feeling that my thoughts of doom are somehow related to the Dodgers' success. During the 9th and 10th innings of Monday's "With Four, You Get Nomar" game, I kept telling my sister that the D's would find a way to lose, no matter what. And look what happened. Yes, I was there.

Does anyone know if the "convenience charge' for the postseason tix are returned if the Dodgers don't make it? I think not. They'll be making almost $100.00 off me for those.

388 Lowe, Maddux, and Kuo sounds good to me.

394

You're kidding right? You think Ticketmaster is going to refund the service charges on anything?

383

I think im just mad because im going to lose this week.

392 - I've very much been thinking that too.

New post coming up top.

396
Just a nihilistic joke with a splash of sarcasm. Maybe Hugo Chavez will offer fee-free Dodger playoff tickets along with the cheap heating oil.

This is hard to believe, but my cable went out right when Nomar came up to bat and came back on right after he hit the grand slam. Not only that, but it wasn't all of the cable channels just FSW2. Is someone trying to tell me something? I hate missing the good parts.

So now that we've kept ourselves closely in the hunt with the dramatic victory, the questions should still be swirling around what to do about our left side. Anderson has done more than anyone could have hoped for but I think it's time he moved back into his designated role - the left handed pinch hitter. So who plays left field? Are we that down on Ethier that Grady keeps him out for the entire last week? He helped get us to this point and although he has looked rather awful recently, I can't think of a better candidate sitting on the bench. The bigger question is what to do at the black hole that has become 3rd base. Lugo can't hit; Betemit can't hit and can't field. I'm not sure what the solution is, but I wouldn't mind if Grady experimented a bit at third this last week even though it is the LAST week. At least it can't get any worse, can it? How about getting Olmedo some at bats and playing him at third early in the game and then sub for the defensive replacement later in games if we have an actual lead. Hell, I know this is close to sacrilege but I wouldn't mind giving Robles a shot in a game or two just to roll the dice and see if he can get hot. Am I forgetting somebody? Both Lugo and Betemit have looked lost for quite a while now and I don't have much confidence that either of them can get back on track in the stretch week of the season.

392 and 398
Either stealing my thunder or great minds think alike.

387- But what a way to go. . .

Ramon Martinez is supposed to come back this Tuesday his new born was sick. He might start, although Saenz would be a good choice.....Don't want to be negative but this week has much of the feeling of 82. Although the Giants should be eliminated from everything by tomorrow. Sadly those last 3 games are going to mean alot and for the Giants season, knocking the Dodgers out will make thier season...One other interesting quirk are old friend Jim Tracy has 3 games left with the Phills, hope he has more success than he had in San Diego