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Also ...
A Season in Savannah (Stanford Magazine)
Five Questions: Los Angeles Dodgers (2005) (Hardball Times)
Rick Monday (Baseball Analysts)
Baseball's Odd Couple (Baseball Prospectus)
Five Questions: Los Angeles Dodgers (2006) (Hardball Times)
Five Questions: Los Angeles Dodgers (2007) (Hardball Times)
Dodger home record: 50-35 (.588)
When Jon attended: 9-5 (.643)
When Jon didn't: 41-30 (.577)
Dodgers at home: 795-635 (.556)
Jon attended: 302-238 (.559)*
Jon didn't: 498-404 (.552)
* includes road games attended
Current Roster with Estimated 2009 Salaries
(updated November 14)
Most figures are estimates (some are wild estimates) but will be updated as information comes in. Corrections welcome.
More contract details here.
Starting Pitchers (5)
$10,000,000 Hiroki Kuroda
*$475,000 Chad Billingsley
*$415,000 Clayton Kershaw
*$405,000 Eric Stults
*$400,000 James McDonald
*Total: $11,695,000
Bullpen (7)
*$2,500,000 Takashi Saito
*$1,300,000 Scott Proctor
*$1,500,000 Jonathan Broxton
*$425,000 Hong-Chih Kuo
*$420,000 Cory Wade
*$410,000 Ramon Troncoso
*$400,000 Scott Elbert
Total: $6,955,000
Also on 40-man roster
Mario Alvarez
Yhency Brazoban
Greg Miller
Justin Orenduff
Starting Lineup (8)
$17,100,000 Andruw Jones
*$3,000,000 Russell Martin
*$2,500,000 Andre Ethier
*$600,000 Matt Kemp
*$600,000 James Loney
*$500,000 Angel Berroa
*$410,000 Blake DeWitt
*$400,000 Tony Abreu
Total: $25,110,000
Bench (5)
$10,000,000 Juan Pierre
*$600,000 Jason Repko
*$410,000 Delwyn Young
*$400,000 Danny Ardoin
*$400,000 Chin-Lung Hu
Total: $11,810,000
Note: Team can buy out Ozuna's 2009 option for $200,000
Also on 40-man roster
A.J. Ellis
Lucas May
Xavier Paul
Disabled List
$12,000,000 Jason Schmidt
Also Paying ...
$2,000,000 Brad Penny (buyout of $9,000,000 option)
$50,000 Gary Bennett (buyout of $900,000 option)
Note: Kansas City is responsible for $500,000 buyout of Angel Berroa's $5,500,000 option for 2009.
Working total: *$68,020,000
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Baseball Toaster runs on some experimental software called Fairpole. It's still under development.
For more information, please visit the Fairpole blog, or read the FAQ.
A number of people have said they can't wrap their heads around the Tony Abreu callup. There is a simple explanation, which is that with two off days over the next seven, the Dodgers had no reason to keep 12 pitchers, so they sent down Hong-Chih Kuo and called up a position player with a high batting average.
"Brett Tomko will have his next start skipped," Diamond Leung of the Press-Enterprise reports, "and Grady Little is undecided on whether or not he will get another. Kuo will go back to starting in the minors, and Chad Billingsley will be stretched out as well."
Abreu is starting at third base tonight, but could also play second base and allow the Dodgers to move Jeff Kent to first base and rest Nomar. For all we know, the Dodgers might also be showcasing Abreu for a trade. So it's not as if the move lacks an explanation.
Now, whether Abreu was the best choice for a callup is debatable. Playing him there puts two of the Dodgers' bigger walk and homer threats, Wilson Betemit and Andy LaRoche, on the bench, and further strands Matt Kemp, among others, in Las Vegas.
Tony Jackson of the Daily News suggests that Abreu, batting eighth tonight, could flip spots in the batting order with Juan Pierre sooner than later if he outhits him. That's where things start getting a little confusing. It's easy enough to believe that the Dodgers will use Betemit off the bench when he's had such success there this month, but it's hard to believe that LaRoche is being permanently benched when he has been reaching base lately more than any other Dodger except Rafael Furcal. It seems a little soon to start speculating about Abreu for the long-term.
Update: From The Associated Press:
"To get another hot hitter in the lineup," Dodgers manager Grady Little replied when asked why the move was made. "We're looking for somebody who's going to get hot. He's earned the right to get an opportunity right now.
"The kid brings life, he brings energy, he brings productivity."
Little said it's possible the Dodgers will keep all three third basemen, adding LaRoche could be used in the outfield.
Well, it does appear the Dodgers are throwing darts a bit at this point. Can Abreu improve on LaRoche's .767 OPS to date? And who sits when LaRoche plays in the outfield. Any bets that it's Andre Ethier?
* * *
The Dodgers have eight more hits than their opponents, 24 more walks, seven more stolen bases (with the same caught stealing), 111 fewer strikeouts and only three fewer total bases. As weird as they are, they're doing well.
Let's just see if they can do better.
* * *
Tonight's game:
1. The National League should establish the Designated Runner and the Designated Fielder. The DR is a player who will run the bases for one particular player, chosen at the beginning of the game, who gets on base like Barry Bonds but runs the bases, well, like Barry Bonds. The DF, likewise, is someone who can't hit, but would "drive in runs with his glove" (but not like how Jeff Kent drives in runs with his glove).
Effect: The combined forces of Juan Pierre and Barry Bonds are lethal. Cesar Izturis still has a job in five years. An NL team signs Manny Ramirez.
2. Baseball should expand to 32 teams, opening franchises in Puerto Rico and Havana, Cuba. The Cuban team would, of course, be under the complete control of the Cuban government, and its players would not be subject to free agency or the collective bargaining agreement. It will be placed in a realigned American League East containing the Yankees, Red Sox, and Braves.
Effect: The ensuing perennial humiliation faced by the Cuban squad will eventually convince Castro to drop the whole Communist act. In turn, the US will drop its travel restrictions, and I will get to fulfill my dream of going to Cuba to see a baseball game.
3. If the count is full, and a pitcher has made over 12 pitches to a batter without a hit, an out, or a walk, the pitcher may challenge the batter to a game of speed chess to determine the outcome of the plate appearance. The pitcher plays white. If the batter wins by checkmate, it's a home run. If the pitcher wins by checkmate, it's a strikeout. If the game ends in a draw or a stalemate, it's a walk.
Effect: Baseball television ratings go through the floor, causing a financial catastrophe for 31 of 32 teams (only Tampa Bay is spared, since no one watched them in the first place). All player contracts are declared void. Juan Pierre is a free agent again. Dodger Thoughts commenters are finally at peace.
If so, who plays RF...?
Good news about Billinsgley being stretched back out. Get well soon, Schmidt!
(if it was for He Who Shall Not Be Named, then it will be a good trade)
since when did the Dodgers care about playing the most productive players . .?
And scored two runs.
Furcal, SS
Nomar, 1B
Kent, 2B
Martin, C
Gonzo, LF
Ethier, RF
Abreu, 3B
Wolf, P
Now I know Martin may be our best hitter and we NEED production but, am I the only one begging Grady for a day off? does he know Toby Hall isnt the backup anymore?
The Dodgers are going to keep a dense pack of third basemen on the roster until July 31?
Or just trade for Chone Figgins and Ryan Freel and let everyone rotate a 1 position per inning. Steve Lyons would surely like that.
and in the same game, if memory serves, the best way to bust out of a slump is "to get a hit."
The Dodgers website says Abreu's given first name is actually Etanislao
I hope those at the game have a great a night as we had in Nashville.
I was referring to the new groundskeeper.
I hear they look alike.
-- 2 points for the takedown, Prince.
um, Pierre is lucky he still has the top half of his dome.
It's like throwing a dirt clod at a cinderblock.
Except to say he's out.
Jeepers.
... You have to run in the path. That's why it's there. It's such a cut and dried rule, and they call it every single time a throw to first deflects off a runner.
As the late Chick Hearn used to say -- "You could have called it with braille."
The Retrosheet people could mine their data for it. It's likely not too hard to find a list of players who made an error in their first game in the majors. You then just have to look at the PBP to see if it was on the first ball hit to them.
Bob is watching Gameday and is not part of the Englightenment.
And Terry A., if you're around, I didn't see your post the other day about seeing the 51s in Memphis until too late to respond. Apparently the 51s go to Memphis right after Nashville.
I've heard Memphis now has the finest stadium in the minor leagues but haven't been able to see a game there. From growing up in West Tn. about 80 miles from Memphis, I know it's hard to beat ribs or anything else from Rendezvous. So the BBQ nachos from there at AutoZone sound great.
I miss the ping-pong/pacman stuff they used to play.
I also think I want to record the MLBTV commercial break music to play when I'm trying to calm my nerves or go to sleep.
That tells you when I stopped paying attention to the NBA.
and again, someone explain to me like I'm a four year-old, why isn't Martin batting 3rd.
Its already gotten goofy.
R H E
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0 0 1
I'd like to see Martha say "Grab some pine, meat" for that matter. Which could mean something different.
Are you serious?
1. For that brief moment, the Dodgers had a lead for the first time since WEDNESDAY!
2. Somebody forgot to tell the Cubs they're pitching in a pitcher's park... 2 homers in 2 innings for the Padres at Petco...? Sheesh.
how unbelievably annoying.
To suggest that Abreu can make better adjustments than Kemp, after watching 1 ab, is a little overboard.
115: we ALL were.