Stults will start then? or be in the bullpen

Hope everyone's Fourth is Some Kind of Wonderful.

Why is TBS showing me Tyler Perry's House of Payne Marathon instead of this game?

Need a reason to root for Hendrickson? Read on: :-)

Hendrickson looms large in Dodgers' scheme

>>> If getting better is not good enough to get the job done, which means helping deliver the Dodgers to the postseason, Colletti and owner Frank McCourt will face a decision in the heat of a sizzling pennant race.

It's always hard to be patient in a pennant race. McCourt's precarious financial situation makes it harder to be patient. He's mortgaged, leveraged and whatever to the hilt. While he gets high grades for being extremely creative in putting together his financing, the pressure to generate income immediately, if not sooner, can cloud the decision-making process.

If Hendrickson falters, the urge will be strong to punt patience and venture into the market place in quest of a front-line starter. <<<

http://tinyurl.com/2gvzdq

Old friend Sandy Alomar called up from the minors by the Mets.

3
Why did TBS decide to show only one of the first three games in this series?

2 Hah hah. I get it. Don't need to wear a mask to fool me.

3 I have it listed as on TBS at 6 here. Is it blacked out in LA? But you're not in LA, so that doesn't explain it. Hm.

And why didn't ESPN have more baseball on today?

5
Are the Mets the Old Friend-liest team in the MLB...?

For anybody with the HD channel MOJO, they are running a marathon of the reality series "The Show" which follows the AAA Tucson Sidewinders in 2006 (I think it's '06). Features a lot of Carlos Quentin and Chris Young, and quite a bit of Gonzo. I haven't seen it so I don't know if it's any good, just thought I'd mention it if you're bored waiting for the game to start.

Have a good Fourth... I will be watching the game on Tivo after fireworks which means I don't get the added bonus of real-time Dodger Thoughts.

4 I think that article was written by Mike Waldner, a true nincompoop. But it was strangely coherent, so I'm conflicted.

Yikes, I just checked again and you're right! House of Payne marathon. That's really sad. Guess I can't TiVo it then. :-( I can only watch the first coupla innings. Ah well.

Meanwhile, if the Dodgers are gonna call up Eric Stoltz, they should also have called up Tony Edwards. (My sister went to HS with both of them.)

It was a swell day out at RFK. The Cubs intentionally walked Ryan Zimmerman to load the bases for the Nationals best hitter Dmitri Young (setting up the double play in a 2-0 game, you see). I predicted they would regret that and lo and behold Young launched a grand slam that sent my boys into orbit.

The Nationals have essentially no good players this year so the bobbleheads this year are the four racing presidents; today was the first one -- George W. During the President's Race, he had a suited, sunglassed, earpieced secret service guy at his side making sure he won.

Yay for Baseball on the Fourth of July!

Almost old friend Kelly Stinnett opted not to go back to the minors for the Cardinals, so it appears he will retire again.

We could trade them Sandy Martinez or Ken Huckaby.

It's the first shot I've seen taken at McCourt's finances in a while. Which doesn't mean it's wrong, necessarily, but what happened to that story, anyway? Did he get a clean bill of health, or did the newspapers just lose interest?

4, 10 -

Even if McCourt was leverage, I doubt that either he or the Dodgers are losing money, especially if you believe the Forbes report on team revenue. Seems to me, business is very good. And if he is financially strapped, all the more reason to protect young producers and would-be producers such as Loney, Kemp, Martin, LaRoche......

Lots happened in 6 days.

1. Kuo gets sent down, Hendy goes back in the rotation.
2. Wolf goes on the DL, Stults gets called up.
3. Chad pitches a great game.
4. Kemp delivers in the back to back games.
5. Russell took a day off and the Dodgers won the game.

And some things remained the same, Padres ahead by percentage points (and the tiebreaker) in the NL West.

7 I griped about the lack of baseball on ESPN on the 4th of July last year too:

http://www.linkmeister.com/blog/archives/001964.html

I don't get it. Surely the advertisers aren't lacking in interest.

4, 10- We do realize that article tells us nothing new, right? And that there's nothing in it besides the writer's completely unsupported assumption that suggests the front office actually will make a panic move. I'm sure it's patently obvious to everybody--even Frank McCourt--that to trade Kemp, Loney etc creates at least as big a hole as it could conceivably fill.

Once again: Those trades that beat writers love to talk about, because it gives them something to do, in all probability won't happen. I'm sure we've inquired about Mark Buehrle; if they'd take, say, Andre Ethier for him, it wouldn't be a bad trade. But we won't be sending them Kemp, I'm sure.

For those of you who are bored and have NBATV (it's usually somewhere near ESPN Classic), they're re-running the 1988 NBA Championship game 6, Lakers vs. Pistons, right now. The Kareem/Magic/Worthy/Cooper/Scott/Rambis/ AC Green etc Lakers make me so nostalgic compared to the more recent incarnation. This was a great series, the Pistons had Isaiah Thomas, Laimbeer, John Salley and many other fun players. Great to watch.

19 Oh, I don't doubt there's no substance to the story. Especially if it came from Waldner. I was just surprised he was able to string together words into sentences.

And a much younger-looking Jack Nicholson on the sidelines with an also very youthful Michael Douglas. Classic.

Several years ago it was suggested that McCourt couldn't handle a 100 Million payroll and would plunder the team to meet his debts. This was all based on conjecture with nothing solid to stand on. A few years go by and he's done nothing but spend millions upon millions in capital improvements and the team has the highest payroll in history but yet the same unsubstainted rumors continue to swirl about his financial ability to run the Dodgers the right way.

23
We all know where McCourt has made his money. He's made it by not having enough padding to prevent players from running into the RF wall at fullspeed from hurting themselves.

All of that money, he could have spent for padding, he has to used to buy himself a daily regimen of omelets made from dodo eggs.

Tony Jackson reports Beimel unavailable for tonight's game (heart palpitations) and Kuo won't report to Las Vegas but will go on the major league DL instead.

Gonzo sitting. Starting in 2008 this might be the outfield for the next 2-3 years.

Time to go. Ribs are calling me. Enjoy the Mark Mark Hendrickson Experience.

McCourt is in a great position. He will smile all the way to the bank and back when this plays out.

27

i just ended my 4th of july the kids around the neighborhood start theres in about 1 hour & a half.

Gosh I hadn't realized that Venus Williams creamed Maria Sharapova today.

30

She what?

6-1, 6-3.

Nice catch & throw by Loney he made it closer with that nice arm of his.

That was indeed a sweet play by Loney, and a head's up throw to third (after a head's up move by the baserunner). Really close to a double play.

Hope Beimel is o.k. he went to the hospital because of heart palpitations, Vinnie said he's still at the hospital.

33- He saved Nomar's garbage throw from ending up in the dugout, on the play before, too. Loney is pretty good at baseball.

Gosh I hadn't realized that Venus Williams creamed Maria Sharapova today.

Yep. It was great. My least favorite female tennis players go like this:

1. Sharapova
2. Henin
3. Venus
4. Serena

So, it was interesting for me to have the Williams sisters playing Sharapova and Henin, in that I rarely root for the sisters. But I did today. Unfortunately, Henin prevailed over Serena, and will probably go on to win the tournament, weather-permitting.

36 -- Just say it. You know you want to. He's silky.

Okay, one more half inning and then I have to split for dinner and a glimpse of fireworks. Hope the Dodgers score 10 runs in the half-inning so I can relax.

A legit hit for Slappy! Well done.

It's pretty easy to visualize Russ banging a line drive rbi single right now.

41

thanks for jinxing him imperabo ;o)

lol, I wasn't visualizing that.

It's easy to visualize Kent playing a plumber in a 70's porn film.

Vin Scully reading excerpts from The Chuck James Story will be back right after this.

Vin can read excerpts of the Albuquerque phone book if he wants to.

It's easy to visualize Kent playing a plumber in real life.

This James doesn't look very good tonight. Has any Dodger got a hit yet?(Rhetorically).

Man that's ridiculous.

Make him throw some pitches please. We have done OK with their bull-pen.
Good for you Bigfoot--come on Furcal.

Walking Hendrickson there: interesting strategy.

That's gotta sting.

Sorry if this has been posted already. A little bit of Dodger love from the Boston Globe:

http://tinyurl.com/yum7c2

Wonder how they feel about our current pitching woes?

why does furcal look so bad up there sometimes.

Man Furcal, three pich K. I guess it can happen to anyone and its three more pitches than we would have got if Bigfoot didn't walk.

It's only a matter of time before we score of of CHUCK JAMES! hopefully Hendy keeps the Braves honest.

Loney has the most accurate arm at first base that I recall in my years of watching the Dodgers.

Loney is a bit out of wack right now with the whole outfield thing but once he gets conferrable again at 1st he's gonna treat us with some sick plays.

I just hope his bat stays in whack.

Can Andrew still do those amazing forward diving catches or does he roll all the way to the infield if he tries it now?

It has just occurred to me that Bonds could break Aaron's HR record against the Dodgers. Selfishly, I don't want it to happen against us. ...not again! But at the same time, if, say, it was at Dodger stadium I'd get a chance to witness history in person. That part is pretty cool.

At least Furcals problems seem to have no affect on his wonderful arm. I fervantly hope that as I think his ankle may be gradually improving.

What a job by Bigfoot so far, but its obvious we better not trade any potential offense for pitching. Not his fault.

58 I choose to read that as slick unless I am just too old for some certain vernacular.

Hendy is quietly pitching a really nice game, we need to score some runs for 'em.

Not surprisingly, there isn't a lot of DT traffic tonight. People must be fighting through traffic to find a good spot to see fireworks tonight.

hahaha! I have a balcony that does it for me.

56 I am afraid this is one of those nights when they will beat themselves out against anyone. Just one of those things. I hope I'm wrong, but Hendies held the gates longer than one could expect. Before 4 innings I felt that way, but when I saw our only hit was jp at some point I began to wonder. When the vets are 0-for( Furcal, Kent, Nomar) it can be tuff.

a productive pinch hitting apperance for gonzo

Well he's not wasting any time tonight.

Come on Tomko, you can do it!!!

Man, who was that just now pitching and fielding. It looked bad. Oh my god its Tomko, I didn't think they would let him pitch again until I heard the party line from Grits or someone today. My god its home run derbu, and we were sort of in this game!

Tomko should stick to drawing and painting and such.

Tomkon should start learning to paint these 3 letters on a canvas..." DFA "

2001 -- Gregg Olsen
2002 -- Terry Mulholland
2003 -- Andy Ashby
2004 -- Hideo Nomo
2005 -- Scott Erickson
2006 -- Odalis Perez
2007 -- Brett Tomko

I never thought I'd see Tomko again this year in a one-run game. He has shown everyone that he should only be pitching in blowouts. If we lose this one because of this inning it's all on Grady. No way should Tomko be pitching at this point in the game.

To put this in perspective, one can see Grady Little's train of thought. Why not try to rest the bullpen some and at the same time try to give Tomko a shot at redemption? Admirable theory but obviously it didn't work. It's better not to put all your eggs in one basket, am I right?

I also don't mind if the Dodgers "give this game away" so to speak. At least the bullpen would get some rest.

I thought we all agreed that Tomko would never pitch again?!?!!

-- For the record, no I wouldn't have given Tomko another sniff at a ball for the rest of the year. I get the feeling 4.2 million dollars has something to do with all these "second chances."

Tomko. Wow. Little is one of the worst tactical managers I've ever seen.

I wonder if Drew McCourt has an opening in the graphic arts department ?

we need to get 2 back this inning. wow how bad is tomko.

75

I under stand Gradys logic here but still...

viewing this optimistically we got away with it with minimum damage.

75. I also don't mind if the Dodgers "give this game away" so to speak. At least the bullpen would get some rest.

I don't believe in giving away ballgames. You certainly can't expect to win them all. But I expect to try to win them all. Tomko would be at the very end of my bullpen (and I agree with you about the $4.2 million).

There was rhetoric about Tomko in the last few days and I'm not sure Grady was the only one in on the decision that" Tomko has lost his confidence but has a great arm that should be used." I don't think Grits is that simple or the sole backer of this decision. I doubt he will be used this way again, but it isn't a bad game to waste to rest the pen, although I hope our players make me eat my word.

that ball was lathered

By the way that quote in 83 is only a paraphrase: sorry

how about a double in the gap by nomar?

I think the Dodgers simply didn't have that many options.

Broxton and Saito have their defined roles (not something I agree with, but crucifying Grady for something every other manager would do seems unfair.)
Beimel is unavilable.
Seanez pitched the last two days.
Stults has been worse than Tomko in Vegas. Sure his peripherals are decent, but so are Tomko's.
Tsao should have come in, hasn't pitched for four days, don't know why he didn't.

So it should have been Tsao, but the decision isn't as bad as it seemed.

This Kemp at bat is gonna be interesting (approach)

he throws 4 balls in a row to nomar and you swing at the 1st pitch.

well that at bat didn't last long, that's my pet peeve with Kemp he's way to anxious with bases loaded, he'll learn though.

This "trading two runs for one" thing each inning isn't going to work.

87 -- Stults isn't in Vegas now, he is in L.A., and Stults has been just fine outside of Vegas (check his amazing home/road splits). Tomko on the other hand has been sucking everywhere.

a 1-2 pitch fastball right down the middle how about a slider in the dirt

So, as I was just saying to myself, Andrew Jones isn't even a threat anymore. . .

Tsao's velocity seems to be down..thought he use to throw around the mid 90's not low 90's??

I have to say the story of this game so far is that we got next to nothing done in the first five innings, when their pitcher didn't appear to have much to me. I know he deserves a rest, but I think we really missed Gonzo, and the gme would have been different with him.

94

they should have thrown him sliders away, he's doing what Kemp does with them this season.

russell being uncharacteristicly impatient tonight

Chris Young's seven shutout innings tonight gives him the slimmest of leads over Brad Penny in the NL ERA race:

Young - 1.99678
Penny - 1.99704
Peavy - 2.09

Both Penny & Peavy pitch tomorrow afternoon.

Wow, what a lucky way for the Padres to win. Bases loaded, none out, Kouzmanoff grounded to third, a perfect double play ball, but Marlins' catcher Miguel Olivo dropped the ball at the plate. Padres win 1-0.

why not put in stults and see what he has

Why not go to Stults here instead of Broxton? Doesn't this jeopardize Broxton's availability tomorrow now that he will have pitched 4 games in 5 days?

Maybe Penny is expected to go 8 innings tomorrow.

but Marlins' catcher Miguel Olivo dropped the ball at the plate. Padres win 1-0.

Dudes gonna have nightmares today.

Getting back to Chris Young, it's a bit of a travesty that he wasn't selected to the all-star game already. That he has to be subjected to the fan vote for the final spot is ridiculous. Since he was acquired by the Padres, the guy has been one of the best pitchers in the NL.

Let's hope as Dodger fans that Kevin Towers doesn't make anymore deals anywhere near as good as Adam Eaton & Akinori Otsuka (and minor league C Billy Killian) for Chris Young, Adrian Gonzalez (and Terrmel Sledge).

Broxton & THEN SAITO? in a losing game.

Good thing Stults was called up. Why Broxton and Saito have pitched in this game is beyond me.

It would be one thing if they were only down a run, but in a 5-2 game? Roll the dice with Stults then see if you can comeback.

This in mind bogole!!!

Plus, this gives the Braves more looks at Broxton and Sammy, which might make a difference if they're used in a tight game tomorrow.

More looks at those two might be just more intimidating, but the Braves might pick up something.

105

makes perfect sense Eric.

After tonight's game, batters against Tomko have hit a collective .310/.359/.509. He has given up a remarkable 27 doubles in only 66.3 IP! There have only been 14 pitchers to give up more HR thus far than Tomko, but none have pitched fewer than 90.7 innings.

Hendrickson has only given up 8 doubles, and batters are hitting .268/.318/.402 against him.

Nice at bat by Betemit working a walk.

So Tomko has given up an .868 OPS. The Dodger batter with the highest OPS (minimum 100 PA) is Luis Gonzalez at .861.

oh look at that, a ground ball single by Furcal.

Even after JP's big game, Grady still goes with Saenz. Impressive, hope it works out.

Wow, the first step is here! Pierre is being pinch hit for on a night in which he has 3 hits and two doubles.

Regardless of outcome, I like this move.

115

at least they made it exciting, time to go up my roof & watch the DS fireworks, late.

olmedo had 2 pitches to hit there and missed both of them

That looked low and outside to Saenz. Maybe the ump thought he swung.

117 - you are right about that

Oh well.

Was Stults available? I thought he wasn't yet. Plus Beimel was out. And Houlton wasn't available. So I don't know how many choices they have. Still, would be nice to not have Tomko as an option. Feh.

At least they did give the fans there some hope, however fleeting. Saenz had his chances. Pierre had a good night. Hendy was more than adequate. Tomko sucked and the offense wasn't much more than a whimper tonight. Wasn't in the cards. Ah well.

Cheers, all!

I'm not buying Tomko not having any confidence, the guy has sucked most of his career and he's in his mid 30's now. That's something I'll buy in when Billingsley struggles, not some guy whose never been good for more than a couple months at best at time. He needs to go. If Colletti doesn't want to swallow the money he shouldn't sign mediocre players to millions of dollars, and then be surprised when they don't work out.

120 It's not like Tomko gave anybody else rest...

I'm convinced Grits was ordered to give Bomco a chance. And I only hold him responsable for about 4 runs.

121
You are correct Tomko, despite having good stuff has sucked most of his carrer and actually has had the most success as a Dodger last year. I live up in SF and he always had a great April, reasonable May and then once it hit June, the wheels come off.

My question do you think the White Sox would accept Betimett and one lower level prospect for Buhrle-the understanding that it is a rental?

124
The White Sox don't need a third baseman as they have Fields playing there and I suppose they still hope Crede can come back.

Bob

Thanks for the clairification, I had wondered what had happened to Crede, but assuming they trade Dye, one of thier more marketable quantities, they are going to need power coming back and our best young power is Kemp, who we shouldn't trade for any rent a player, so it seems we don't really have a real good match for any of thier players and they seem to have the best available players of potential sellers.

I hope that everybody had a very happy and safe July Fourth.

Don't get mad at Tomko. It's not his fault he gets put on the hill. He stinks, he knows it, we know it. Blame the manager and the front office.

Shimmin took a shot at James Taylor in the last thread. That went in my files.

That was possibly the most exciting hot dog eating contest I've ever seen. What a tremendous finish.

Loved the announcers comments too
[On Kobayashi competing with an injured jaw] "Is it Curt Schilling-eque?"
"He's just like Kenny Lofton and Sam Cassell…just when you think he's done…"
"Chestnut with a lead…google 'American Hero' tomorrow and you'll get Abe Lincoln, possibly Neil Armstrong, Taylor Hicks….. and then Joey Chestnut"
"Well Curt Schilling be damned"

Congrats to Chestnut, even though I'm a Kobayashi fan.

Twelve pitchers would used last night, which seems like a lot for a 9-inning game in which only 7 runs were scored.

Pierre: .310/.332/.642
Nomar: .308/.330/.638

Looking at the bright side, Pierre got 3 hits, Hendrickson was league-average, and the Dodgers didn't roll over, having several good chances to tie it. Next time fellas.

Nice. That 16 year old pitcher we signed from the Dominican got 7 K's in his first two innings in the Gulf Coast League. Must have been a dropped third strike, but it's an auspicious beginning.

Pierre:.310/.332/.642
Nomar: .308/.330/.638
Furcal .345/.359/.704

June Splits
Furcal .222 .283 .308 .591
Pierre .279 .310 .315 .625
Nomar.247 .261 .306 .567

That is 1968 stinky bad.

Houlton has to get the starting nod over Tomko right?

Penny
Lowe
Billingsley
Houlton
Hendrickson

Through the end of July?

That looks right, been a tough week for Dodger pitchers. Kuo, Wolf, and now maybe Beimel. Wouldn't it be funny if one of Depo's more obscure pickups (Houlton) turns out to have a positive impact on the 2007 season.

Does this feel like a Monday to anyone else?

Even when I agree with Tony Jackson (re: his rant about Tomko), he gets on my nerves. And his bit about Springsteen's Born in the USA seems kind of out of place, but whatever. Jon's on it!

Tim Kurkjian picks his all-rookie class on ESPN:
http://tinyurl.com/246khp

Loney is his 1B pick.
Nice write-up. The two Japanese acquisitions for the Red Sox are the pitchers. Braun gets the nod at third, deservingly. Hadn't realized how good he's been in a relatively short span of time.

Does this feel like a Monday to anyone else?

I kept thinking yesterday was a Saturday. So today feels like Sunday.

So today feels like Sunday

Did you show up at an empty temple...?

seriously? Grady on Tomko...

"He's got good stuff, he just mislocates on some pitches at the wrong time," Little said. "He wasn't really beat up out there. We feel like he's going to get it going and it could be starting the next time out."

Not that my comment here is worth the time it took to make it, but because it represents a different thought. I would have left Tomko in and I would have let Peirre hit.

I suppose the smart thing to do was let Saenz hit because that keeps him involved and a homerun wins the game. If Peirre prolongs the inning the result could have been an extra inning game with the bullpen spent when the game goes to extra innings.

Did anyone else hear Vin call Loney "loony" last night?

Another random question:

I am preparing for the English CSET in September. Any advice or pointers on the best study methods/guides?

Thanks,

Kev

141 "He's a good pitcher, except when he's not like last night, the night before, and the night before that."

I also thing Tomko should be throwing many more off speed breaking pitches. A well placed 93 mph fastball, even one that is straight, is effective if hitters are not sitting on it.

Tomko needs to use his fastball as an off speed pitch and to move hitters off the plate. If I am right, Honeycut needs to step up. It might not be a case of Tomko not having confidence as much as hitters having too much confidence against him.

I guess maybe he will get his 6.00 era down to his more normal 4.60 era?

[144}
Any advice or pointers on the best study methods/guides?

Might start by not using fragmented sentences like the one above.

Did you show up at an empty temple...?

No, but I had a strong feeling I should be making waffles.

I think you have to take anything Grady says about a veteran like Tomko with a grain of salt. He's not going to bad mouth Tomko, and with the recent string of injuries, we may in fact need him (hopefully as only a mop up role). Grady isn't going to bad mouth one of his players to the media, he is a "players" manager, right?!? Let his actions do the talking, if he starts Tomko in Wolf's spot, then get mad. vr, Xei

139

it probably feels like sunday for Bob as well doesn't he get Thursdays off.

142

Saenz represented the tying run we were losing 5-2 with men at 2nd & 1st

Betemit and LaRoche may never be good everyday major leaguers but with fan favorite Nomar available to play third through next year, it gives the Dodgers and Betemit/LaRoche more time before a decision has to be made.

The temtation for Ned to make a trade has to be tempered by the projected lineup at least through 2009 with and without any trades. The Dodgers should be more than a collection of short-term players from other teams.

151
In fact, I do have today off, but I'm going into work for a retirement party. I have been entrusted with stopping at Phoenix Bakery to pick up the cake.

152 - That was my original thought and hopefully why I wanted Pierre to hit. But as I was posting the thought cmae to me that the bases were loaded and I had to rewrite my ending and admit I was wrong.

Now, I am amazed again that Saenz ws used. A homerun would have tied the game and may have forced extra innings that the Dodgers bullpen was not prepared to enter.

I find myself not matching up all that well with Grady's X's and O's.

148)

I knew someone wouldn't people to resist a snide remark. Thanks for the help.

"people" should read: be able

New post at Screen Jam.

I was surprised that Pierre was hit for, given he'd had a hot game, and given that doesn't happen very often at all, but I applauded the move then and I applaud it now. It was all on Saenz to deliver and he missed out on two hittable pitches and then didn't come through.

And I agree with Xei, I wouldn't take Grady's comments on Tomko too seriously. He's a player's manager indeed and trying to help Tomko build confidence while at the same time I guarantee you he's not happy with the way he's pitching at all. I would be stunned if he gets the call on Sunday - except that he does have a very good career record vs. the Marlins, so that would be the only reason they'd consider it imho. But the way he's pitching is what matters. I hope Houlton gets the call.

I can't believe I'm admitting this, but I actually thought Little should have left Pierre in. Don't forget that Russell Martin was on deck. Pierre, for all his faults, has a higher OBP against righties than Saenz. He gets on, and you've got Martin up as the winning run.

Now, I don't think it was inexplicable to put a home run threat up in that situation and I certainly don't want to make an issue of it. I can understand not wanting to end the game with a likely Pierre out. But if you're going to go to the trouble of starting Pierre day after day, that's not the time I personally would have chosen to pull him.

159/160

I was surprised by the substitution because Pierre seemed to be on last night. How well has Saenz done his last 10-15 at bats? He just doesn't seem to be as much as a threat this year...a little bit like Nomar.

161 Part of it has to do with Grady throwing him out there against righties, who he doesn't crush like he does lefties.

It kills me that the rotation now includes Hendrickson redux (new and unimproved!) and Houlton. I remember people saying we would never see DJ in the show again, but all it took was injuries to Wolf, Schmidt and Kuo, plus Tomko being Tomko for him to be our number 4 going into the All-Star Break. If the Dodgers would have traded Penny then we would be in sack-cloth and ashes right now. The adage that you can't have too much pitching is proving much more accurate than most baseball truisms.

163
Are you keeping busy these days...?

164 - Yeah, I am working about 60 hours a week and I have almost no time to spend on the tubes. I read DT and I sometimes get to read all of the comments, but even when I am off I feel like I should be running errands. That said, I am having a fantastic time in Boston. It is a great city.

I was more curious who would've played the outfield if the Dodgers did manage to tie the game. Is Loney the 5th outfielder? I think Abreu had just pinch hit so perhaps he would have.

163
If someone would have told me in April that in July we would have our eyes more on Buehrle and Contreras than on Texeria and Dye, I would have scoffed.

Is Penny a FA after the season? Who are the Dodgers who will be FAs after the season?

Betemit to third, Garciaparra to first, Loney to right, Kemp to center is what I think would have happened.

I am e-mailed Ken today and was like how about now. Will you admit that Loney and Kemp are upgrades?

From: Gurnick, Ken [mailto:Ken.Gurnick@mlb.com]
Sent: Wednesday, June 06, 2007 3:13 PM
To: Jason Ungar
Subject: RE: Pierre/Nomar

pierre especially and nomar to a lesser extent have done what was expected, but i'm not convinced kemp and loney would be a significant upgrade. can't imagine management pulling the plug on either right now..

While DT is the number one blog for Dodger fans it would be hard to find a better baseball blog then "The Soul of Baseball".

165
Good to hear.

170 - Yeah, he's just amazing.

169 - I don't understand his response. He can't imagine management pulling the plug on either of whom?

167 Not too many.

Kent (Team option that automatically vests after 550 PA)
Wolf (Team option)
Gonzalez
Saenz
Hendrickson (I think this is his last arbitration eligible year)
Lieberthal (Team option)
Tomko (Mutual option)
Beimel (See Hendrickson)

169
For some reason, I'd always read your name as "Jason Jaguar."

That seems quite silly now doesn't it?

This update was posted on the MLBTraderumors.com blog, re: Buehrle:
"After Kenny Williams went public with negotiations the other day, the only logical step for Jeff Berry (Mark Buehrle's agent) was to do the same. Williams had explained the gap as an 18-month period where Buehrle would lack no-trade protection. Berry now describes that as 20 months, and says his client won't budge on it. Why should he? He's already about to sign a well below-market contract. The White Sox can't have their cake and eat it too.

Furthermore, Berry confirmed that if Buehrle is traded he will certainly exercise his right to free agency after the season. He could give his new team extra consideration but he'll still hit the open market."

173. I took it to mean "either of Nomar or Pierre."

RE: the above, no way can the White Sox ask for a lot for what is now even more clearly a 3 month rental player.

If the Dodgers are going to try adding pitching depth, I hope they seek out cheaper options out there. Who, is the question...

Justin Orenduff's last 4 starts at Jacksonville:
4 wins
21.1 Innings
15 Hits
2 Earned Runs
4 walks
22 K's

Looks like he's turned the corner from his surgery.

So Penny/Lowe will both be free agents after 2008?

That will be a very important off-season for the Dodgers.

180 No, the Dodger have an option on Penny for 9.25 million dollars after 2008.

Penny/Lowe

Amazing how little credit Depo gets for acquiring two aces, and so cheaply to boot.

173
The jist of the e-mail string that I left out was that I wished that our kids would get the same opportunity to fail/succeed as the veterans and that stats show at the time that Pierre has an OBP of .298 and Nomar is hitting .270 with 1 homerun along with a .290 OBP with no one on base. I said our 1-2-3 hitters have 1 homerun and a combined on base of about .320. I said, What is your view on this? I realize they are veterans signed to 70 million dollars worth of contracts, but if those two were young players, both would have been benched along time ago and that's simply not fair, nor the way to win.

I suggested that Kemp and Loney should replace those two because of the potential long term upside. So he said that he didn't think management would pull the plug on either (Nomar and Pierre.) of them and he is not sure they are an upgrade anyways.

180 I wonder if it also means that this off-season is a very important one for the Dodgers as well. Depending on one's point of view, there might be some validity to a "win now" perspective for 2008.

I'm not talking about trading any mythical beasts -- that's an anathema -- but sorting out the tradable pieces sooner for the kind of players that can put the Dodgers over the top might be a good idea.

Some would say this is never a good idea, and I'm sympathetic to that point of view... just not sure to what extent I agree with it.

Jason Jaguar is my San Fernando Valley SAG name. lol

Evan Grant of Dallas Morning News just loves thinking about Loney. From his latest mailbag:
" From e-mail: Does James Loney's recent play make the Dodgers less interested in trading for Tex or will it mean that they are just less likely to deal him? Even if the Rangers can't get Loney, the Dodgers still have a loaded farm system.

Kevin

Evan Grant: If the Dodgers are less interested in trading Loney, then they don't have much use for Teixeira. Both play the same position. Los Angeles will have to make a decision on which guy they want more: Teixeira and his track record or Loney and his potential."

{To his credit, Grant answered a lot of questions, and seems a little more realistic in his Q&A than in his trade fantasizing}

With the Tigers up 5-2 in the fourth and a runner on first and no out, Curtis Granderson tried to sacrifice, but the ball rouled foul.

Tigers analyst Rod Allen, "Jim Leyland trying to tack on as many runs as possible here."

132
Hey thanks for the heads up.
Full Name: Jose Alfredo Dominguez
Born: 08/07/1990
Birthplace: San Pedro de Maroris, Dominican Republic

Dude just pitched 2 innings, k's 7, with 3 wild pitches so I'm assuming one of the wild pitches was on a 3rd strike which allowed him to strike out every batter he's faced. This guy is in the the GCL and not the DSL. So we have a 16 year old pitcher in the GCL? After one game I'm called him "Sid" after our own famous Sid Fernandez.

188 If he continues striking out that many guys, you can call him Sidd.

187
After Placido Polanco made an out, Gary Sheffield hit a 2-run homer, which made it easier for Brandon Inge to jog the remaining 180 feet.

189
Thanks, forgot it was "Sidd". He's a legend on the big island, No?

191 I was talking about this guy:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidd_Finch

189 Or El Cid works for me.

187
I don't get it. On one hand, Mr. Allen is paid to be a baseball announcer and analyst. On the other hand, it's as if he's unfamiliar with run expectancy matrices.

It just doesn't add up.

One definition of insanity:

Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

Little's usage of Tomko

Later Allen said, "It was a smart play, Granderson is not going to be able to hit a tough lefty like Sabathia."

Granderson was 1 for 2 prior to the sacrifice.

Tomko's MLB career stats:

April--4.49 ERA, .264 BAA
May--4.81 ERA, .279 BAA
June--5.71 ERA, .297 BAA (the worst is behind us)
July--4.07 ERA, .260 BAA (I hope Little doesn't know this)
August--4.87 ERA, .273 BAA
September--3.79 ERA, .245 BAA (strong down the stretch)
October--0.74 ERA, .165 BAA (only 24 innings total, and the regular season ends Sept. 30 this year)

The Tigers announcers have just noted that Ivan Rodriguez has picked up his fifth walk of the season.

198
I have managed to isolate his patience, and I came up with twelve.

Actually, I suppose I isolated his discipline.

Can you isolate Tomko while you're at it?

If Bud Black were Tomko's manager, Brett's only role would be to come in and IBB a guy so that the next reliever has enough time to warm up.

Rather frustrating game. We tend to concentrate on the pitching but if our hitters had come through we could have pulled this one out just as the one before. Can't win'em all. That's the way it goes sometimes.

And I know many here won't agree with me (because they feel walking the bases loaded is almost never a good idea) but I would have walked Chipper. It's just that given the year the two Jones boys are having I'd rather take my chances with Andruw.

188 Not quite. Two of the WPs occurred on the third strike, so the 6th out came on a pickoff.

197 Faces lots of callups in meaningless Sept. games? Seriously, he was bad last Sept./Oct. - 4.97, .327 .

Ken's response to : Checking back in, do u think Kemp and Loney are upgrades now?

--

they've played very well, but the team has gone backward, so obviously there are other issues that haven't been solved just because loney and kemp are playing. but they've both played well.
--

For some reason, I was convinced that today's Dodger game was a day game. I just looked at Inside The Dodgers, and was amazed that the lineup was not up yet. Well, a 7:10 start means I can watch the game at home (Scully for the whole game) rather than half-heartedly listen during the day at work (Monday for 6 innings).

206 Gurnick is my least favorite of all the Dodger beat writers. Something about his tone usually turns me off. Not that I would expect him to take the time to answer everyone's emails.

I like how he turned your question into suggesting Loney & Kemp by themselves were saviors. Maybe it's the fact that, even though Kemp & Loney are playing mostly every day, Pierre and Nomar are still in the lineup daily.

206 Backwards?

Offensively, they are doing a little better and defensively, Loney is an upgrade at 1B.

Kemp certainly adds pop down in the lineup.

Loney and Kemp don't pitch so if that was what he was addressing I agree, I think the most interesting storyline right now is what to do with Tomko? If Wolf and Kuo were healthy, I would have to believe they would be taking a long look at Meloan to replace him, but with only 2 guys with any experience in the rotation, its going to be very interesting if they cut the cord on Tomko but Grady has basically relegated him to Lance Carter, Odalis Perez and Jae Seo territory so that may be coming soon no matter who is starting for the Dodgers.

206
Has the team gone backwards or does it just seem that way because SD is playing very well? I thought I'd heard Steiner say after Tuesday's win that we had the best winning % of the season but I could have imagined it.

Last night at the Hollywood Bowl, I distinctly felt odd vibrations emanating from the east, not from the northward orchestra. Upon checking last night's boxscore, I find that this coincided with Tomko's appearance on the Dodger Stadium mound and with Matt Kemp's first-pitch GIDP with the bases-loaded, following a four-pitch walk. Thus was the force of the wailing, teeth-gnashing, and clothes-rending.

On the bright side, Hendrickson got through the first four innings on 55 pitches - with 4 hits, 3 Ks, 0 BBs - before tiring (?) in the fifth, still finishing with a K of Andruw Jones. 5 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 4 K, 0 BB should have been a good enough result in that situation.

207. The Braves head to San Diego next which is probably why it's not a day game.

210 Maybe Steiner mentioned that after Tuesday the Dodgers were 12 games over .500 for the first time all year.

210 After that win, Dodgers were 12 games over .500, a highwater mark, but the winning % was .571, not a highwater mark. It was .585 at the end of May, for example.

212 The Marlins head from SD to LA after today, and they are playing at 12:35 this afternoon. It's an ownership call, and the Padres have all of their Thursday home games during the day as businessman's specials.

206 Didn't we win four straight before this?

We seem to be pretty consistently mediocre since starting the year 13-7.

214 The .585 at the end of May extrapolates to a 94.75 win season - not mediocre. I leave rounding to the beholder.

RE: Saenz v. Pierre

It may have been a better move to let Pierre bat in the 9th rather than Saenz, but I like what the move represented. It's an acknowledgment, at least on some level, that Pierre is not someone the Dodgers want up in that situation. Pierre has missed only something like 2% of the possible playing time thus far in the season, so any type of benching (no matter how brief) is a step in the right direction.

Q & A with Kevin Baxter:

Is Kemp an option in center?

>>> I talked to some opposing players and even though Pierre's numbers may not be equal to some he has put up in the past, these opponents tell me he's still a player they fear because they don't know what he's going to do at the plate. <<<

http://tinyurl.com/2c7q2p

203 Amen! I am not usually one to second guess, but it just seemed so obvious to walker Chipper in that spot.

219
Is "Kevin Baxter" a pseudonym for "Joe Morgan"...?

Betemit is 1 for 1 with a HR against Hudson in his career -- the same 5.000 OPS against Davies that earned Betemit a start on Tuesday. Might this mean another start this evening for Wilson?

Loney is 2 for his last 17, so might he get a night off even against a righty? I'd sit Nomar, but who knows what will happen.

219 Wow, Baxter actually gave credit to Pierre for his bunt double, as if that was his intent.

221 I was thinking it was a less subtle pseudonym for this chap.
http://tinyurl.com/25pt2b
(SFW)

Also, if Betemit must have a 5.000 OPS against a pitcher to earn a start, the Dodgers need to face the following pitchers, besides Hudson and Davies:

Felix Rodriguez
Scott Schoeneweis
Brian Sikorski
Doug Slaten

If the Dodgers ever face Luke Hudson, Betemit might not earn the start with his mere 4.500 OPS (HR & 3B in 2 AB).

219 So now we get insight in setting our lineup from opposing players.

[Pierre's speed is] a valuable asset given the Dodgers' lack of power and need to manufacture runs

People like Baxter seem unable to grasp that the reason we need to manufacture runs in the first place is the lack of OBP and power. Ugh!

226 Without violating Rule 1, I echo Earl Weaver's sentiments about "team speed".

Kemp is a big part of the Dodgers' puzzle

>>> "I just didn't swing the bat that good today," he said. "I got some good pitches to hit but didn't take advantage of them. I just have to get 'em tomorrow." <<<

http://tinyurl.com/2clyqc

It's 2-1 Marlins over Padres after 3 in that "Businessman's Special." (Are businesswomen invited, too?)

217 After first twenty games: 13-7 (.650)
Next 65 games: 35-30 (.538)

We seem to be very good at going on mini losing and winning streaks, but that could just be my imagination.

228 I want to be comforted by this quote:
"For us to move a young player, it's got to be the absolute right deal," Colletti said, "and the players that are being talked about right now don't equate to the absolute right deal."

Off topic:

Mike Schmidt says Hank Aaron would have 900ish homeruns if he played in the modern, smaller ballparks. Is this true? Is there some kind of HR+ statistic that adjusts for era and parks? He also makes the point that Aaron hit his homeruns right handed, facing mostly right handed pitchers.

He also has some interesting thoughts on Barry. Its a pretty well written piece IMHO, especially for a ex-pro ballplayer.

http://tinyurl.com/2u2dj8

231 Ned has pretty much said similar to things like that for the last couple of years.

Also at the tail end of the Baxter's Q&A, he says that management believes that even if the roster remains the same, they expect to win.

230 According to B-R, the longest winning and losing streaks are four games, two occurrences of each, so it might not be your imagination running away with you.

FWIW:
Through May 31: 31-22 .585
Since: 17-15 .531

A .500 June after a good start tends to drive the chronological splits this way.

231 Where does Julio Lugo fall into this equation?

3-1 Marlins now after Hermida home run. Kim is fooling the Pads so far!

235 There wasn't any reason to think Lugo's performance would fall off a cliff like it did. Cost was essentially Joel Guzman, who may or may not become something, currently at AAA as a 3B: .261/.297/.445 15BB 77K in about 300 PAs. BTW, he's now listed 6'6", 250, still just 22 years old. Lugo's being signed away gave L.A. Boston's #1, turned into Withrow. Time will tell.

231
Learning experience.

From the Daily News, Grady on Wolf:
"He probably withheld some stuff from us so he could (keep pitching)," Little said. "He tried to battle through it. It has been a few years since he has pitchd this much. Hopefully, we'll get it taken care of, and a two-week vacation will be just what he needs."

Arguably our top RHP prospect, James McDonald has been promoted to Double-A Jacksonville.

http://tinyurl.com/2xhttt

240 That's good news! I think. Hope he continues to grow and do well while there.

Kevin Baxter says he doesn't see any advantage in benching Pierre to create full-time opportunities for Kemp and Ethier, and, in fact, believes Pierre to be a better overall option (than Ethier). This tells me all I need to know about Mr. Baxter.

240

Thanks for the link silverwidow.

Does anyone know if you need a ticket to the All-Star game to get in to see the Futures game on Sunday? I'd love to go, especially since Clayton Kershaw is on the US team.
More:
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/features/264434.html

That's good news! I think. Hope he continues to grow and do well while there.

I was surprised at 6'5 only 195 pounds.

but you probably meant grow in his baseball knowledge correct underdog?

Amazing - Kim's still in there in the 7th. Outdueling Peavy! But the first runner just got aboard...

246 Heh. I did indeed. Though it sounds like he could fill out a little bit sideways. ;-)

Drat 3-2 Fla. now. 1 out. Kim's out of there. C'mon Marlins! Give it one last burst before collapsing on the weekend.

Is there an unwritten rule that would prevent coaches from being more proactive with young players? This question occurred to me as Kemp walked up to the plate yesterday with the bases loaded. I wondered if there was some baseball protocol that stopped the 3rd base coach from calling Kemp over and reminding him of what was obvious to the rest of us:
"This pitcher just walked the first batter he faced on four pitches. Make sure he demonstrates he can at least throw ONE strike before you start swinging." Sure the youngster has already been told this. But in the heat of battle and with their desire to create a big splash they tend to forget. Of course, a veteran player such as Nomar could come up and swing at the first pitch in the same situation. But that's a different story. :-)

Florida stopped the SD rally in the 7th. It's up to Benitez & Kevin Gregg to slam the door now, but some insurance runs would be nice.

174 "Mutual option" must mean either party can exercise it and it is binding, since needing to agree is not really any different than working out a new contract. I'm guessing that Tomko exercises his - not as if he's increasing his value.

250 I had similar thoughts. Some other time this season I wondered if Grady had a take sign. Even a "player's manager" should be using it for his kids. Or is it that in an era where even banjo-hitting middle infielders grasp the bat at the knob, take signs are only for pitchers?

Tomko's option has a $1M buyout, so it is the club's choice.

174,252 Here are some details on the Tomko mutual option:

"The Dodgers must decide within five days of the end of the 2007 World Series whether to exercise a $4.5 million option for 2008. If the option is exercised, Tomko has 72 hours to reject it. If the Dodgers decline or Tomko rejects, he gets a $1 million buyout."

Hopefully the Dodgers will have a check waiting in Tomko's locker as his teammates are pouring champagne following their Game 6 World Series' clinching win over the Tigers (the battle for Kirk Gibson).

http://tinyurl.com/2acytk

Is it possible they wanted Kemp to swing at the first pitch?

Is it possible they wanted Kemp to swing at the first pitch?

Sure. It's not as if they wanted him to do That Oakland Thing.

BTW: Does anyone know whether the Pirates fans ever staged that walkout they were planning...?

Benitez is in for the Marlins against the Padres. All too typically, he walked the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the 8th. I fear the worst for Florida.

257 They tried to, but the Pirates scored like 6 runs before the walkout inning. Some people tried to walk out but were roundly booed. Supposedly some other people who had 'walked out' went back to their seats after they exercised their free speech.

256 Including yesterday, he is 9-13 when making contact on the first pitch, with 2 doubles and a home run (part of the back to back to back).

Kent option watch:

Jeff Kent needs 550 PAs in 2007 for his 2008 option of $9m to vest. Otherwise it is a club option with a $500k buyout.

Kent PAs through 85 team games: 322
On pace for: 614 PAs in 162 games

He needs 228 PAs to reach 550. Barring some significant injury (3 weeks or more), Kent is going to vest that option. I'm not convinced it would be a bad thing to have Kent back next year. Abreu is better defensively, but can he bridge enough of the offensive gap to take over the everday 2B job?

256. Is it possible they wanted Kemp to swing at the first pitch?

Not according to Grady:

>>> Kemp later scoffed at the suggestion he would have been better served to see a few pitches.

"I just saw a pitch that was good to hit, and I just missed it," he said.

Little begged to differ.

"That was really big," he said. "Just some youthful anxiety, and he got some bad results. This kid has been swinging the bat good. He was looking to make something happen, and he just looked to make it happen too quickly there." <<<

http://www.dailybreeze.com/sports/articles/8328152.html

257 They said on PTI that only 1000 people left.

I thought Lugo's compensatory pick would have been a sandwich pick--meaning #39 was Adkins?

People are making too much of that Matt Kemp at bat. If it was Jeff Kent or Luis Gonzalez no one would be talking about it.

Abreu is better defensively, but can he bridge enough of the offensive gap to take over the everday 2B job?

Only if Abreu either learns to walk, or the Dodgers get more power at 1b, LF, or 3b.

I'm not sold on the Padres. The Dodgers really should win this division. There's not much competition.

264. Lugo was a Type A free agent, so he was worth a 1st round pick and a sandwich pick this year. So we got Withrow and Adkins out of him.

I don't have as much of a problem with Kemp swinging at the first pitch. To me, it's similar to giving him the green light on a 3-0 pitch. If he gets a pitch he wants in a spot he likes, let him swing. Sure Moylan walked Nomar on four pitches, but wouldn't that make Moylan more likely to want to throw a strike? If he's wild and throws a ball, it's up to Kemp not to swing. But letting him swing in that situation is giving Kemp the trust to make a decision at the plate. If he can't recognize a hittable pitch from a non-hittable pitch, he has some big problems. (That said, I don't remember if the pitch Kemp swung at was a ball or not)

Marlins have Ex-Giant Todd Linden pinch-hitting for ex-Giant Armando Benitez. Heh. Draws a walk, 2 on, 1 out.

Still 3-2 Fla. 9th.

The latest on Ramon Martinez:

http://www.lvrj.com/sports/8317677.html

I'm interested in hearing what Nate and Canuck think of James McDonald's promotion.

Er, 2 out, that is.

Re: the Padres, I think their pitching is so solid that they remain dangerous (even if the last of their starting pitching staff is less scary). But they're quite deep on pitching. Their line-up doesn't scare me, though it seems to do some damage vs. the Dodgers for some reason. Milton Bradley's a real wild card for that team now, unfortunately. Though I'm sure he'll get hurt a few more times before the year's out.

Has anyone done research on what pitchers generally do after walking a hitter on four pitches? It seems to be assumed that the four pitches indicate "wildness", and that the pitcher is more likely than normal to continue throwing balls. But has this ever been demonstrated empirically?

For one thing, how is it known that the pitcher was trying to throw strikes when he threw four straight balls? Also, if the next hitter swings at a strike on the next pitch, it doesn't seem to make sense to criticize him for not waiting to see if the pitcher was going to be wild, given that the pitcher threw a strike on the first pitch. That's assuming that the hitter hadn't made up his mind to swing at the pitch no matter what, but instead only swung because it looked like a good pitch to hit.

271 Ha! I clicked on that story expecting a "Where are they now?" type story on the ex-Dodger pitcher. I had completely forgotten about the hopefully-soon-to-be-DFA'd Lucille II.

Kevin Gregg to face Barrett-Kouzmanoff-Cruz in the 9th.

Wow this Michael Barrett gameday photo breaks new ground in post-trade awful photoshoppery. However I don't think it comes close to usurping Ronnie Belliard as the all-time champion.

I'd rather keep Abreu at this point, but wouldn't be too traumatized if they kept Martinez over Abreu when the former is ready.

Whoa, Jose Cruz flies out to the wall to end the game.

It appears we're seeing a different LaRoche since his return from the DL:

>>> Andy LaRoche started the scoring for the 51s with a leadoff home run in the second inning, his fifth of the season. <<<

### LaRoche finished 3-for-4 for Las Vegas, ###

http://www.lvrj.com/sports/8329322.html

Yes! Padres lose, Padres lose! Huzzah. Now the Dodgers need to do their part tonight.

Benitez walked two in his one inning of work for the Marlins today, but I still owe him an apology...I apologize, Armando.

275. How soon they forget. :-)

As long as Kemp is not swinging at balls out of the strike-zone I don't have a problem with him swinging on the first pitch.

You can dissect Kemp's at bat all you want. Unfortunately, that was the second time in a critical game situation, bases loaded, no outs, Dodgers trailing, that he gounded into a double play. The other time the count was 3-1, if I recall. The thinking is, in both situations, what is the harm of taking another pitch to see how the pitchers is doing? Yes, his power is much neede, but sometimes you need plate discipline just as much.

285 Didn't he take a walk with bases loaded on Monday night?

286 Yep. He did.

285 Plate discipline isn't just about taking walks. It's the ability to recognize a pitch too. I have no problem with Kemp swinging at strikes on the first pitch, 3-0, 3-1 or whatever.

If Kemp had walked with the bases loaded, some people would have criticized him for being a coward.

In other news, I expect the Dodgers to regain a share of first place tonight, and then to go on a little run and move into sole possession of first place by a few games or so in the near future.

I see Chris Young started his 5 game suspension today, so he cannot appear in the last 4 games plus the first game when they return from the break.

Great, he wasn't scheduled to start any of these games and they can certainly work around his start when they come back. So the Padres suffer no real loss due to this suspension.

This is what happens when you allow players to appeal and then choose when to serve their suspensions and for starting pitchers it is always harder because they can always figure out way to not miss their turn.

I don't blame Young or the Padres for doing it this way but it does appear to really not play fair with the intent of the suspension.

On the other hand, we could let Kemp go through his growing pains more easily if Furcal could swing the bat like he is paid to do.

244
I'm going but a friend is hooking me up so I don't know about the connection. He said something about needing "fanfest" tickets for the futures game or that might be a separate deal altogether. If you want to try to hook up at the game my email is molokai@yahoo.com.

>>> I've written this before, but people in Cleveland called him "Herb No Score" for the obvious reason that he would sometimes go hours without giving the score of the game. <<<

When I read this on The Soul of the Baseball I immediately thought of one of our posters:

Tell Me The Score Rick Monday :-)

290 Starting pitchers should be suspended for 9 games when they are suspended so they actually have to have their start skipped. Otherwise why suspend them at all. A 5 game suspension only forces them to push there start back one day. Big deal.

Brad Penny has gone seven or more innings in each of his last five starts, giving up exactly one run in each game.

The longest such streak in LA Dodger history (7 or more IP; 1 or fewer runs allowed) is seven games, shared by Fernando Valenzuela (the first seven starts of his career!!!) in 1981 and Don Sutton spread over 1971-1972.

Three LA Dodgers have pitched six such games in a row: Don Sutton in 1976, and of course the dueling six-shutout streaks of Don Drysdale in 1968 and the second greatest #55 in Dodger history in 1988.

291
Or we could just stop dissecting each ab for any of the hitters. Seems pointless. Even the greats have had lousy at bats, it happens when you come to the plate 650 times a season and are only successful at best 40% of the time.

288 I want even more discipline than that. Ideally, good power hitters don't swing at 3-1 strikes that are on the outside black and at the knees, but they should tattoo belt-high dead red out over the plate.

Thanks Toy! :) I have a soccer game that day, think it's earlier, and then it looks like you can get tickets for Sunday's action (Futures game plus celebrity softball game) but the prices may not be worth it. I'll let ya know if I go!

295 Forgot to link the list...

http://www.bb-ref.com/pi/shareit/5A5Q

277 My personal favorite was Macier Izturis' old Expos photo, which featured a photoshopped Cesar photo.

295. I expected to see my favorite pitcher of all time, Sandy Koufax, in there somewhere. :-(

per ItD . . .

Furcal, SS
Pierre, CF
Martin, C
Kent, 2B
Gonzo, LF
Nomar, 3B
Loney, 1B
Ethier, RF
Penny, P

301 Koufax had three separate streaks of four games.

Guess you shouldn't have hit into that double play, Matt.

302 Should I laugh or cry about Kemp's not being in there? I really don't think it makes sense. HRs in two straight games, big hits, then he GIDP and he's out. He doesn't need the rest. If you need to squeeze Ethier in, just move Kemp over to... okay, I won't say it, but you all know I'm right.

296 - Amen.

I'm just assuming he's not being "benched" or punished as much as just sitting out today. I'd give good odds he'll be back in tomorrow vs. the lefty Dontrelle Willis. Yes, I'd rather have him in there than Pierre, but we know that's not gonna happen. Don't think this necessarily needs to be linked directly to that one at bat.

Hah! According to Inside Humma Kavula, this is the lineup:

Furcal ss
Martin c
Loney 1b
Kemp rf
Gonzalez lf
Kent 2b
Betemit 3b
Ethier cf
Penny p

*Note: Inside Humma Kavula is 100% wishful thinking.

305 Kemp over JP is a dead horse, so neither laugh nor cry. I'm guessing Kemp sitting vs. Hudson might have been planned; he doesn't seem like a good matchup for Kemp and his career splits are around .100 higher OPS for LHs, not tremendous, but something.

Hudson's SLG % against this season: .327

294 - I totally agree. The batter that was suspended Derek Lee gets a 5 game and even if he gets it reduced a game or two will have more of an adverse effect on a team than a starting pitcher with a "5 game" suspension. You think someone at the commissioner's office would be "hip to this loophole" but then I'd be giving "small market Bud" too much credit for being smart and progressive. Bud Selig-smart and progressive thinking? - Our newest Oxymoron for our vocabulary!;) Basically Young doesn't have to serve a suspension at all-another example of Bud and his small market minions looking after each other!!

2007 vs. RH

Betemit: .206/.353/.477/.830
Nomar: .279/.314/.340/.654

I guess for some people, the first number is the only one that matters.

Yes, Nomar sitting would have made sense, too.

Anyway, hopefully Kemp will be back in tomorrow. Maybe Gonzo will sit vs. Dontrelle, who knows.

I really thought Betemit's dong off of Hudson would have earned him the start today.

I really thought Betemit's general superiority, and particular superiority vs. RH, relative to Nomar, would have earned him the start today.

308 Inside Humma Kavula, it's too dark to read.

313314
I really didn't think at all.

Starting pitchers should be suspended for 9 games when they are suspended so they actually have to have their start skipped. Otherwise why suspend them at all. A 5 game suspension only forces them to push there start back one day. Big deal.

if anything it gives them an extra days rest & they sometimes come back even stronger i'm pretty P.O'ed at that, they really need to change the rules on that it's laughable!

315 Hah, Groucho. I just swallowed a lightbulb, just to spite you.

240- nice to hear, here's to james lighting jacksonville up.

Went to Dayton last night and saw the Loons. Kershaw really struggled with his control. I kept thinking of all the times to see him that I had picked a bad one. Then I looked up at the scoreboard when they took him out and he had pitched 4 innings, gave up only 2 hits and no runs. If that's a bad start, I can't wait to see a good one. One other thing I noticed is that he seemed to throw harder and with better control when he got into a jam. After a leadoff triple in the 1st, he got the next three without the run scoring. He also did the same after loading the bases with one out in another inning. Josh Bell didn't hang around long. He struck out looking in the 1st, then proceeded to argue his way right out of the game before ever taking the field. All in all, I saw less of him than I did Roof Man, the super hero who runs the roof at Fifth Third Field and throws t-shirts to his adoring fans. Mattingly looked good. He seems as athletic as they say and also has very good range at second. He made one great play, ranging to the SS side of 2nd, fielding the grounder and throwing to 1st across his body. He also nearly made a fantastic catch far out into CF on a bloop single. Finally, there was Thomas Giles. Can anyone tell me much about him? Is a a legitimate prospect? He had two home runs, including about a 400 foot opposite field shot. The other one was no cheapie either. He looks a little small, but seems to generate alot of power. Last but not least, the fireworks were excellent. After almost 4 hours of listening to me tell them about these guys they had never heard of, my wife and two daughters were happy to just see the fireworks.

I was half joking on my 317 but they should seriously change the rules on that, as somebody else mentioned Derrek Lee & the Cubs are gonna suffer a whole lot more than Chris Young it just doesn't sound fair at all.

I am glad McDonald got promoted to the Southern League. I am eager to see if he can lower his ERA and his HR rate in a league that isn't as inhospitable to flyball pitchers as the California League.

I also wonder how this affects Jacksonville's rotation. Orenduff, Cyr, Megrew, Hammes, and Norrito have been pretty formidable. One of them might have been promoted to Vegas, and with how well he has done lately, it could be Orenduff.

322-Canuck, they just promoted Cyr to Vegas.

So who replaced McDonald at Inland?

Oh man, is anyone watching the US-Columbia (meaningless) Copa game? All heck just broke loose after the Columbian goalie got carded for delaying the game, for - seriously - faking that he needed to adjust his shoe. For a minute.

322 Holten and Stultz got promoted. Kuo got DL'd. Yeah, I think there's room in Vegas.

As for Kemp. Since being promoted he's never been an everyday guy. Management doesn't want Ethier rotting away. Furcal, Pierre, Gonzo, and Martin appear to be the only real everyday players on this team.

320 I checked Giles' age when I saw his HR's. He was born in 83, which I think makes him a little on the old side for being in Single A.

327 Just drafted out of college last year though. So that makes it a little better.

So I just moved back to LA after 10 years in Northern California, and I'm going to my first Dodger game of the year tonight. I'm coming from Los Feliz and was planning on taking Sunset over to the park. Does anyone have any better ideas? What's the easiest gate to get into?

323. 322-Canuck, they just promoted Cyr to Vegas.

And he's starting for the 51's tonight in Tucson.

329 Sunset is probably a decent bet. I don't live in the area but traffic was light when I headed in via Beverly to Sunset on Tuesday. Might be a similar story today.

NPUT