i think they were playing the cubs, but darren driefort has to hit the furthest HR by a dodger pitcher

Could Dreifort have been our Rick Ankeil*

8/14/62 -- Johnny Podres becomes the ultimate bad-luck pitcher?

8 innings, 8 hits, 2 runs (both earned), one walk, four Ks. Oh, and hits a home run. And loses, 2-1.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT196208140.shtml

RHP Eduardo Sierra was signed to a minor league deal (no spring training invite). (D. Leung)

I guess my recollection of Orel being a good hitter doesn't mean he hit any homers...

Hideo Nomo was the prototypical home-run hitting pitcher: every time he swings and misses, it looked like he was a fourth grader at the plate. But then he connects, still looking a little off, but he hits it a long way...

Even worse -- July 6, '77:

Rick Rhoden pitches 10 innings, 7 hits, 1 run (earned), one walk, 6 Ks, one HR allowed, one HR hit.

The Dodgers lose, 2-1, on a 14th inning HR by Jose Cruz the Elder.

Having come from Chicago, Sutcliffe was the most powerful hitting pitcher I saw. He hit a homer in a playoff game that left the stadium, a 13-0 complete game victory in 1984.

Kerry Wood hit one in 2003 in game 7. Not that it mattered in the outcome.

Maddux was always dangerous with the bat too, but not much power. Zambrano can hit them out.

I guess my recollection of Orel being a good hitter doesn't mean he hit any homers

Hard to hit homers on swinging bunt choppers over third base.

Ken Gurnick reads Baseball Prospectus:

http://tinyurl.com/2qqkg9

Also, Gurnick writes, "The likely replacement for Valdez as the insurance policy (for Abreu and Hu) is non-roster invitee Angel Chavez, who was originally signed by the Giants and then was in the Yankees' farm system, giving him ties to both general manager Ned Colletti and new manager Joe Torre.

Chavez is 26. Here are his numbers.

Orel hit a few. He was a good hitter. For a pitcher that is.

Penny's breakout year last year with the bat took me by surprise. I simply don't remember that being part of his game.

Broxton should be the next relief pitcher to hit a homer for the Dodgers, should he ever get to bat.

I remember Dreifort's 2 HR game very well. They were absolutely crushed, especially the second one. Other memorable ones for me are Kuo's, and Guillermo Mota's because I was in attendance at that game at Coors Field.

Mota's was during a day game at Coors and the Dodgers were already winning in a blowout.

9 - Oops - left the last line off:

http://minors.baseball-reference.com/players.cgi?pid=2654

I always thought Dreifort could've been a great hitter. I remember watching him in the college world series just crushing the ball.

I am new to the blog, Dodger fan since about 1954 or so. I think they forgot the best hitter/pitcher of all time for the Dodgers. Don Newcombe hit around 15 and life time in the .270s. He was used many times as a pinch hitter, I think.

Has Rich Donnelly landed anywhere?
-- Charles V., Las Vegas

Donnelly, the Dodgers' third-base coach the last two years, has been hired by the Pittsburgh Pirates to serve as a Minor League supervisor.

As if the Pirates didn't have enough trouble scoring runs.

The problem with Dreifort was that he was the Dave Kingman of pitchers. Tons of strikeouts, no walks, and the occasional homer. He was sort of the polar opposite of 2007 Brad Penny.

15 - My list just has homers hit in Los Angeles.

9 I can't say I have any baseball recollection of Angel Chavez. Maybe he'll help us keep the Panamanian pipeline going now that Saenz is elsewhere.

Newcombe isn't on the list because he never homered for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was, however, a heck of a hitter. He appeared as either a pinch hitter or pinch runner a total of 108 times. He wasn't the world's greatest pinch hitter, however, going only .226/.388/.264 with no homers in 67 PAs. (Those stats only cover the latter part of his career, however.)

wish i could remember odalis' HR becuase i always wanted to puke when he would give up a long ball and throw his hands up in the air after contact. wonder what his reaction was to being on the other side of the gopher ball

10 Orel hit a few

Hershiser had zero lifetime HR.

15
The list linked above is for LA Dodgers only. But, wow, I looked up Newcombe, and he had an amazing 67 PA as a PH in just the last 5 years of his career (1956 is the first season of full game by game data).

I'm really slow.

Don Drysdale held the record for fastest L.A. Dodger to five home runs until Kemp and Marlon Anderson passed him in 2006.

20 Newcombe career: .271 / .338 / .367 / 85 OPS+. 15 HRs, 11 of those as a Brooklyn Dodger.

I saw Hideo hit his on 4-28-98. It was the only time I went to a dodger game by myself.

He pitched a heck of a game to if I remember right.

I think he came out for a curtain call after the homer.

Odalis' HR was very memorable because it made him one of a very small number of pitchers (maybe 5?) who have ever homered, pitched a shutout, and won the game 1-0.

(As I now realize Jon noted above.)

24
That is almost as amazing as his 1965 offensive season. Not having been around during that season I remember the 1st time I did a VORP check at BP and found that the Big D had the 3rd highest VORP on the team in only 138 plate appearances. Mind boggling.

I believe Drysdale and Newcombe still hold the NL single-season record for homers by a pitcher (7), although thin-air Mike Hampton tied them. Which is weird because Hampton, although always a tremendous hitting pitcher, was more of a hitter for average. He didn't hit for power except that one year.

Again with the bearing down.

Dodgers scouts report that Kuroda has the kind of competitiveness that's comparable to current closer Takashi Saito -- that they both bear down in tough situations.

Also, and I guess people maybe know this already, but the best batting average on the 1955 world championship team belonged to Newcombe, and the best average on the 1965 world championship team belonged to Drysdale. In fact, Drysdale was the best offensive player on that team by a significant margin.

If you ever find yourself playing Strat-O-Matic with the 1965 Dodgers, make sure that when Drysdale isn't pitching, you bat him cleanup and play him at first base. Trust me, it works.

27
I knew the game wasn't 1-0, but I immediately thought of Rick Wise. He had the greatest individual day in MLB history on 6/23/71:

-Hit 2 HR
-Drove in 3 runs (Roger Freed selfishly had another RBI!)
-Oh yeah, pitched a no-hitter

http://tinyurl.com/36gyy8

Orel is the LA Dodger career leader among pitchers for doubles, 26, besting Drysdale by one. His .240 OBP is second to Sutcliffe (.246), if PAs are restricted to 100 or more.

32
Not often you can have the greatest day in MLB history and also be the bad player in one of the worse trades in ML history.

31 When did Strat-O-Matic start customizing the pitcher's hitting cards? When I played in the 80s, it was still a generic pitcher's batting card, I think.

FTOG's brief Dodger career consisted of a .333/.385/.417 line, but no homers.

I was thinking Drieffort maybe should have been a hitter, but then I realized it wasn't just his arm that fell off--it was every thing.

I remember watching Drysdale hit. It is strange to think, but he may have been wasted as a pitcher. Of course, good pitchers are hard to find.

Well, I was in the park for Schmidt's homer on Opening Day last year, and for Odalis' in 2002. I also, FWIW (nothing), have Rick Sutcliffe's last autograph as a Dodger. Rick Rhoden is a heck of a golfer, though I'm not sure if he relies on the long ball.

35 It's a generic card, but it's a #8, which is the best generic card there is. Those #8 pitchers are like genuine middle-of-the-order hitters. (Especially when contrasted with the rest of the 1965 Dodgers lineup. I mean, a starting third baseman with a 38 OPS+? Really?)

From Jon's list I sure hope that Kuo and Schmidt have a chance to add to their current total of 1.

21 -

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN200208280.shtml

I was there for that one. One of my favorite games I personally attended at Dodger Stadium.

40 I suppose it's a bad sign that when you combine "Kuo" and "Schmidt" you get "quit."

40- shh don't jinx it

http://tinyurl.com/2oam54

Dodgers cleared in stadium assault.

43 C'mon, it's not like he said that Kuo or Schmidt was having an interesting game.

44 Not saying that the Dodgers could have done anything about that mess, but...

...I thought it was weird that the Dodgers held the assailant for a short time after the game, and yet, the assailant found the victim in the parking lot. I've looked for people in the Stadium parking lot and only succeeded through the miracle of cell phones.

So what's going on here? Did the victim wait for the assailant, hoping for a confrontation? Did the Dodgers fail to hold the assailant long enough to prevent a confrontation?

Just questions. Not implying anything except that something weird happened that day.

42
Better than combining Rafael Furcal and John Kruk, I guess. :)

39 Ah, I'd forgotten that one of the generic pitcher's cards could be that good. John Kennedy, though, was not the starting 3B; B-R gamelog show that he was a very frequent defensive replacement. '65 was the famous all switch-hitting infield of Parker, Lefebvre, Gilliam (77 starts at 3B led the team), and Wills. Good thing the team ERA+ was 117. (Koufax, Drysdale and Osteen pitched 63% of the innings!)

Reading Gurnick's mailbag, it looks like he's confident that the Dodgers want Abreu to be the team's utility infielder in 2008. I don't like that for two reasons: (1) I think it would be better for Abreu's development to have him playing everyday in Vegas prior to taking over for Kent in 2009, and (2) it is wasting pre-agency service time to have a player viewed as a career regular spend a year as a bench player. What are other people's thoughts on this issue?

Subject Change - Off topic but I value alot of the baseball knowledge of people on this forum . This is a stratomatic keeper league question. I have Josh Beckett and am looking to trade him . Two competing offers, which would you accept?

#1 -Matt Kemp, Adam Wainright, Andy Laroche, and a draft pick which may become Kelly Johnson

Or
#2 - Howie Kendrick or Ricky Weeks, Cameryn Maybin or Jay Bruce, John Garland, and Zack Grienke.

If this is not an appropriate place for this question than just let me know and I will ony comment when appropriate. Thanks

I think the A's have done a real nice job this offseason. Should be a solid team once they get the new stadium.

Traded:

RHP Dan Haren
OF Nick Swisher
OF Mark Kotsay

Received:

OF Carlos Gonzalez
OF Aaron Cunningham
1B Chris Carter
LHP Brett Anderson
LHP Dana Eveland
LHP Greg Smith
LHP Gio Gonzalez
RHP Fautino De Los Santos
OF Ryan Sweeney
LHP Joey Devine

49 - If Abreu helps the Dodgers win this year, and if his development isn't completely stunted - i.e., I feel there are some benefits to watching as a major-leaguer even if you're not playing every day - I want him on the team.

I think Abreu would get his at-bats. He could give Kent more rest, especially now that Kent needn't be relied upon to be the cleanup hitter. To me, this is what the early-70s Dodgers would do.

49 - you say that as though Jeff Kent won't spend extended periods of time on the DL.

Even if he didn't, plenty of careers got their start despite having one guy or another on the 25-man playing ahead of them.

I'd put the over/under on Tony Abreu 2008 major league PA at 200. And I'd take the over.

I'm OK with Abreu being with the big club all season.

49 I agree.

51 I really don't like the Haren trade. I think if you trade a certain grade of player, you need to get at least that level of prospect in return. I put Haren at an A- player, and I don't consider anyone the A's got in that deal any better than a B prospect.

49 I strongly disagree.

I think Abreu could easily get 250 PA -- which is only 150 or 200 fewer than he'd get in Las Vegas. If we're talking about him developing as a hitter, I would think 250 major league PA can help you develop at least as well as 450 PA in AAA at altitude.

Not only that, but think of the tremendous upgrade, both offensively and defensively, that Abreu represents over whatever utlity guy would take his place. He gives you plus defense at three infield positions and much better offense than can normally be expected of a utility guy. Not to mention the valuable late-innings-close-game defensive subbing for Kent. In the short term he makes the 2008 Dodgers a much better team, and in the long term he will probably learn at least as much as he would in the minors.

I like the move a lot; the only downside I see is the service time issue, but for a team with the financial resources of the Dodgers that's probably a pretty minor issue. If we want to keep him six years from now, we will be able to regardless.

53 -- If Kent goes on the DL, you just call Abreu up. And yes, plenty of MLB regulars started out on the bench, but I wonder how many guys who started out on the bench transitioned to being MLB regulars? The Dodgers envision Abreu as Kent's replacement NOW, but if Abreu proves to be one of those talented players who just can't hit coming off the bench, might invalid inferences be drawn about his ability to hit as a regular? And maybe I wouldn't be quite so concerned if Abreu had already spent a full year in Vegas, or if I considered Abreu a finished product with nothing to work on in the minors (we all know he could stand to be more selective at the plate, though it is unknown if that is something Abreu is amenable to changing).

The front of Dodgers.com right now has a press conference picture of Johnny Podres with Sandy Koufax. Man, Sandy still looks good, even at 70-ish.

I agree with Eric and Jon on this one. I mean, Loney had nothing left to prove in Vegas and yet the Dodgers sent him down to start the year, which took him a little while to get out of psychologically. Yes, it's different because the Dodgers essentially had an opening at first (or should have, right then, had they figured out sooner that Nomar needed to move to third or to the bench), while Kent is the guy for one more year, but as noted above, he's going to need rest, more than usually, presuming he doesn't get hurt, and Abreu can also start at third to fill in for whoever wins that job. I don't picture him sitting a lot, and don't see what he gains sitting in Vegas. The major league service argument is a fair one, but I don't think it overrides the rest.

57 - Pedro Martinez started his career in relief. I don't see this as an issue.

being in Vegas, that is, not sitting. Whatever sits in Vegas stays in Vegas.

I also don't want Angel Chavez coming in even in emergencies.

Sigh, the Juice is just one big running rule 5 violation isn't it? Heh.

57 "I wonder how many guys who started out on the bench transitioned to being MLB regulars?"

Very, very many.

Among them Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Harmon Killebrew, Mel Ott, Albert Belle, Brian Giles, Lance Berkman, Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, Carlos Delgado, Jorge Posada, and Jermaine Dye.

I don't remember when Gagné hit his homer, but from everything I remember of him hitting wasn't exactly his fourtay (sp?)

Ideally you'd want Etanislao playing everyday down in Vegas but he does have a great glove, bat & he plays multiple positions so I think the Dodgers would be nuts not using him as utility/fill in player for now.

I haven't heard anything about Hu so I'm guessing he'll start in Las Vegas.

49 Canuck;
I think I have already mentioned this, but I am one who would like to see both Abreu and Hu in LA all this year. I know both sides of the argument but I think they would benefit from a ML environment and supply two fine utility men. To think Hu couldn't play any position but catcher with his arm is ridiculous. Also, I think Hu is a year older than Abreu, and in most organizations would be playing. To worry about 6 months of service time in an organization that has paid Schmidt, Pierre, Driefort, Perez and Nomar seems crass.

67
I agree with you about the service time issue regarding Abreu, but only because that cost is outweighed by his ability to help the Dodgers in 2008. He's likely to get 200 or more PA in MLB, so there's value there.

With Hu, I just don't think there's enough playing time for him to justify a spot on the roster, unless of course Furcal and Kent get hurt for an extended period. For Hu, the 450 PA in AAA is more valuable than the 50-100 PA he's likely to get in MLB given the current roster.

Right now the bench appears to be:
1) Ethier/Pierre (OF)
2) LaRoche/Nomar (3B/1B)
3) Abreu (2B/SS/3B)
4) Bennett (C)
5) Young (LF/RF/2B) or Repko (OF)

I think a case can be made for having both Young and Repko on the roster, especially given Young's value as a PH and perhaps not needing 12 pitchers in April. I would prefer only using 11 pitcher roster spots all season, but I know that's unlikely.

Has a team ever had two different pitchers homer in the same game? If so, when is the last time?

Jon -- anyone turn you on to Posnanski's latest?

69
I found one game:

8/20/61 - Jack Kralick & Al Schroll each homered for the Twins against the expansion Angels in a 9-7 win.

http://tinyurl.com/2vgj8n

Darren Holmes and Carlos Perez each had home runs in the 4/13/1997 MON at COL game, but they weren't on the same team. Marvin Freeman and Kevin Foster did the same thing 5/23/1995 in CHI at COL. Fernando and Kevin Gross each hit home runs 5/14/1990 at Dodger Stadium, but that was before Gross became a Dodger.

Refreshing, I see Eric Stephen is too fast for me.

70 - His blog? I read it.

Yeah -- Gutt/Hanks. Seemed right in your wheelhouse.

68 Eric--I hear your point, but I don't think most teams get by with only one utility infielder. Young and Repko could possibly serve, but what the heck, why not Hu. If he gets no AB's, OK back to Vegas.
I want to hear Hu's on first!

My typical reaction to Joe's writing is simply jealousy.

75 -- Surely Scully said "Hu's on first!" at some point during Hu's call up last season? I just wish that Hu, instead of having the first name that he has, had the same first name as that pitcher in Japan we heard about recently, Yu Darvish.

Yoo-hoo Pure bliss

Good night all. East coast you know.

69 Thanks, I assumed it must be pretty rare.

When I read Joe's blog I see a guy who must have felt constrained all those years as a newspaper writer and is just hog wild happy to be a blogger where he can write about anything he damn well pleases and we get to benefit.

49
I'd much rather have Abreu on the big team. Sure he could use work on plate discipline but this team will need him now.

76 My usual reaction is, gee, this guy writes a lot like Jon Weisman.

At times, I further think something along the lines of "after a glass or two of champagne".

Posnanski's blog is an absolute must read. I hope everybody around these parts reads it.

Nice OT win. I had to turn the TV off after the end of regulation, as I had to pull out all the stops in regards to jinxing the Lakers to win.
vr, Xei

... and better yet, the Lakers, Suns and Spurs all now in a virtual tie for the #1 seed in the Western Conference. The upcoming game against the team from the Arizona area could be an interesting affair.
vr, Xei

76 I don't even get paid to write and I'm jealous of him.

I hope he never leaves the written pages for pot of gold on TV.

Kobe should not be jacking up 44 shots. Then again, Odom took 15 and only made 3. There's no excuse for giving up 115 points in regulation.

But, I guess it takes time to learn how to play without the 2nd best guy on the team. Hopefully they can figure things out soon. The still ought to be better than last year's Lakers (given Fish, Farmar, Ariza, no B-Cook), even without Bynum.

Why is everybody going to bed? It's early. And my train doesn't get to Prague for another five hours.

I really should have brought food with me. I do have an apple somewhere.

I'm here for you, Bob. Did you hear about Joakim Noah (or whatever his name is)? I thought of you when I read the story.

Poor Joakim.... He's just misunderstood.

A long stop allowed me the chance to get a Coke. I don't know if German coke is made with corn syrup.

I do see sugar as an ingredient.

But what about Sauerungsmittel Phosphorsaure?

Amazing that the Lakers are tied for the best record in the West. Course, that won't last with Bynum going down. But still.

Guten Tag Herr BT. You must be in Prague now.

Somehow, I'm not nearly so worried about Abreu accumulating service time on the bench as I was with Kemp and Loney. Abreu, I don't think, has the same upside as the other two. Six years from now, he will be much easier to replace (and we will need to replace him since Boras clients almost always hit the market) than Kemp or Loney. That's my prediction anyway. With future all-stars, you worry about service time. With future major league regulars, you don't necessarily.

Anyone want Chris Shelton as a RH bat off the bench?

95 I like him as a player, but I don't think he fits with the team when Nomar is here. We only have one arguably open spot on the bench, and it needs to go to someone who can play shortstop.

96 I agree, but I also don't think Colletti is done [is he ever?]. Shelton would fit as a legit power threat off the bench--of course, adding him would result in a rethinking of our current bench.

it needs to go to someone who can play shortstop

i.e. Royce Clayton or journeyman with generic Latino name.

97. don't know much about Lindsay, but it sounds like we already have Chris Shelton with John Lindsay, a career minor leaguer with some pop

98 Pretty much.

I just looked at Shelton's numbers last year and he was pretty much Jack Cust without any power. (.269/.381/.420, 83 BB, 141 K). He's worth a minor league contract at best right now.