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About Jon
Thank You For Not ...

1) using profanity or any euphemisms for profanity
2) personally attacking other commenters
3) baiting other commenters
4) arguing for the sake of arguing
5) discussing politics
6) using hyperbole when something less will suffice
7) using sarcasm in a way that can be misinterpreted negatively
8) making the same point over and over again
9) typing "no-hitter" or "perfect game" to describe either in progress
10) being annoyed by the existence of this list
11) commenting under the obvious influence
12) claiming your opinion isn't allowed when it's just being disagreed with

One Flew Over the Dodger's Nest
2003-06-26 08:24
by Jon Weisman

Staying one step ahead of the men in the white coats...

The Dodgers have all the hitting they need.

Oh, crap - they're on me. Kick it into gear, man.

Against left-handed pitching! Against left-handed pitching!

They don't look appeased. Make your case.

.283 average, .342 OBP, .448 slugging, .789 OPS against southpaws.

They're not saying anything. But why are they circling around me?

The Dodgers' OPS against lefties is seventh in the league.

They're scratching their heads. They're flummoxed.

OPSeses vs. lefties
Mike Kinkade: 1.308
Brian Jordan: 1.131
Ron Coomer: .987
Shawn Green: .823
Paul Lo Duca: .816
Alex Cora: .808
Adrian Beltre: .772
Jolbert Cabrera: .759
Dave Roberts: .717
Cesar Izturis: .643
Fred McGriff: .561

Uh oh - they think I've gone bi-polar. Why did I have to mention McGriff? Think fast.

Kinkade plays first instead of McGriff. If Jordan's injured, you can even play Coomer at first with Kinkade in left.

No questioning that logic. I must be sane. Now, go for true enlightenment.

Cora should start against lefties, Cabrera against righties.

...???...

Cora should start against lefties, Cabrera against righties.

"Get him!!!!"

Aaaaaahhhh!!!!!!

And ... scene.

The point of this little play has been to dramatize the revelation I had Wednesday night in watching the Dodgers improve to 15-4 against left-handed starters.

1a) Against lefties, Lo Duca, Green, Jordan, Kinkade and Beltre can put the bat on the ball.

1b) Against lefties, though it's a small sample, Cora is hitting decently.

1c) Against lefties, the Dodgers don't need to sacrifice defense at second base for the offensive boost of a Cabrera.

2a) Against righties, only three players have OPSeses over .700: Cabrera, Lo Duca and McGriff. Green is at .699.

2b) Against righties, Cabrera hits better than he does against lefties: .893 vs. .759.

2c) Against righties, the Dodgers do need to sacrifice at second base for the offensive boost of a Cabrera.

It's counterintuitive, but the Dodgers should consider playing Cabrera and Cora against same-sided pitchers.

And a minimum, if the Dodgers pursue a trade, they'd better make sure that whomever they acquire can rake righties.

The Funnies
Wednesday's game brought two of the funniest moments of the season. After Green and, of course, Kinkade were hit by pitches (Kinkade has 10 HBP this season in 107 plate appearances) Green jokingly pantomimed a threat to former teammate Marquis Grissom that the Dodgers were going to retaliate against him. Standing at second base, Green did a full windup and pitch, then went into a stance and smacked himself in the helmet. I know Green hasn't brought us much to smile about this year - for that matter, he hardly seems to smile himself - but that was truly amusing.

An inning later, Giants pitcher Damian Moss was called for a balk by Tuesday night's Dodger antagonist, Angel Hernandez. The cameras immediately cut to Felipe Alou and Odalis Perez in their respective dugouts - both were laughing and shaking their heads, scoffily. Angel, we won't soon forget ye.

That's Not All from Angel
In the second inning, Hernandez called strikes on two ball-three pitches that looked very high, in Lo Duca's case, and outside, in Rich Aurilia's case. It occurred to me how much the Dodgers must benefit from a wide strike zone. Obviously, the Dodger pitchers will take it - but since the Dodger hitters are hacking anyway (29th in MLB in walks), I bet it hardly hurts them at all.

Rear-View Mirror
While the Dodgers play the Angels and the Giants play the A's this weekend, red-hot Arizona plays Detroit. Don't be surprised if you wake up Monday morning to see this:

San Francisco 47-33 --
Los Angeles 47-33 --
Arizona 44-36 3 GB

Oroscopy
Ex-Dodger Jesse Orosco's ERA has ballooned to 8.57 in San Diego. Orosco, now 46, still strikes out hitters - he has 20 in 21 innings. However, he has faced too many right-handed batters as part of the struggling Padres' staff - nearly half of his total batters faced. Righties are basing .510 against him; lefties are only at .308.

Is This What Happened to Daryle Ward on Tuesday?
Perhaps he has a sweet tooth.

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