Its an MLB.com and Dodgers conspiracy. By partnering Monday and Downing on the radio, they are forcing fans to shell out for a cable or internet TV package and follow the game on mute.

I've complqined to my wife for years about how rarely Rick Monday tells you the score. Sometimes he even forgets to mention it at the end of an inning! Quite maddening.

Unrelated, but a great opening sentence by Steve Henson in his Dodger Report:

"Right-hander Scott Erickson seems to have left his best stuff in a Y2K shelter with the canned goods and distilled water."

I'm looking forward to Gameday Audio and much slacking at my desk today...

Yeah Oz,
I'm right there with you. I might as well have not gone into work today with as little as I'm going to get done!

I agree with #1.

Not to slam to of our own, but in regards to Monday and Downing in the booth, I have never been a fan of either one. Downing is kind of dry and Monday gives out wrong information. We should have a contest regarding Monday. How many times will he say something, then immediately say something like, "scratch that."

I was a Ross fan. Wish he was back.

BC

Random Dodger game callback

May 12, 1973

In front of 14.758 at Candlestick Park, Bobby Bonds came home on a throwing error by Dodgers second baseman Davey Lopes on a grounder by Ed Goodson to give the Giants a 5-4 win and drop the fourth place Dodgers 5 ½ games behind the first place Giants.

It was a seesaw game and neither starter, Don Sutton or Jim Willoughby, got the decision. The Giants took an early 2-0 lead in the second on a home run by Willie McCovey and an RBI single from Dave Rader. The Dodgers tied the game in the third on a sac fly from Lopes and an RBI single from Bill Buckner. But the Giants went ahead again in the third when Bonds singled, stole second, went to third on an overthrow from Joe Ferguson and scored on a Tito Fuentes double.

The Dodgers took the lead in the 6th on a sac fly from Willie Davis and an RBI single from Ferguson. But the Giants tied the game again in the 7th when Goodson hit a sac fly off of reliever Pete Richert. The Dodgers had a chance to go back ahead in the 8th when they got runners on 1st and 3rd against reliever Elias Sosa, but Sam McDowell and Randy Moffitt retired Steve Garvey and Ron Cey to end the threat.

In the 9th, Bonds led off against George Culver with a double and was sacrificed over to third by Fuentes. After an intentional walk to Chris Speier, Dodger manager Walter Alston opted to bring in Doug Rau. (Relief ace Jim Brewer was not available for some reason.) Rau intentionally walked McCovey to load the bases. Goodson hit a grounder to second that Lopes tried to turn into a DP, but his throw sailed past Bill Russell to end the game.

In a few months, Alston would change the lineup around. Buckner moved to the outfield and Garvey, a failure at third and in the outfield, took over at first base. And starting in July, Dodger fans would see an infield of Garvey, Lopes, Russell, and Cey. That would last through the 1981 season.

But in 1973, the Dodgers weren't quite ready yet. They finished 95-66, 3 ½ games behind first place Cincinnati (and 13 games better than the eventual NL champion Mets). The Giants hot start quickly dissipated. Perhaps the Dodgers would be better if they had more power in the outfield. Someone other than Willie Davis. And maybe a more durable reliever than Brewer. That's it!

Three future Dodgers played for the Giants that day: Goodson, Sosa, and Gary Thomasson. All three are faintly etched in the memory banks of Dodger fans. Very faintly.
Thanks to the New York Times, BaseballReference.com and Retrosheet

Anyone know what Ross is doing these days?

Just last night, my wife and I got in the car around 7:30. She doesn't really pay attention to games on the radio, and after about ten minutes she asked, "What's the score?" I said, "Well, Monday's broadcasting, so I have no idea." This despite there having been a scoring play during the time the radio was on.

About 10 minutes later, she asked, "What inning is it?" Again, no clue.

My point - its funny that you should bring this up today.

Anc -

Great. Now there are two people on this 'DT' train whose handle starts with a definite article.

I'm not sure that Dodger Thoughts is big enough for the both of us... :)

I still can't get over Steve Lyons' dubbing Joe Buck as the "who's better than?" best PBP announcer. I actually heard him say it "live" yesterday during the replay on FSN2 and he amended the statement to say that Vin is one of the "original baseball announcers," but then continued to heap further praise upon Joe Buck.

I H-A-T-E Steve Lyons. Hate.

There, that's off my chest.

I had the misfortune of listening to the game in the car last night - did St. Louis win?

Oz,
I'm new and don't want to ruffle any feathers, maybe El Anc would be better? :)

It's been said on another thread, but Brad Penny gets a lot of respect for his handling of questions about the team defense last night. It wasn't Choi who threw that 0-2 pitch to Suppan.

As Jim Tracy would put it: Would it bother me if Erickson got shelled in his next(last) start, if the outcome was the same as Tuesday? Are you going to throw a spear at somebody who can't get anyone out, then blames the rest of the team? Yes.

Re the 1973 Dodger callback; Ed Goodson was the Jim Eisenreich of the 70's. Goodson always seemed to hit the Dodgers well, but once they got him completely fell apart.

Line-ups posted. Robles starting at 2B in 2 hole. Choi batting 5th. Ledee in LF, Edwards at 3B and Bako behind the plate along with usual suspects.

I want to see what Oscar can do but would rather give Kent 4 ABs to try to capture the series split.

I don't think Ed Goodson hit all that well against anybody.

I think of him as more as a Jason Grabowski type.

Except he could allegedly play third base. The Dodgers picked him up in a trade with Atlanta. The Dodgers got Goodson and Dusty Baker and gave up Jim Wynn, Tom Paciorek, Lee Lacy, and Jerry Royster.

Can you imagine how Plachke would react to that trade today?
"Jim Wynn was the heart and soul of the 1974 Dodgers. Dusty Baker is an outfielder with more potential than actual ability.

Trader Al Campanis has shown that he has no loyalty to the kids who came up through the system in Paciorek, Lacy, and Royster. The Dodgers will never win anything with Dusty Baker playing left field."

And Baker batted .242 with 4 HRs in his first year in L.A.

The lineup:
Izzy, SS
Robles, 2B
Drew, RF
Bradley, CF
Choi, 1B
Ledee, LF
Edwards, 3B
Bako, C
Lowe, P

Kent and Phillips get the day off today

I think Kent needs a day off.

We ended up getting Lacy and Royster back somehow didn't we?

I think Kent needs a day off.

I agree. They want him rested before the series with the Braves.

Kent needs the rest, so does Izzy. I'd play Phillips though. I hate Bako

Concur with Franklin that the Downing/Monday duo is the worst of the bunch. Ernie Harwell used an egg timer to remind himself to give out the score. Maybe we should chip in and get Monday one, engraved "Courtesy of Dodger Thoughts".

Tracy almost always gives the catcher the day off when there's a night game followed by a day game. Izzy was one of our hot hitters last night, and he's 12 years younger than Kent. If you rest both Kent and Izzy, who plays SS?

Robles was 0-for-4 in his other start with 4 LOB.

He is horrible, the worst player ever, I can tell already after 5 ABs, that's a big enough sample size to tell. Stupid DePodesta should never have gotten Valentin hurt and he should never have gotten rid of Steve Sax. The team hasn't been the same since then, they haven't won the World Series since Steve Sax was their 2B.

Sorry, unreasonable rant over.

I can't believe Downing has a job. He is the absolute worst. I actually feel sorry for Monday that he has to work with him, and I don't like Monday (I think there's a song title like that, we should send it to him).

I've heard Rick cue Al for a response during conversations a few times already and get dead air back. It's embarrasing.

Also, to rag on Monday, I hate it when he's attempting to tell a story and you can here the pitch hit the catcher's mitt. But it's another 10 seconds before he calls the pitch.

Reporting from Japan. It`s 2am, I have to start getting ready for work in 6 hours, but I am listening/blogging for the long haul.

Alsi, I just had a mini scare. I tuned into KFWB on mlb audio, and quickly aborted after realizing it was Mo and Gentleman Al. As Rick blabbed on, I switched to KMOX. To my horror, Rick Monotoneday was still droning on. My first scare was thinking that the Dodgers and Cards were launching an intersectional simulcast from heck. I soon found out that Ri-Mo was being interviewed by Mike the Cannon Shannon, which brought on an even scarier thought: Two Rick Mondays?! Then I realized that the interview was tape delayed (at least I hope it is).

I will say that this is another thing Monday does - he calls two pitches in the same sentence because he's let the first one go.

"The first pitch a strike and there's a ball making the count 1-1."

21. I wasn't trying to say they should both rest at the same time, just that they both needed it. Sorry I wasn't clear.

I don't think any of the Dodgers announcers do this:
(From today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch):
HOW MAD IS HE?: City and state police raided Al Hrabosky's Ballpark Saloon late Saturday night or early Sunday morning during a "Girls Gone Wild" promotion, and reportedly hauled in at least 20 minors amid complaints of girls dancing naked on the bar and alcohol being served in tents that had not been approved for that use. Police made employees take down the tents and close the bar for the night. Hrabosky said Tuesday that he hadn't sanctioned the "Girls Gone Wild" promotion and was unhappy that it had gone on, but that he plans to continue operating the saloon, which is near Busch Stadium. By the way, patrons say the bar still has a one-way mirror, over the men's urinal, that overlooks a hallway where women wait to use the women's room.

Remember several years ago the Dodgers had that "international" rotation? Park, Nomo, Valdez, Martinez, Astacio (don't remember exactly when people started talking about this). Today they sort of have an international infield -- Korea, Mexico, Venezuela, and Goshen, NY.

I guess they've had it all year, since Valentin is from Puerto Rico and Kent is from CA, I just didn't think about it until today.

Get away game.. everyone swinging at the first or second pitch... Why not just forfeit?

Beware of Eckstein, he is the Grittiest Player of All Time!

We got him! We got Eckstein out!

A scrappy, gutty ground out by Eckstein...

How bad is the Monday?

I just had to listen to this from Mike Shannon: "The first pitch is in there for steerike one! The next pitch is grounded to short. That`s one down and 26 to go!" As bad as he is, I am choosing to listen to his cheese over KFWB.

#19, I wouldn't knock Bako. He has the Post-Season Experience Magick (TM). He's been in 17 playoff games. Phillips has been in 0! Draw your own conclusions...(kidding here; can't post sarcastic tones).

Mike Shannon is a god in St. Louis. The Cardinals fan love him. Primarily because he is from the area.

Bottom 1ST B:0 S:0 O:2
Larry Walker grounds out, pitcher Derek Lowe to shortstop Cesar Izturis to first baseman Hee-Seop Choi.

Anyone watching care to explain that one?

Nice, Monday is spouting unconfirmed rumors about Pujols and trying to make it seem as a compliment.
To paraphrase "He might be 4 years older, but that would explain why he's such a mature individual"

At what point does broadcasting incompetence become lovable? And why hasn't Monday reached that point? Perhaps you just have to be in the midwest.

words of wisdom from Big Al D... Pujols is a "mature" hitter because he grew up with his grandparents.

#36 The ball deflected off Lowe's glove, was picked up by Izzy and thrown to first.

Re #36: Ball was off Lowe's glove, and bounced straight to Izzy.

It's not so much the day off, it's Robles batting second.

Lowe went after Pujols like a man there. Yes, Weaver and Perez, I'm talking to you.

36. I'm guessing it deflected off of Lowe's glove (or ankle) to Izzy.

First-
ball deflected off of Lowe's glove.

must be a homer!

MILTON!

Milton!!

I love to see "in play, run scoring play" when there's no one on

wow! Carpenter has a no-hitter. Hope i didn't just jinx him.

vr

Xeifrank

Someone better hose down Hee Seop.

Choi singles on an 0-2 pitch.

Someone fix that man some eel.

Today's lineup looks like a split squad game in Vero two months ago. But it's great that Kent can finally get some rest.

IIRC Ed Goodson was a pretty good with the Giants for a couple of years, and for some inexplicable reason Alston really liked him. Wynn's throwing arm was shot to the point that he couldn't throw out Jason Phillips' mom trying to score, and Peter O'Malley supposedly was trying to talk Wes Parker into coming back from Japan to play CF. Even the usually docile LA press was critical of Baker after his '76 4 HR flameout.

Bob, is it true, as rumored on another thread that Joe Morgan is a SABR member? Can you initiate an impeachment process?

Is anyone watching this game? The umpire has to have the most dramatic strike call I've seen since Leslie Neilson in Naked Gun. At this point, I'm mainly watching this game just to see if he can keep it up for 9 innings.

I did not know until now that Paul Bako's name is Gabor Paul Bako II. Google led me to this "interview":

http://www.desipio.com/index.php?p=613

Pretty funny, but what were they expecting out of Paul Bako? He's a backup catcher, for goodness' sake.

Choi now up to .310

Choi can hit .400 but unless 30% of his ABs are against LHPs he will continue to be dissed by the media.

Re #53. Yep, I was just going to comment on that. It's quite annoying.

Hey, Game Cast just pulled a "Monday." It gave me the results of the Choi at-bat and the Ledee at-bat simultaneously. "Choi singles to right and there's the initial out."

That was the grittiest error I've ever seen.

I'm assuming that the Bakos are Hungarian.

We need a hit here from Gabor. I guess this might not be Eckstein's day.

Shannon's son played baseball at Cal Poly Pomona in the late 80's when I was there. I met him a couple of times. Nice guy, decent ballplayer (but obviously not that good since he was playing D II), and had a booming voice like his dad.

Nice inning so far, by the way.

Big Al D: error on Eckstein for "overhustling"... "not always in the best interest of the fielder to get behind the ball".

BAKO!!

Well, I hate Bako a little less now...

Well, I hate Bako a little less now...

Go GPBII!

Sorry for the double post.

Gabor hit that one for you, Marty.

Beat me to it.

Dodgers win expectancy currently 71.3% as Lowe comes to the plate.

vr

Xei

Eckstein again?

Gamecast is strugglin' today... did edwards score?

It's too early.

One thing to remember about Gameday (or the other apps) is that there is a human being at the other end. When a play is complex, they have to code more stuff in. It just takes longer.

Also some people are better than others.
I sent in a resume to get a gig as a Gameday operator at Dodger Stadium, but I screwed up the entry on Monster.com (you had to use that) and I couldn't go back and change it, so I never heard from the Dodgers.

How did that play happen? Why was Eckstein throwing the ball on a play at 3rd? Was it a bunt?

Gameday has ignored Lowe's at bat. Did he walk?

Downing on Carpenter's struggles against LH batters:

"He struggles against lefties because he throws the ball over the middle of the plate to them."

Bet mom and dad in the Cardinal booth are very disappointed in young David right now.

There's a human being on GameDay?

Hit it to the kid at shortstop!! (Sorry, couldn't help it.)

- D. Lowe grounded into fielder's choice, M. Edwards out at third, P. Bako to second, P. Bako to third on shortstop D. Eckstein's throwing error

Yahoo is doing better, apparently.

Bases loaded for Oscar.

vr

Xei

For those not watching: after Choi scored and went into the dugout, he was not gettting high fives as much as getting hit on his body. Maybe their mad at his fielding or maybe its a joke, but I think I saw Choi try to protect himself from Weaver hitting him with a towel. Funny Stuff.

Go Robles... jeez

I think we should trade for Roger Cedeno and bat him second.

"Remember several years ago the Dodgers had that "international" rotation? Park, Nomo, Valdez, Martinez, Astacio..."
That was the fabled "Earth's rotation" of 1997:
Nomo - Japan
Valdez (or Valdes, as it was spelled at the time) - Mexico
Park - S. Korea
Astacio - Mexico
Candiotti (when Ramon Martinez couldn't go) - California

Robles is racking up LOB like they're going out of style.

I'm pretty sure Astacio's not Mexican.

Well, there are your two runs, Derek. Win the game now.

We should press-gang Eckstein and make him back up Izzy and Kent. That would fulfill the heart requirement.

Both runs earned, even with Ecks two errors in the inning.

vr

Xei

My bad: Astacio is from the D.R.

Astacio is Dominican

I hate it when work gets in the way of my multitasking.

"That was the fabled "Earth's rotation" of 1997"
Funny, they had an "All-American" bullpen:
Worrell (CA), Radinsky (CA), Hall (OH), Guthrie (NY), and Dreifort (KS). (Conveniently overlooking Osuna, but still).

I have the flu and I got off work at 2:30 this morning so I might be hallucinating but was Steiner telling a story about Sander's socks?

In a stat-recording snafu, scorekeeper for the Mexico City Red Devils of the Mexican League reports that he was mistakenly recording LOBs in the Hits column for the team. He acknowledged that this may have inflated several players batting statistics.

I'm not going to jinx Lowe, so I'm not going to say anything about it.

vr

Xei

Which brings up the fact that I had forgotten that Dreif began his career as a reliever.

#95 -- funny.

Somebody tell Xei its the second inning.

I do remember watching StL in the World Series last year and thinking, now they don't look so scary.

its a sad day when I look forward to the pre-recorded message from Vin hawking a Dodgers mini-plan package.

Kurt Vonnegut has said there was only one man on earth who benefited from the firebombing of Dresden, and it was him. It that same manner, what would Astacio's career have been without Rodney King?
Look at the box score of his 1992 debut (http://tinyurl.com/9s6m7), and you'll notice it was the second game of a doubleheader. A twinbill in LA? Was there rain?
No, but there was a "civil disturbance."
This doubleheader was the first of four in six days, making up the games postponed by the riots in late April. The Dodgers had to play 10 games in a Fri-Wed stretch.
Needing arms, they reached down to Albuquerque and pulled up the pitcher who would toss a gem the first time he ever faced a big-league lineup.

Sorry, I misplaced the apostrophe(Sanders' socks). But I'm gritty and I have a lot of heart.

Robles Pitch Count...

Teusday
2 Flies out
6 Grounds out to pitcher
2 Lines out
2 Pops Out

Yesterday
6 K

Today
4
2 Ground Out

The only double header I've ever been two was that week. Not the Astacio game, though. As I recall, the first game went extras, and the Dodgers won 1-0 on an RBI by Dave Hansen. The Dodgers stunk that year, and that was a long, long day at the Stadium, with me, my brother, and about 18 other fans.

Gameday says the Cardinals put Rolen on the DL

Somebody's got to be a backup middle infielder for a while. I don't think Robles will be the second coming of Enzo Hernandez.

Only doubleheader I've been to was in Oakland in 1988. Regularly scheduled between the Twins and A's.

The Twins shut out the A's in both games. Frank Viola in Game 1 and Charlie Lea (and relievers) in Game 2.

The Rolaids relief man standings are out:

^National League=
† ‡•W••L•Sv•TS•BS•Pts
†Brandon Lyon, Ari ‡•0••2•13••3••1••36
†Jose Mesa, Pit ‡•0••0•12••0••0••36
†Yhency Brazoban, LA ‡•1••0•10••0••1••30

He'd be tied for fhirst in the AL.

Dodger win expectancy headed to the bottom of the 3rd up by two runs is now 65.9%

vr

Xeifrank

Ledee should have tried to move the runner over in that situation. Come on, fundamentals here.

Steiner was talking about this in the St Louis Post Dispatch: http://tinyurl.com/cfr7b

"A few of his Japanese baseball peers told So Taguchi a good way to keep his feet healthy - what with all the sweat and abuse those ballplayers' toes take - is to wear socks with individual toes sown in. Like a glove for the feet, complete with the Cardinals' piping.

So, Taguchi has been trying them out this season.

And, on Wednesday, a new shipment arrived - in Reggie Sanders' size. The Cardinals' left fielder had approached Taguchi about the socks and was test-driving them Wednesday night. Sanders is, after all, the same fellow who sought out kettlebells, ancient Russian weight-training tools, as part of a workout regimen."

Is this Molina related to the Anaheim Angels of the OC molinas?

Hey, kettlebells work! They done wonders for my mother-in-law.

Monday gets a Ford Frick Award nomination for this gem heard today...

"Carpenter. Arthroscopic surgery. Right shoulder."

#101 -

I was at that doubleheader. Against the Expos (I think...er..I hope, lest I get humiliated in public). Best day of summer school I ever ditched.

Yadier is the youngest member of the Flying Molina Brothers.

yes, all three are brothers. Rumor is they have a sister in the Yankees minor league system who also catches. :)

vr

Xei

Well, the no-hitter/perfect game is over. :)

No more jinx worries.

vr

Xei

Thanks. Man, their mom is a catcher factory.

#112 yes he's the youngest of the famed "Squatting Molinas". Some would say the most talented as well.

Let's get Walker out, don't want to face Pujols with men on base!!!!!!

vr

Xei

Flying indeed. I think Jose's been caught stealing six times this year.

While listening to the game, I'm also watching CNN Int'l. Two newsworthy events were just reported, and they are both marginally related to the Dodgers:

1) Malcom Glazer is now the majority owner of Manchester United (the Irish racehorse owners sold him their stake). He now owns 56% of a team with a market value of $1.5 Billion. The Dodger connect is that Rupport Murdoch tried to buy them for 1 billion a few years ago, but the gov't rejected the deal for antitrust reasons.

2) The other news is related to John Bolton's confirmation. Ohio Senator Voinovich said that he would vote yes in the committee to allow Bolton's confirmation to go to the senate because he is Pres Bush's choice, but that he would urge his fellow senators to join him in rejecting Bolton's nomination to the UN. To me, this is alot like Tracy making Choi his first baseman because he is De Podesta's choice, but undermining him by pinch hitting for him against righties and not starting him against lefties. (Of course the difference is that Choi is a good guy/good choice, while Bolton, by most accounts, is neither.)

Crap! 2-1 with Pujols up and two men on!!

vr

Xei

Who else is sick of 2 out runs?

WHA!!! SAFE AT SECOND?

Worst called games of the season..

I need a TV!!! Was he out???

Yikes! Grounder to Izzy, and he tossed the ball to Robles. He was straddling the bag, but the ump said the runner was safe. Steiner & Lyons agree that it was a bad call.

anyone still think today was the best day to rest Kent?

Robles is REALLY scoring points today

Totally out. This is why umpires should be replaced by robots. Not only did Robles have a foot on the bag, he had two!

We paid how much for this guy's contract? Are we sure his full name's not Jason Oscar Robles?

Thank goodness Gagne is on a rehab assignment.

SF Giants note of the day:

After losing to PIT yesterday to fall one game below .500, the Giants will play the Astros in Houston. Andy Pettite will start for HOU. The Giants' starter, according to MLB.com: TBA.

In my continuing mission to discover how the Giants are staying so close to .500, I looked at their home/road splits, then comapred them to the Dodgers.

After today's games, 20 of the Giants' 34 games have been at home, about 60%.

The exact oppostite is true of the Dodgers, who have played 14 out of 34 games at home, or about 30%.

The Dbacks have also played 60% of their games at home, and the Padres 60% on the road.

It was a bad call. On the TV replay it's obvious that Robles had him out. Lyons and Steiner are going crazy.

We should put sensors on each base! :)

vr

Xei

123 Jeff - Thanks for the clarification. I was a little alarmed at first about the Bolton - Dodgers connection.

Would Kent and Valentin have to dye their mustaches white?

Lowe going for his 4th out of the inning...

132 cont., considering all that bench jockeying.

What the ...?! Is the second base umpire a member of the Minutemen?

I feel sick.

great...

Dana Demuth can rot wherever he chooses. I don't care.

139: Laugh out loud. Sometimes it's fun to be a blue-state baseball fan.

AARGH! Basehit to right. Drew's throw bounced over Bako's head. Lowe failed to backup the play and a second run scored. Now as I'm typing this, Lowe throws a wild pitch and another run scores.

I can't watch this at work anymore. I just yelled out loud.

Another example of why instant replay is needed in baseball. You see a play you don't like, you throw a water cooler on the field and the umps take a look at the play on instant replay. Each manager gets three water coolers per game. :)

vr

Xei

Not a good series for the LA defense.

When does the Little League team leave the field so we can see the Dodgers play the Cards?

maybe the official scorer will realize that since Edmonds was batting after 3 outs, that the runs he drove in weren't really "earned."

And as soon as I post that, Bako's PB allows another run.

This is getting absurd.

Atleast nobody is on base anymore. :(

vr

Xei

I've got a tee time. This team is terrible. Whine about the umpires when Lowe can get an out. $36 million down the Grabowski. He can wear that Red Sox uniform whenever he wants.

Lowe's got to be thrilled with the defense he's getting

If it was really a PB, I'm back to hating Bako...they didn't get him for his hitting.

The 9th man comes to the plate.

vr

Xei

If anyone cares... LA's win expectancy is 14.5%

make that the 10th man......

vr

Xei

This defense and pitching staff deserve to be booed right now. Loudly.

is this what Phillips was talking about when he mentioned "...smoke and mirrors..."

that said the Dodgers will win today!

Dana Demuth is on my list... He better hope he doesnt make any trips to DS while I am in attendance. I don't forget.

I'm trying to follow along on GameChannel and here... I log on 10 minutes ago. Dodgers doing well. up by 2. Now they are down by three. They sound like the bad news bears. Three errors in two plays? how is that? are we really a defensive joke, or am I missing some nuances since I'm not watching it on TV?

How embarrassing for Nunez. He made the first and last out in an inning. (Full disclosure: I did the same thing once in a slow pitch softball game.)

162. Bad ump call at 2nd on one of the errors opened up the flood gates.

vr

Xei

I have win expectancy of 15.3%. What's your source again xeifrank?

Jeff Weaver was ejected from the game for complaining about the 2nd base ump's bad call.

Gotta love Weaver for speaking up and getting tossed. Every starting pitcher not named Lowe should get tossed for yelling at Demuth.

Hmm... so maybe we shouldn't have rested Kent and Phillips today...

What did Weaver do??

Xei - thanks for the clarification... but did the call cause the error? or should there have been an out before the error was charged?

Good night ladies. This isn't worth interrupting my workday for.

It was a bad call, but how do you take that throw with your foot on the side of the base? Horrible.

Robles... see the Edwards AB? Take some notes...

Only 2 earned runs among the 7 tallied today.

RE 170
To the best of my knowledge, there would be no error if not for the bad ump call.

Lowe helping himself out!

win expectancy is 13.3 but with only 30 samples...

Since the umpire ruled Walker safe, the scorer had to give an error on the play.

comeback time. I hope LaRussa leaves Carpenter in.

Nice bounce back. I am listening on the radio, so can someone clarify for me. Are they playing slowpitch?

From 13.3 to 44.2 with a swing of the bat.. haha

And Robles is up.

I don't like Dodgers chances in high scoring games against the Cards.

Steve knocks one onto the first fairway as the rally begins...

Dana DeMuth's mio page from the media section of the MLB.com website:

MAJOR LEAGUE SERVICE TIME: 21 Years
CAREER: Became a member of the Major League staff in
1985...previously umpired in the Arizona Instructional
League, California Penal League, Dominican Winter
League.
PERSONAL: Dana Andrew DeMuth…born on May 30,
1956 in Fremont, OH...currently resides in Arizona......Moved to San Francisco as a child and hates the Dodgers...has two cats and a three-legged dog named "Joe Morgan"...

The "m" is next to the "b" on most keyboards. Hence "moi."

Robles caught a bad break today on the call, but fans not watching the game probably wont see that. Striking out with 2 on and 1 out after his "error" won't go over well. Poor kid. Rough start.

Monday just said first and third with one out with Drew up... errors not just happening on the field.

The last Dodger named Oscar was Oscar Roettger who played 5 games in 1927.

Like Robles, he had no hits.

or "mio." Sorry to waste posts like this.

Lowe with the SB!

At least Drew didn't strike out looking.

Robles K's on THREE FREAKIN PITCHES?!

"Moved to San Francisco as a child and hates the Dodgers"

How can they post stuff like that? Shouldn't they at least try to keep a semblance of impartiality? Ridiculous.

And a three-legged dog named Joe Morgan? Is that a joke? Maybe Demuth is a real SABR head and hates Morgan.

Weird, weird stuff.

Anyone ready for Drew to start earning his check?? I'm suddenly having Green rage flashbacks.

mcrawford, the "California Penal League" reference should be a giveaway that's not real.

Let's see. Lowe had a long inning on the hill, facing 10 batters. Then, he hit a single and stole a base. I'm thinking this inning could be ugly.

Wow, so that's what "caught stealing" is?

good point jeff. Lots of physical activity for DL

Uh, okay, let me remove my foot from my mouth.

Honestly, I skipped over that part. We see what we want to see.

Re:187
Time to rethink the wisdom of Robles in the 2 hole? Why is that Tracy's spot to test-drive the new guys?

As bad as the Dodgers looked in that inning, it's not like they don't have comeback potential. They've got Kent, Phillips and Saenz on the bench and the Cardinal bullpen isn't infallible. The third inning was rather disgusting and the bottom of the fourth isn't so great, but I don't know why one would give up on the game.

Unless you are the jinx!

Eckstein doubles.

In Strat-O-Matic, that was a GB(3b)X double. Would have been an out with Beltre there. But I digress.

I heard Tracy say that he doesn't like putting new guys in the #8 spot because they just see a bunch of junk pitches, with the pitcher due up. So he thinks it's harder for a rookie, new guy, whatever, to hit there, than in the #2 slot. Of course, he could hit him #7, but Edwards isn't great either.

D. Lowe needs this out

Great.... How many two out hits are we going to give up this series?

r 201: Robles is a #2/#8 guy. With II Gabor in the lineup, #2 seems to be the only option.

Can Pujlos ever come up with the bases empty. This is absurd.

Lowe, once again, going right at Pujols.

And Pujols strikes out swinging!

Strat-o-Matic references like that are always relevant, JJoe.

Anyone with 2005 Strat cards that can give me Beltre's and Izturis' defensive ratings?

Big K on Pujols!

Wow, big out there. Let's get some runs this inning!

"Ah, I don't have to give in to Walker, I'll just walk him. I've got Pujols coming up next. That guy's like a .200 hitter...what? It's not Luis Pujols? Oh, crap."

http://baseball-reference.com/p/pujollu01.shtml

It's at least 33.3% tougher to beat a team that gets four outs.
The funny thing is that all the players who have made mistakes today have also made good plays. Robles saved a second Izturis error, Bako made a good play to get the lead runner on the same play and has as many hits in the series as Phillips.

And the 7-9 hitters today are 4 for 6 with 2 RBI and an SB.

BTW, JD Drew is on pace for something like 25 HRs and 70 RBIs for the season. It would be a terrible season for him if he can't match Green's output from last season.

So glad to be wrong about the inning being ugly.

The Dodgers top 4 hitters today are 1 for 11 (Bradley's HR).

Effing Eckstein. That guy is like that littler cartoon sheriff dog (maybe Deupty Dawg) that showed up everywhere and at the end of the cartoon you found out there were like ten of them.

Choi either gets a hit or a strikeout. I wonder what percentage of his outs are groundouts?

The heart of the order is coming up

I can tell you that in Replay Baseball (www.replaybb.com), Beltre got a "1" defensive rating for last year, (ratings 1-5, 1 is the best). Izturis and Cora got a "2" -- apparently most defensive metrics show Izturis as being good but not the best. All the hype never really shows up in the numbers.

Replay's defensive ratings are very sabermetrically savvy, very well done.

Choi also got a "2" at first base, for what it's worth. And Valentin got a "1" at SS, interestingly enough.

I'm pretty sure Ledee won the award this year for "worst gameday at-bat picture." Yes, time well spent at work.

I like that Strat gives two different numbers - one for range and one for errors.

Coming into today, Choi had 16 groundouts and 22 outs in the air (pop ups, fly outs and line drives)
And 22 Ks now.

Weaver got ejected for arguing the call at 2nd in the 3rd inning?

vr

Xei

Thanks Bob... he does seem to ground out a lot less that a lot of other players.

Yeah, Replay gives a separate number for errors too. I left that part out because I don't find it as interesting, since it's just based on fielding percentage. The "1"s and "2" are range ratings.

Izturis has a 56 error rating (11-66, 66 never makes an error), Beltre a 46.

Am I being paranoid or does it seem like the Dodgers have been getting squeezed this whole series?

Weaver got ejected for arguing the call at 2nd in the 3rd inning?

Yep.

BTW, there's no # 227.

Must be nice to have a team that can hit with two outs.

Here we go again, with 2 outs & no one on...is there someone up in the bullpen?

Answering my own question... DJ Houlton warming up.

230: I agree. We are probably both a little paranoid and/or biased, but I thought the strike zone was inconsistent and the calls around the bases were very shotty all series. It went both ways - Drew's safe call at first in the first game for example..

On another note - somebody please run the numbers on the Cards 2 out hits and 2 out runs this series... EFFING ANNOYING.

Of the regulars, the player with the highest ration of ground outs to fly outs is Bradley (1.56)
The lowest is Kent (0.70)

Is this when we pick up the ongoing "Tracy left the starter in too long" discussion?

"On another note - somebody please run the numbers on the Cards 2 out hits and 2 out runs this series..."

Don't forget the divisional series last year. I believe over half their runs that series were with 2 outs.

229 -

Those can't be 2d6 rolls (to get 11-66)?

Clipped from another site, on Dodger Strat defense: "Izturis' 1 and Cora's 2 are joined by Beltre's 2, Finley's partial-season 1, and Milton Bradley's 2 to give Dodger pitchers a great deal of support."

So I would stand corrected about Eckstein's double: Beltre would have allowed a single!

Grabs on deck. . .game over--and not in the good way either.

Time for some 2-out magic from Grabbo!

Anyone else besides me excited about the Baseball World Cup? Even though new citizen Manny Ramirez will play for the US, it should be a wide open tourney.

One fun aspect of it is pondering who will start/make the teams. As it relates to the Dodgers, Cesar, Gagne, Robles, Choi, Saenz (Panama), and even Nakamura seem likely to play for their national teams. Odalis and Ghame Over should be locks for the DR. Gio will probably make the Venezuela squad.

Other questions to ponder:

Will it be Cesar or Omar at SS for Ven?

Is Kent the choice at 2nd for the US?

What will it take for Milton Bradley to get an invite?

Will Ledee and/or Valentin will make the PR team? Will Valentin try to buy the national team is he doesn't get an invitation?

Are there any Dodgers I am forgetting?

Since Italy is likely to be one of the teams and Piazza is unlikely to be invited to join the US team, might he be grandfathered onto the Italian team ala all the Greek Americans who played for Greece in the Olympics?

Has Lasorda began lobbying for the US Manager spot yet?

Anybody else notice Choi's OBP against lefties is .400, higher than for righties? That's good enough for me, at least in the 2 hole. Might it be a good idea to hit him #2 against LHPs to use his OBP, and 5th against righties to take advantage of his power? Some people [cough! Shawn Green! cough! cough!] really respond poorly to being bounced around in the lineup, but I think Choi's a gamer and would just be grateful to get the ABs against lefties.

Perhaps this is Tracy's plan?

2005 Team OPS with 2 out RISP
Cards: .879 (opponents: .904)
Dodgers: .729 (opponents: .645)

Yea, Grabowski! Maybe the Dodgers can impersonate the "opponents" team.

I would like to point out now, before it's too late, that Paul Bako is batting .310.

We're only down by three. I'd like to see an actual pitcher keep this game close. If Houlton 'pounds the strike zone,' it's safe to guess the Cards will pound him.

On the subject of Ramirez, I live in Washington Heights NYC (the upper, upper tip of Manhattan). It's a heavily Dominican neighborhood where Manny hails from, and even though we're a stone's throw from The Bus Station Urinal That Ruth Built, you see about 50% Red Sox hats. Definitely a trip to see that when I first moved here, and pretty cool.

Why do you bring Grabs and his .133 avg in? I just don't get it Why not Olmedo or anyone else. I would rather see Weaver bat. How long does this go on for.

Houlton finished 2nd to Ledee in the "Gameday Photo Sweepstakes."

do NOT walk Eckstein!

DJ Houlton. ERA over 7. Opp BA ober .450. But according to Lyons, "one thing that's he's done very well is go right after hitters." I'd say he's done that very badly.

In fairness, what's Lyons supposed to say? "This guy is not ready for the big leagues?"

Not that shabby of an inning from Mr. Houlton.

What pitch did he catch Pujols looking on?

Positive thing to take away from this game:

Pujols striking out 3 times and the possible end (fingers crossed) of his reached base streak.

Pujols is 0 for 4 with 3 Ks. Shouldn't the Dodgers be winning?

Oh wait - I forgot about Yadier Molina!

When Houlton came in, was the Cardinal's scoreboard flashing in big, bold letters, "Game Ouver!"?

(When I began typing this, it was before the DP and strikout)

Rally starts with the Robles single.

JD needs to start coming alive.

Oscar!
Oscar!
Oscar!

ESPN game-by-game lines are only listed from 2002-2005 so I can't go all the way back, but this is the first time in the last 517 games (including the playoffs) that Pujols has 3 Ks in a game.

OSCAR!@

249 - Well Weaver by getting thrown out eliminates our ability to use the speedy Weaver as a pinch runner or pinch hitter (ala Jason Marquis) last night.

Somebody please talk me out of my JD Drew anger right now. I know that I shouldn't, but I am starting to curse him. Somebody talk me down.

What pitch did he catch Pujols looking on?

Thanks to DVR, looks like it was a sinker, low inside corner.

That hit by Robles ended a 0 for 6 stretch by Dodger batters named Robles.
Sergio Robles went 0 for 3 in 1976.

Prediction: LaRussa LOOGYs, Saenz hits for Choi.

® is Alt+0174
© is Alt+0169

Landonkk, Look at it this way: had he been Shawn Green, J.D. would've grounded into a DP instead of popped out.

Drew is driving me crazy too. LaRussa and his book must be beaming right now.

get back in the dugout counselor. objection overruled.

get back in the dugout counselor. objection overruled.

get back in the dugout counselor. objection overruled.

Dru's got the Flu. I am giving him a one-week grace period.

Bradley hit a slow roller to the right side. The 2nd baseman was going for the ball, Robles kinda got in his way, but there was no contact. Nunez chose to go around Robles. LaRussa was arguing for interference by the runner, but to no avail.

As bigcpa did the other day (I think it was him)... Hovering over the submit button with "CHOIIIII"

"No, you're out of order!" Sorry about the triplicate.

How much did the Cards pay this blue crew again? Sure does look like these guys are Cards fans.

I'm tired of seeing our RBI guys strike out looking. Swing the effing bat!!!!

was that a strike to choi? following over the computer.

I'm tired of seeing the Dodger RBI guys strike out looking. Swing the effing bat!!!

If only Bako could have batted in that inning....

279: Pretty close. Not a problem with the call , only that I don't think Lowe was getting the same zone.

Well, at least our hottest hitter will be batting second next inning. There's still time!

280: Dear IEC. Spaz down. THat called 3rd strike to Choi was not even close to the strike zone. It was high and outside. A terrible call.

Do I dare press my luck with D.J. for another inning? I do.

Sorry I forgot this was a "Do Not Criticize Hee Seop Zone".

Edmonds just walked on a ball 4 that was closer to the K-zone than Choi's strike 3. Maybe high, but over the plate. Choi's was NOT over the plate.

Pujols had three 3-K games in his rookie season of 2001.

Are ya watching the game IEC? If so, I'll stop narrating.

4:25 am Friday in Japn, still hanging in there.

Voinovich: "The US can do better than Bolton."

JeffinTokyo: "The Dodgers can do better than Tracy Erickson, Grabs, and the McCourts (Frank, Jamie, & Frostie, check that*, Drew)."

*Late, great Jerry Doggett reference

Since, to me, the Dodgers still have a chance of coming back, I'd hope some fellows were warming up in the pen about two batters ago.

i guess we shouldnt of left Houlton in. Hindsight is 20/20....I'm not so worried about offering him back to Houston for $25k.

I'm watching. The strike three to Hee Seop was borderline. All I'm saying is with runners on base I'd like to see our RBI guys swing the bat, not go down with it on their shoulders

-288
Bob, care to divulge your research source(s)? Always looking for good data sites.

Jeff - I hoped I would get some love from you on the Bolton mustache joke earlier.

www.retrosheet.org is your new best friend.

Turning the TV off now.

291: Your warning didn't get to Tracy in time, Icaros. 8-3. Might be time to go to work...

yuck

I can now eat my lunch in peace.

296: Thanks Bob!

Hey, someone woke Tracy from his nap! What for? Really, what's the point?

Tracey has never been a favorite of mine, but in my opinion he has never made more bad decisions then he has in the last couple weeks.

As I said earlier, Game Ouver.

A 3-4 roadtrip. Feh.
With the Braves coming to town. Double feh.

OK, even if we pretend the ump-induced 3rd inning never happened, the Dodgers would be losing anyway. Ump is off the hook for the loss.

I can understand trying to get Houlton through another inning. But relief should have been backing him up at the first sign of trouble.

He should have been pulled after walking Edmonds, and I can't see any argument for leaving him in after walking a second straight batter to lead off the inning.

This was still a close game, and Tracy managed it like they were already down 9-3.

From now on we should set an over/under on how many batters too many Tracy will leave a pitcher in.

I guess I'm in the minority, but I think Tracey's using the staff we have. Houlton has got to start getting people out.

It is amazing how many of their "role players" have hurt us this series, as well as the playoffs for that matter.

I think the HP ump just loves to call strikes. He's still going strong with that Leslie Nielsen call, and it's the bottom of the 7th.

Well, I didn't see the ump's call, but if it's as people described, Lowe would probably still be in the game.

American Idol finalist Scott Seabol now pinch-hitting.

295. MSarg29. Sorry I didn't acknowledge your good mustache joke earlier. The new messages popped up so fast, I missed it the first time.

309: You're right, MSarg, that's it's not Tracy's fault if the players don't perform. But he seems to be the last guy in the room to notice when that's happening. He doesn't have to use Houlton 2 days in row when the game is in reach. Or he can do as Icaros suggested, and have someone else ready (tho not Sanches). There are 12 pitchers. Some of them are really good. Others are, for some reason, getting more innings.

Eckstein adding insult to injury with a 3B.

202:

*As bad as the Dodgers looked in that inning, it's not like they don't have comeback potential. They've got Kent, Phillips and Saenz on the bench and the Cardinal bullpen isn't infallible. The third inning was rather disgusting and the bottom of the fourth isn't so great, but I don't know why one would give up on the game.

Unless you are the jinx!*

The answer to both paragraphs is clearly, no, the Dodgers have Houlton and Jim Tracy with an unconquerable urge to put him on the mound when he has shown repeatedly he melts in front of Murderer's Row-type lineups such as the Cards and the Reds.

Ah, good point Jon (311). 2nd base Ump is back on the hook.

313- Jeff - Sorry to be so needy about some applause, but I appreciate it.

Time for an 8 run rally.

Larry Walker shouldn't be risking injury with a 7 run lead :)

The alien has left Paul Bako's body. That AB looked more familiar.

I'm thinking the Cardinals might be the best team in the national league. And after tonight, we should be tied with the D-backs for the lead. They are playing the Rockies.

On Gameday, Repko's goatee is a perfect miniature mirror image of Eddie Munster's hair.

Steiner just made a Kaiser Wilhelm reference. It's obvious Lyons has no idea who he's talking about. (Some old-time ballplayer in the Southern League named Irving Kaiser Wilhelm). Uncomfortable laugh from SL.

314 - I agree that Tracy needs to have a quicker hook w/ these guys. I guess I have some confidence in how he's operated the bullpen. It does suck to burn these guys out.

Watching the Yankee pen late last yr and this year is an eye opener. Torre really pounded Quantrell, Gordon, Rivera.

Envisioning a Dodgers 9th inning rally:
Izturis singles
Robles walks
Drew walks
Bradley doubles in two
Choi singles in two
Ledee singles
Edwards walks
Bako's grand slam give the Dodgers an 11-10 lead!

#316 -

Not that I would have put Houlton in today when Tracy did ... but it was only two days ago that the Dodgers came back from a 7-3 deficit with four innings remaining.

Comebacks have been a big part of this team for two seasons now.

322: You're "thinking?" Is there any doubt? Other playoff hopefuls include Florida and Atlanta, but I don't think there's any question (or ever was any question) that StL is the class of the NL.

The ump cracked the door open, but Lowe stuck his foot in it, and Tracy flung it open.

Has there ever been a 1st place manager fired? I wouldn't mind if Tracy was the first. I know it is not likely, but he wouldn't be the first person he fired this year.

I'll revisit #227, returning from lunch to find a 6-3 game has gone to 10-3 on Deejay Houlton.

Cards have scored 19 runs in two days without an HR.

As Eckstein, Nunez, Molina and Sanders eat us alive while Pujols goes 0-4... here's a fun flashback to 10/7/04:

Rolen, Pujols, Edmonds "were 1-for-11 in Game 2, but the bottom of the order picked them up by going 8-for-10 with five RBI and five runs scored."

That was the Mike Matheny show if you recall.

Whodathunk that the one game the Dodgers would win in this series would be the Erickson game? And as annoying as Tracy's decisions have been, I'm not sure they've made the difference between a win and a loss in any of the other 3. I guess that's unknowable. Counterfactuals are hard to measure.

I like Tracy test-driving Wunsch against RH batters in this game. Let's see how many outs he can get, regardless of handedness advantages...

Jon had #227 retired from the site because that is the name of his former favorite TV show.

334: Good point, OZ. Amidst all the obviously dumb decisions (and no, not just in retrospect), it's worth pointing out good decisions. Not that it matters in a 10-3 game, but it's a pleasant surprise that Tracy gave his LOOGY a full inning.

Oscar Robles catches the ball in the 3rd inning, how different is this game? Lowe escapes that inning and perhaps the Dodgers don't need to use Houlton.

If Jim Lampley were doing the play by play today, he might have called the bad call at second, "The crime of the century."

Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no! And in ain't over now.

Marmalard, Dead!

Niedermeyer, Dead!

Eckstein,Dead!

DeMuth, Dead!

Let's Go!

Brief new DT posting above on McCourt.

Any other number I (or anyone else) should never reference in the future? Because imagining a bunch of DT lurkers wondering what the 'missing post' contained amuses me. Because I'm a dork. And the Dodgers are losing. Per my comments in #227 :)

2 out, 8 run rally is looking pretty tough.

337: Robles caught the ball. And he touched the bag. It just wasn't called that way.

read ya all later.

Listening to the game while assembling my son's computer desk, I have one question: How did the "A" squad game go?

During the early days of the Shaq/Kobe era they used to call the Utah Jazz "The Reality", meaning I assume that they were going to show you how good you actually were. For the Dodgers the Cardinals are The Reality, and one aspect of reality is that Houlton and Erickson can't function in it.

Bako gets a one-day reprieve from me. I'm not so sure about Houlton...

So there I am on the first tee, dig a four iron right into the ground, and strain an abdominal muscle (which is the first time I ever realized I had them). This day sucks.

333 - the other irony is that Tracy's most obvious mistake of the series was not pulling Erickson for a pinch hitter in the Top of the 5th, and that's the game we won. I am more than willing to chalk this series, and basically this season, up to our pathetic starting pitchers, who are living up to their miserable reputations. I can hardly wait to see all the fingers in the paper tomorrow blaming the umpires for this. Guess what guys. The umpires have been crappy all season. Don't give up six base hits to David Eckstein and Yadier Molina, and maybe you'll win a game or two.

If Houlton is on this roster when Gagne comes back, and Schmoll is not, I will have a baby right here in my very own house. Let him go back to Houston or Hell or wherever it was he spawned from. If it was that easy to rack up a .600 Opp. BA, more pitchers would be doing it.

Batting Robles second is about Tracy-level replacement dumb. It's no stupider than I've come to expect. I have no doubt he was there so he could bunt everytime Izturis got on base.

But it's the starting pitching. What a bunch of hacks. If this is all Lowe is now, what's he going to be in 2007? A nine million dollar Jeff Weaver? Great. Fantastic.

What's with all "the sky is falling" Chicken Littles?

OK, so we lost 3 out of 4 to the best team in the NL (by miles).

Lowe pitched poorly, but if he can keep repeating the 6 weeks of pitching he's given us so far, I'll take it.

Tied in first place in the middle of May, I'll take that too.

And this is all without Gagne and Werth.

It's a long season kiddies...this is a marathon, not a sprint. We just happened to lose this particular part of the race.

Can I throw any more cliche's into this post?