Random Dodger game callback

May 14, 1919

The Brooklyn Robins kept up their torrid opening pace with a 7-0 shutout win over Cincinnati at Ebbets Field. Burleigh Grimes gave up just five hits and struck out five against a powerful Cincinnati lineup.

Centerfielder Hy Myers had the big hit with an inside the park home run to dead center field that lodged under some temporary bleachers that had been put in for a series between the Robins and Giants the previous weekend. The NY Times story said it was the longest hit in the history of Ebbets Field, which had opened in 1913. Brooklyn had 14 hits on the day.

Despite the fast start, Brooklyn faded soon after the fast start and finished with a 69-71 record in the war-shortened season. That put them in fifth place, 27 games behind Cincinnati, who cruised to an easy NL pennant and a surprisingly easy World Series victory too over the Chicago White Sox. White Sox pitcher Claude "Lefty" Williams lost 3 times in that World Series. No pitcher would lose 3 games in a World Series again until George Frazier did for the Yankees against the Dodgers. Unlike Williams, Frazier was actually trying hard.

The 1919 Brooklyn squad featured 3 Hall of Famers: Grimes, Zack Wheat, and Rube Marquard.

Also in the paper on May 14, 1919 were the results of the Preakness. It was run on a Wednesday that year instead of a Saturday. The winner was Sir Barton, the winner of the Kentucky Derby. Sir Barton would go on to win the Belmont Stakes and be the first Triple Crown winner. However, no one knew what that was at the time.

Thanks to the New York Times, BaseballReference.com and Retrosheet

Odalis better not stink it up. Go Dodgers

Is Gagne appealing the suspension? Will he be available tonight or not until Monday?

Did anyone else notice Milto being annoyed at a strike call by the ump last night, saying maybe a word, but then just calming walking away and returning to the plate? It's amazing how well behaved he's been. I haven't seen him break a single bat over his knee, and I remember when that was actually "progress," because it was better than him getting ejected for chewing the umpire out.

Or worse.

Go Milton!

WWSH

On the postgame Bradley said he was headed to Weaver's place. Maybe Weaver is helping him "mellow out" this year.

Seriously, it's pretty clear he sees himself in a new light this year. He's set himself up as a team leader (remember the meeting?), rightfully so, I think, and is clearly enjoying the role.
Think maybe the added responsibility gives a new outlet to his energies. And the fact that he's playing great doesn't hurt. More power to him, I'd say.

Bill Shaikin let Tracy off completely in his game wrap for the Times. As usual the Daily News nailed the story:

"The eighth inning provided an interesting managerial case study, to say the least. Weaver had allowed only three hits through seven innings... a call to the bullpen seemed likely, especially with Weaver's pitch count residing at 114. But Tracy stuck with Weaver, and LaRoche crushed his 2-2 offering for a no-doubt grand slam to right-center field..."

"What I wonder is, if you give him too much left-handed pitching, do you mess up what he's doing against right-handed pitching?" Tracy said. "Because he alters things to hit against left-handers."

"I feel good... [but we] have hitters for lefties," Choi said. "Olmedo, he hits good against lefties."

Hey Tracy- what I wonder is, if the guy never faces lefties, how is ever going to LEARN to face lefties?! Arghh!

So to last night. Weaver starting to tire, but not entirely gassed. He snapped off some wicked curves to make Giles look sick, and his BB to Chipper Jones looked unintentional intentional. Was it really so clear to Tracy that his available relievers would do better than Weaver at that moment?
If Gagne's on the team, Weaver probably doesn't even start the 8th, Yhency does. At worst, Weaver would've been taken out for Yhency after the Jones walk.

In hindsight, Tracy couldn't have made a worse choice. But of the ready relievers, I would've trusted only Carrara, and he's no lock. Scully was saying the alternative was Wunsch, who, he kept emphasizing, was a rookie.

All's I'm saying is, let's see if Tracy keeps making the same "mistake" of leaving his starter in too long, now that Gagne's back. I'm not certain he's really earned Grady Little's cement overcoat yet.

But wouldn't Bud Selig have picked up THC in the random drug test?

Another thing...I seem to remember the Howe testings being team administered...but is my memory faulty? Were they league sanctioned?

I had no idea Wunsch Money chews up right handed hitters too:

Lefty/Righty OPS against
2003 .508/.515 (59 ab/63ab)
2004 .619/.396

-- against the D-Backs, where Tracy left him in too long, and he blew up
-- against the Reds, where Tracy left him in with the bases loaded and one out in the sixth (having not thrown 119 pitches), and he barely escaped
-- last night, when it wouldn't have really mattered if the only arm in the bullpen was Scott Stewart, and then Weaver went and blew up anyway

Add that to his miserable performances with Perez (lest I remind you about Perez batting with the bases loaded having already given up seven runs) and Erickson, and barely adequate but slow trigger with Lowe, and how many times do we have to sit around and wait before Bill Shaikin doesn't writeup the game using a Mad Lib?

Not to mention that it still baffles me that we carry twelve pitchers, but Tracy is letting Jeff Weaver (this is after all, the ever-trustworthy, completely consistent, high pitch-count ace Jeff Weaver we're talking about) throw 120 pitches. Why not carry ten pitchers, and invite Schmoll to visit Las Vegas, and send Houlton back to whatever Hell from whence he came?

One of the commentors on my site got it right today. Bring in Wunsch to walk Jones, then make Cox decide whether to leave LaRoche in, or bring in Mondesi to face Braz or Carrara (probably Carrara, since Tracy's that kind of idiot too), or double pinch hit and bring up Betemit.

Of course, none of that would have been necessary if he'd just brought Brazoban in to face Furcal like he should have in the first place.

Steve, that's my point. We haven't had Gagne "all year" til tonight; also Dessens and Alvarez have missed significant time. If Tracy could've put guys like that in the game, he might've pulled his starters a little quicker. If the same situation were to present itself to Tracy tonight, Yhency WOULD start the 8th, because he could put Gagne in for the 9th.

I don't recall Tracy having this rap against him last year, when he had a (mostly) healthy and (mostly) reliable pen.

Maybe you were just being sarcastic, but isn't it inconsistent to argue that Tracy should have a quicker hook, but the team should only carry 10 pitchers?

He could have brought Brazoban in to start the eighth, given that Braz had pitched something like four innings in all of May. Also, if Tracy won't pull Weaver when he's doing his Scott Stewart impersonation at pitch 114, why would Tracy pull Weaver at pitch 85 or 90 in the sixth inning of a similar situation?

Dessens is replacement level -- why him not being available would matter to whether you use Sanchez or Carrara I don't understand. They are the same pitcher. Alvarez is better, but he was available to pitch in the Erickson game, and Tracy left him in the bullpen to rot until Erickson had done his thing. In other words, Tracy is going to be faced with the same decisions in the future that he has been faced with the past month, and unless he's finally learned his lesson (always an option), it appears we'll just have to cross our fingers before we get to automatic managing pilot in the eighth and ninth innings.

I'm sure we'll see him again soon. It's a Schmoll world, after all.

I think you're right, but the polarities are backwards. The problem here is that Tracy loves his starting rotation, but there is nothing to love. His bullpen is fine, and like I say, particularly at the sixth and seventh inning change in pitcher that we're talking about, he's going to be considering the same guys now as he was then. He is not going to bring in Braz as a "Smoke jumper." So his decision is constantly going to be between his starter, and Sanchez/Carrara/Wunsch and whoever ends up replacing Dessens in the bullpen when Erickson gets his behind canned and Dessens becomes the fifth starter.

Plus, what's the difference between last year's bullpen and this year's? It's still Carrara. It's still Sanchez. It's still Braz. It's still nameless replaceable LOOGY (and our LOOGY is probably better). Maybe he was scarred by Scott Stewart, but I like Schmoll much better than Scott Stewart, who Tracy liked so much he used him in a 6-4 game back in September. True, I wouldn't use D.J. Houlton to water my plants, but he'll go when Dessens comes back anyway.

Braz should have been in the game last night in the eighth. That's just the bottom line. It had nothing to do with Gagne, because Braz could have pitched two innings -- he could have come in to pitch to Furcal -- he could have come in to pitch to LaRoche to get one out. He should have been in the game.

Well, the game's starting. I'll agree that changed circumstances can lead to changes in how Tracy manages, and hopefully those will come to pass. And now it's time to see....

But I guess...one more thing.

I would take these starters out the first chance I got. Bleh.

Thanks for the leadoff walk, Mike.

Your Angels observations today were a hoot -- I anxiously await next weekend's series.

Even more frightening.

One of the great mysteries of this year is that Atlanta is going to win the NL East playing Raul Mondesi and Brian Jordan in 120 games each. I guess the Braves exist to keep the statheads honest.

Hi all. I've been enjoying the site since the beginning of the season. Good to see some intelligent fans out there. Anyways, as you've probably guessed I've got the "platoon gloom." Wouldn't it be nice if this were the starting lineup EVERY DAY:

Izturis SS
Choi 1B
Drew RF
Kent 2B
Bradley CF
Saenz 3B
Werth LF
Phillips C

Ok, ok, I know ... there's a lot of fantasizing going on here. Can Choi hit lefties? Who knows until he's given a chance. Can Saenz field 3rd? Well, hopefully his bat will make up for the unearned runs he causes. Will Werth live up to his potential from the end of last season once he gets back from the DL? I'd like to think so ... if he gets to start EVERY SINGLE GAME.

The question is, does the lefty/righty stat differentials warrant starting guys who have significantly less talent then their platoon-mates? This question always reminds me of the Simpsons episode where Burns pinch hits Homer for Strawberry. Alright perhaps that's a little bit hyperbolic, but do you dig my groove? To me it's all about the hitters getting into a groove ... knowing their place and getting comfortable. It's just the same as the comfort of knowing that if you take a lead into the 8th, you're going to get a Ghame->Game Over almost automatically. Simple, elegant consistency.

Your thoughts?

(see #45)

TBS guys just said our "starting pitching is keeping us in ballgames." Who writes their copy? That belongs at the Improv.

Ugh. I can't believe they let him steal.

I guess we just try to win the rubber game.

I know it's been a tough week at FJT, Inc.

Somebody explain to me what's wrong with Sanchez. I mean, sure he hangs a slider every once a while, but Dreifort used to take two hanging sliders for breakfast and call the doctor in the morning, and Tracy would use him relentlessly. It seems to me that the solution to that problem would be to simply not call for the slider anymore, a la Brazoban. Problem solved.

ERA = 18
K/9 = 27

and no blown saves all season!

"Whether I was or wasn't, I've still gotta execute pitches and get batters out," Weaver said. "I never [ask out of a game]. I go until I'm told otherwise."

Rarely does a pitcher tell a manager he wants to come out. How is it that while we were all blogging we could see Weaver was spent but JT could'nt see it.

But I guess there is a silver lining: I will hopefully be able to say I went to Scott Erickson's last game.