Does EQA measure scrap?

More importantly, does EQA take into account that the Dodgers only had to win one more game in 1988.

Funny that the 1988 Dodgers, who are known for their psychological makeup started three guys who were never known for bringing much to the table in the way of attitude in Marshall, Davis, and Hamilton.

And Dodger fans seem to like John Shelby a whole lot more as a coach than a player.

The 1988 Dodgers had "The Stunt Men". The 2005 Dodgers just have "The Red Shirts", just a bunch of unknown guys who get killed as soon as they land in hostile territory.

From today's Daily News (Tony Jackson)
"Dodgers outfielder J.D. Drew tested his ailing left knee by swinging a bat on Saturday. While he reportedly felt fine and could return to the lineup today, Drew wasn't available for Saturday night's 3-1 loss to the Angels, when the Dodgers could have used him with two outs in the ninth inning and the potential tying run at the plate."

Well, the Dodgers only have to win one more game today. So there's that.

If the Dodgers had lost in '88, history would record how Fred Claire didn't provide the depth to take advantage of Orel Hershiser's pitching. No such albatross for him ... instead, he got the Pedro trade.

Just noticed something. Lowe's ERA is pretty good given his record. He's given up 14 unearned runs this year, which is obviously a lot. The entire team has given up 25 unearned runs this year and gave up 37 all of last year. Ishii gave up the most unearned runs last year with seven. Dodgers have committed 66 errors this year and 73 all of last year.

This isn't an argument in favor of Cora (hello, Steve) or Beltre (hello, Icaros). Just an observation. But with a staff of pitchers who generally don't strike out a lot of batters, I think it is significant.

Well, let's see how those unearned runs scored:
4/5 at SF - Valentin makes bad throw on grounder to allow run to score
4/10 at AZ - Izturis makes throwing error to allow runner to reach who later comes around to score
4/20 at SD - Valentin makes bad throw and run comes around to score (Dodgers are 12-2 after this game)
5/12 at STL - Robles fails to touch second to allow run to score. Drew also makes wild throw to allow run to score. Phillips has passed ball to allow run to score. This was all in the same inning!
6/6 vs DET - Kent makes bad throw to allow runner to score. Perez makes bad throw to allow runner on base who comes around to score
6/16 at KC - Perez misplays grounder to allow runner to reach. Four unearned runs ensue.

I left out my conclusion that Lowe has been betrayed by his defense at times. In St. Louis, it was pretty much the fault of the defense. In Kansas City, after Perez's error at short, Lowe then couldn't get anyone else out.

Assuming Jim Tracy sticks with his "Kent needs a day off" plan, and J.D. Drew isn't quite ready to play, I have to question the decision not to play Kent. Unless he's REALLY hurting, I see no reason why he couldn't just suck it up for a couple more days until Drew is ready. Because without either of those 2 in the lineup, and Bradley hurt, the lineup just plain sucks.

Now watch, we'll score like 10 runs today on nothing but singles, stolen bases, and sacrifice bunts.

Well, I just looked up the Willie Davis 3-error game in the WS in 1966, and it appears Lowe's in good company; Koufax was the loser in that game. 4 runs, 1 earned.

Assuming that this is today's game chat since it has a link to today's gamecast on MLB.com....

Random Dodger game callback

June 26, 1990

It reached 112 degrees in Downtown Los Angeles this day, but that didn't bother the Dodgers as they were playing in Atlanta's Fulton County Stadium. And the Braves' Dale Murphy made five outs to produce three runs as the Dodgers lost to rookie lefthander Steve Avery, 4-2. The Dodgers dropped to 35-36 and were now 11 ½ games behind Cincinnati and in fourth place. It was Avery's first major league win.

The Dodgers scored in the top of the first when Eddie Murray had a 2-out RBI single to score Stan Javier. The Braves came right back in the bottom half when Lonnie Smith, Jeff Treadway, and Ron Gant singled to load the bases against Mike Morgan. Rookie first baseman David Justice then walked to force in a run. Murphy then bounced into a double play to score a run to put Atlanta ahead 2-1.

The Braves add another run in the third. Treadway walked and Justice singled him to third. Murphy hit a sacrifice fly to right to score Treadway and make it 3-1.

In the seventh, the Dodgers had the tying runs in scoring position with two outs. But Avery was able to strike out Mickey Hatcher to get out of the jam.

Charlie Kerfeld, making one of his last major league appearances, came into relieve in the 8th. Murray was caught looking and argued the call with home plate umpire Dana DeMuth and was ejected. Hubie Brooks singled and Mike Scioscia followed with a walk. But Juan Samuel grounded into a double play to end the inning. In the bottom of the 8th, Gant and Justice singled and Murphy hit into his second double play of the game to score Atlanta's fourth run.

The Dodgers made another rally in the 9th. Alfredo Griffin led off with a single and stole second. Griffin moved up to third on a line out to right by Lenny Harris. Javier hit a sacrifice fly to right to score Griffin. Mike Sharperson drew a walk. Manager Tommy Lasorda then brought in Kirk Gibson to pinch hit. Braves manager Bobby Cox, on the job for just three days after Russ Nixon was fired, brought in Joe Hesketh to relieve. Hesketh let Sharperson get to second on a wild pitch, but got Gibson to ground out to first to end the game.

The Dodgers would make a run at Cincinnati, but could never quite there, finishing in second by 5 games with an 86-76 record. Three losses really stood out for the Dodgers. Two were at home against Philadelphia. On May 19, the Dodgers led 8-5 after four, but the bullpen couldn't hold the lead and the Phillies prevailed 15-12 in 11 innings. Then on August 21, the Dodgers led the Phillies, 11-3 going to the 9th and gave up 9 runs in the 9th to lose 12-11. And on September 4, the Dodgers led Houston 7-0 after two innings, but ended up losing 10-8.

Eddie Murray had the highest batting average in the majors in 1990 yet didn't win a batting title. He batted .330 with 26 homers. However, St. Louis outfielder Willie McGee hit .335 before being traded to Oakland. So McGee was awarded the NL batting title although his overall average dipped below Murray's.

The Dodgers also got good production from Kal Daniels who hit 27 home runs and Hubie Brooks who hit 20. Samuel, acquired in the off-season from the Mets in exchange for Mike Marshall and Alejandro Pena, had his typical year, batting .242 and striking out 126 times with only 51 walks.

Pitcher Ramon Martinez had his finest year in 1990 going 20-6 with a 2.92 ERA. On June 4 at Dodger Stadium, Martinez struck out 18 Braves to tie the team record. But Orel Hershiser pitched only four games before going down with a rotator cuff injury.

With Hershiser injured, the Dodgers tried a variety of pitchers to fill his spot: Tim Crews, Mike Hartley, Jim Neidlinger, John Wetteland, Mike Maddux, Terry Wells, and Dennis Cook. Jay Howell overcame some early injuries to save 16 games.

The Dodgers would make some improvements for 1991 and expected to be contenders. But very few people realized that the Dodgers opponent on this day in 1990 would be taking over the National League. (Atlanta finished 65-97.) From 1991 through the three games this season, the Dodgers have beaten the Braves 60 times while losing 83 times. The Braves have won their division (either the West or East) each year since 1991, with the exception of 1994, when no team was declared a winner. The Dodgers have won the NL West twice (1995 and 2004) since 1990. As for the rest of the new 5-team NL West, the Padres have won the division twice (1996 and 1998), the Diamondbacks have won three times (1999, 2001 and 2002) and the Giants have won three times (1997, 2000 and 2003). God bless the Colorado Rockies!

Thanks to the Los Angeles Times, BaseballReference.com and Retrosheet

The difference in the two teams, obviously, is...Tommy Lasorda.

Great callback Bob. I am a little younger than some or most here so it is nice to recognize most of the names in your callback. I think the first year I remember following baseball at all was 1991 when we finished one out after being tied going into the final three game series against the Giants.

11: Wow, Benaiah. So you don't even remember the '88 World Series. The Dodgers might as well be the Cubs as far as your concerned, for all the winning they've done on your watch.

Vintage Ramon Martinez. He was very very good that year. At the time we had the brothers in our organization. A lefty I think was called Jesus or something. Don't know whatever happened to the right handed brother. Can't quite recall his name. Was said to be to small to really amount to much.

yeah bob, i liked today's RDGC a lot. in fact, the summer of 1990 was the most avidly i'd ever followed the dodgers until last year. ramon is still my favorite pitcher ever. and i remember all the games you referenced, ESPECIALLY the phillies ones. i know i was in attendance for one of those games. ahh, 1990.

12 - Yes and no, I mean as a Dodger fan I read Boys of Summer and I have seen the video of Gibby's home run, while a Cubs fan would only have stories of all the ones that got away. My University won the NCAA basketball Championship two years before I got here, but I still get warm feelings from watching the replays. That said, on my watch it hasn't been exactly great. Every year it seems like my least favorite teams in each sport make it to the finals (the Patriots, Eagles, Spurs, Pistons, Tar Heels, Illini, Red Sox and Cardinals are all on the wish ill list).

Thanks, RDGC will be on hiatus until July 5.
Unless of course, I fall asleep all day due to jet lag.

15: That's an interesting list. I didn't think it was possible to feel one way or the other about the Spurs (unless you're from San Antonio). So where DID you go to school? Or shall we make that today's puzzle - everyone guess where Benaiah went to school. All we have is the list of teams he roots against, and a cryptic statement about his school winning the NCAA title 2 years "before [he] got here. Forgive me, I'm assuming "he." So Division I.

Hating the Illini is probably the best clue.

17 - Actually hating the Tar Heels is the big clue.

Don't forget that great driftwood-carving ability of Tracy, Jon. Very important skill in a major-league manager.

I sense a Duke fan

I am not from LA so my loyalties largely lie with the teams my dad likes: the Dodgers and the Buffalo Bills. That said, there are teams that just annoy you. The Illini last year were a team I kept hoping would lose and they just kept winning. Finally all the way to the Finals where I desperately hoped they would beat the hated Tar Heels and save me from my comeuppance only 11 miles away. Alas it was not to be.

Ah. Duke. Feh.

The Buffalo Bills-LA Dodgers fan exacta is probably not a common one.

I hated them too, then I got in.

since bob guessed duke, i'll go with maryland.

d'oh!

hah, it just occurred to me that the school i'm going to this fall won the NCAA championship two years ago.

23 - If you are old enough and from upstate NY it could be. I don't think that is my Dad's case, but being a Brooklyn/Buffalo fan and staying loyal to the Dodgers after the move would explain it.

Orel Hershiser was born in Buffalo.

So Benaiah are you a Clipper fan since we have Brand/CM? Cherokee Park used to be a Clip favorite.

You shouldn't have given us the North Carolina clue. That made it to easy and on a day when the Dodgers will get drubbed again we needed a diversion.

I am sure you lively boys will find something to talk about.

The actual lineup today:
C Izturis
Perez 2B
Saenz DH
Werth CF
Choi
Phillips
Edwards 3B
Grabowski LF
Ross RF

Halos
Figgins CF
Erstad 1B
Guerrero DH
Anderson LF
DaVanon RF
M Izturis 3B
J Molina C
Cabrera SS
Kennedy 2B

Can anyone recall a team (other than the Dodgers) starting two outfielders hitting below .200 in the same game?

I was thinking this past March
"You know if we can have a 3-4 punch of Saenz and Werth, this team could be awesome!"

That is the worst lineup I have ever seen. I don't think that there are any redeeming characterisistics. It isn't good on defense, it isn't fast, it doesn't have power, it can't hit for average. It is a replacement level lineup. VODL.

Most teams start three outfielders with .000 averages on Opening Day.

But you were likely looking for a different answer.

Without injuries our 3-6 today would be batting 6-9

Actually, when it's time for Werth to get his "day off", we might be able to field an entire outfield hitting in the 100s.

31 -- That is a brilliant, and beautiful, driftwood carving.

OT, Choi's ABs the last few weeks (one stretch notwithstanding) really frustrated me, and I figured he needs to make like Wade Boggs and Edgar Martinez and pretty much forego swinging at the first pitch entirely. Look over the stats at ESPN, I see:

By Count AB AVG OBP SLG OPS
0-0 30 .400 .419 .833 1.252

Whoops.

Just to fill out the picture:
0-1 12 .333 .357 .583 .940
0-2 17 .176 .176 .353 .529
1-1 14 .286 .313 .643 .956
1-2 31 .065 .094 .161 .255
1-0 12 .167 .167 .417 .584
2-0 7 .286 .286 .714 1.000
2-1 9 .222 .222 .333 .555
2-2 24 .125 .125 .250 .375
3-2 23 .217 .486 .391 .877

Anyone smarter than me is willing to take a crack at this.

[Note: eagle-eyes may note the lack of one particular count (hint: 3-1). This is ESPN.com's fault, not mine. They're the professionals.]

p.s. WARNING: do not let this information fall into the hands of Jim Tracy, lest he lift Choi with a 2-0 count due to the small sample size.

#32 Kilgore:

No, but the Mariners at one point this year had (or may still have) 3 bench players hitting in the .160s. Even in the AL, this has been a crippling handicap, and interleague games have exposed it even more.

Gotta love it when 1 for 6 is a good day.

Nearly every player's average with 2 strikes is going to be lower than with 0 or 1 strike because you can't strike out on the other counts. There is always something more likely to "happen" with 2 strikes.

Choi hasn't gotten a hit or out on a 3-0 count either.

It seems like Choi is suffering from a distinct failure to achieve with 2 strikes.

41 - though Bob explains it. I guess that makes sense. It is difficult to strike out on the 2-1 pitch.

If we give Werth enough at bats with runners on base he might get to the sub 200 average all by himself. You guys enjoying Cody Ross yet?
Boy am I looking forward to going to Dodger Stadium and watching this lineup do battle.

Today's lineup for the first place Padres isn't all that fearsome:
Jackson 2B
Sweeney 1B
Giles RF
Klesko LF
Fick C
Burroughs 3B
Nady CF
Greene SS
W Williams P

Aside from Giles and Klesko, it's hard to believe a team like that can have a reasonable edge in the division.

Fick is batting .348, but he still hasn't played much and I think his average will start to drift downwards.

Yeah, Nevin just went on the DL.

Pads now have Nevin, Hernandez, and Loretta out. The injuries aren't even yet (what, with Giles and Klesko still healthy), but it's about time for someone other than us to feel the pain. Having Nady and Fick available as backups is a nice luxury, though. Nady SHOULD be starting anyway, probably ahead of Burroughs.

Back on May 21, the Dodgers lost to the Angels in a game when the Angels had DaVanon batting third, Finley fourth, and Juan Rivera fifth.

After a horrific game in the outfield, Felipe Alou is using Alex Sanchez as a DH where he presumably can't run into anyone.

I'll soon have to leave the exciting Tampa Bay-Florida game. The Marlins lead 1-0 in the bottom of the 7th in St. Pete.

The Devil Rays announcers speculate that either Carl Crawford or Jorge Cantu will be the Devil Rays All-Star.

It's okay to hope bad things happen to SD, right now. But at some point, if the Dodgers' fortunes don't turn around, don't we have to band together and focus all our voodoo ire on Arizona? Can you imagine how unreadable the Times is going to be if Green and Glaus make the playoffs?

I have absolutely no worries that the Diamondbacks will win the division. They are going to be better than we expected, but unless the Dodgers lose EVEN MORE players, I think they will finish behind the Dodgers.

The DBacks have a pitching staff that isn't much better than the Dodgers. And the bullpen is pretty scary.

Lowe needs to throw a shutout to give LA a chance. It's about time for Lowe to have a great game. He's being paid enough.

Lowe needs to throw one of those -1 games that the 2003 staff needed.

If we can't beat Byrd (#4 or 5 starter) with our #1 or 2 starter, then we are in real trouble.

CHOI BLESS JAYSON WERTH!

See that's a tremendous 3-4 punch!

Woo hoo!

I wonder how many games our starters pitched at least 7 innings with 1 or 0 runs this year.

so, was that werth the wait?

Jayson the Baptist is back with a vengence. I'm predicting a 2003 Adrian Beltre second half out of him.

er, vengeance.

Why is Tracy resting Kent today with all these minor leaguers (MIL) playing. Is Kent that tired that he can't do any better than MIL. Maybe Tracy is conceding this game or expecting a miracle. What a stupid illogical decision making.

The only way Dodgers can score these days is with homer. I hope Lowe can make it hold up. Please don't give up any runs in the 1st 3 innings.

Lowe and Weaver both have thrown complete game shutouts. And I think Weaver had another game where he gave no runs through 8.

Penny lost 1-0 to San Diego last week.

The Dodgers pitching really hasn't been all that bad recently. At least not as bad as May.

It's just that the Red Shirts aren't pulling their weight.

61,
I bet we're gonna win today. And Tracy will have justification for his decision.

Nice to see Werth getting his stroke back, eh? Could be the much needed shot in the arm we need. Maybe once we get Drew and Bradley, we'll be a pitcher away from having a fighting chance?

The theories about Werth's return being like Spring Training are seeming more and more true. He is 5 for his last 17 with 3 HR and a double.

If Odalis and Bradley can come back by the break and Drew doesn't see any time on the DL, I think our chances are pretty good for the second half. Having guys like Phillips, Perez, and Choi not having to carry the load should do wonders for the lineup.

Plus, if they call up Broxton to pull a Brazoban this year, we could have a mighty 1-2 punch for the 8th and 9th, leaving Sanchez and Carrara (or Osoria?) to share the 6th and/or 7th.

BTW, how was the out Choi made? Was it an unlucky hard hit?

I hope Perez doesn't make any more mental and physical errors (baserunning, fielding error). It seems like he makes at least one of these everytime Lowe pitches and Lowe can't shake it off like a good pitcher.
I'm pretty disappointed with Lowe this year. Even though his ERA is okay, he let's the errors effect his way too much and he just BLOWS up.

Imagine what might have been had Tracy hit Grabowski cleanup and Werth eighth. That guy is a genius.

61: Kent is resting because otherwise he's going to kill some of those minor leaguers.

63. Thanks for that info. How do you find these info so fast. That makes it 4 great starts. But that numbers seems so low compared to other teams.

66. Is Broxton ready to pitch at this level? Is he the most ready among our relievers in Minor Leagues.

With all the crap on our roster right now, I still think Grabowski is our worst hitter.

At least Lowe got out of 1st inning without giving up a run. Hope he can get at least 2 more innings.

a dodger game is not really a dodger game unless we get at least one Grabowski Face (TM)

I think the Dodger pitching is among the worst in giving up 1st and 2nd innings runs.

The Grabowski Face keeps the Earth in its proper orbit.

Broxton has been an excellent starter in the minors and has recently been moved to the bullpen, most likely to help the team out if he's needed. It's been said before that he could be his most dominant out of the bullpen although he could be a very good #3 starter in the majors (sounds a bit like Gagne).

71,
The Dodgers pitchers have been so bad this year, that it's easy to remember good performances.

The Padres got a leadoff homer from Damian Jackson and are up 1-0.

Due the absolute logjam of talent in AA, Broxton moved to the bullpen (though I heard that it wasn't permanent and that all Suns Starters were now going to rotate in and out of the pen). Even before he moved to the pen alot of people speculated that he was bullpen bound based on his body type and personality. I heard he gained 4-6 MPH on his heater in relief, which would elevate his status further. Sorry I know alot of this has been posted before.

How can we expect the Dodgers to even get to the post season with a starting line up like this?

67,
Choi's line out wasn't hit all that hard. It was a little looper that Kennedy caught just of the ground. If if had dropped, Choi would have been thrown out easily.

Don't most pitchers pick up mph when they move to the pen? Gagne sure did.

Like Vin said... "as usual, the Dodgers get run on by the opposition", and we saw why - stole that by a mile

82,
I believe Erickson has moved up from 80 mph to 81 mph.

phew

79,
What's the record of the AA team since it started to get so stacked? With so many studs on that team, it should be going undefeated.

84- If Erickson truly is all the way up to 81, I think it's time to let him out of the doghouse. I'm going to start a petition to have him named our new closer.

Jacksonville has only been stacked for about two weeks. I think that they are 3-4 since LaRoche and Jackson started the flood of high ceiling talent.

Score Summary from the Sportsline.com game-tracker thingy (mlb.com isn't working for me): "Jayson Werth (3) 2 run shot to left off Byrd, Saenz scored."

I've never seen something like that use a descriptive term ("2 run shot") rather than the traditional term ("home run").

Steve, will you host my petition on your website?

Jacksonville won the first half title in their division of the Southern League at 38-32. They just started the second half.

Most of the low minors play split seasons.

80. They'll get to the post-season. They may be watching rather than playing in it, but they'll get there.

Funny (not funny actually), we don't even refer to what Izzy is going thru as a "slump" anymore. It's just Izzy.

San Diego is up 3-0. The Giants are losing 5-0.

Mark Prior has found a way to neutralize the White Sox speed. He gave up only one hit through six innings.

Byrd is not going to strike too many batters out it looks like. Dodger hitters need to be aggressive with this guy...

Prior is back?

How deep did Cody Ross hit that ball?

Prior is indeed back. 6 IP, 3 H, 0 BB, 3 K in 71 pitches before being taken out.

97, a few feet short of the track but high enough that either outfielder could've caught it.

That should have been 1 H allowed for Prior. Jerome Williams relieved.

93 - I disagree. I mean it is just Izzy and regression to the mean. But lately he is far worse than he has been in recent memory. This slump has just lasted so long that it now seems like there is no expectation of him breaking out it.

Re: 89

Check out this description from cbs from their gamecast

"Luis Rodriguez´s 2 run job in the 1st inning was the first home run of his Major League career."

Yeah, that's what I meant. Doesn't seem like anybody brings up his what-for-whatever anymore (probably like 10 for 65?) because its gone on for so long.

Izturis is 8 for 72 for June, and if you take away the first game of the month where he went 2-4, he sinks to 6-72, a healthy .083 BA.

90 -- The Way Is Paved.

Schadenfreude Alert
It's Oakland 6, San Francisco 0 in the bottom of the third. 10 hits allowed through 2 2/3 for Brett Tomko

If Oakland wins and we lose (Choi excluded), we will have the same record. 35-40.

104 - obviously I mean 6-68, .088 BA.

I swear 75% of the runs our pitchers give up are with 2 outs.

We got Jeff DaVanon out! May there be feasting and free-flowing alcohol for the rest of the day!

Hooray! Support for my, literally, minutes old cause.

http://www.firejimtracy.com/

One of today's undercovered stories is the convergence of Izturis' and Beltre's OPS. Can Beltre pass Izturis before the All-Star Break? Victory seems assured, and yet, there's that nagging feeling that another 5-50 slump is right around the corner.

According to MLB.com's stats,
Dodger pitchers have given up 139 runs with 2 outs.
130 with 1 out.
82 with no outs.

So, it just seems like 75%. The Dodger pitchers have an ERA of 5.55 with 2 outs.
That's the 9th worst in the majors. Cincinnati and Tampa Bay are the two worst, but those pitching staffs are bad no matter what the situation is.

Dodger pitchers have given up 29 homers with 2 outs, which is 6th worst.

Reds pitchers have given up 47 homers with 2 outs.

I'm really glad that I'm not a Reds fan.

111 -- It's the least I can do, given that I stuck you with Mountjoy and all.

Schadenfreude Update
Oakland 10, San Francisco 0 in the 4th

San Diego-Seattle Update
4-1 Padres in the 4th
Beltre is 1 for 2 and batting .263.

Jeff Weaver, meet the Appropriate Result Of Going 3-0 On Orlando Cabrera. Appropriate Result Of Going 3-0 On Orlando Cabrera, meet Jeff Weaver.

DBacks lead the Tigers 3-0. "Old Friend" Shawn Green hit a 2-run home run.

113 - Do you think there is a ingrown bias towards runs after an out or two? It would seem that runners would be more likely to be on or in scoring position after one or two outs. That said, I would imagine that the most productive would be one out since even bases loaded with two outs often yields nothing.

The White Sox are living right. Ozzie Guillen pinch hits Timo (.203) Perez for Pablo (.299) Ozuna to lead off the 9th against Ryan Dempster.

And Perez gets a walk.

I think Ross would have had two home runs in Las Vegas today, too bad he isn't playing there.

Hope Lowe can make it through 7th. Tracy shouldn't give him too much rope because we really need this win and the bullpen is well rested. Also, the offense needs to pick it up and get at least 1 or 2 more runs.

3 BB for Lowe so far, what happened to the strike machine that had like 10 balls in a game?

Lowe's pitch counts is getting pretty high now. Tracy should start having someone warm instead waiting till we lose the lead.

I think teams are always going to score more after 1 or 2 outs because more hitters have come up to bat.

It's just really annoying when a team scores with 2 outs.
The annoyance factor is always a big thing.

As for the Dodger offense:
0 outs: 90 runs
1 out: 132 runs
2 outs: 104 runs

The Cardinals have the most 2 out runs. The Dodgers are next to last, only Toronto is worse.

Was that rally-killing double play more scrappy or clutch?

14-0 A's. 5th Inning

16-0 A's over the Giants in the 5th

I wonder what the pct is for letting leadoff batter get on base. We sure like to put leadoff batters on base.

Giants were just warned about bean balls...it appears to be the only option to keep the ball away from the A's bats.

124 - I definately agree about the annoying thing, I was just wondering if there was an explanation. Some of Weaver's meltdown's where he get two quick outs and then gives up hit after hit have sent me on LBJ like strings of vulgarity.

125- Also, do you get two Olneys if it's a productive double play? Half an Olney?

I thought this is what they got proven closer LaTroy Hawkins for.

I just read (seriously) that the Braves are "thinking of" dealing Dan Kolb. Ummmm...ok.

Lowe does not look too good today. We should go to the bullpen in the 6th before Lowe blows up again. Tracy never seems to take any chance but always waits too late to go to the bullpen.

If I'm not mistaken, Beltre just passed Izturis in OPS. Speeches!

131 -- Double the Olneys, double the fun!

Leadoff hitters in an inning have an OBP of .319 against the Dodgers.

Surprisingly, some fairly good pitching teams are worse such as St. Louis, Atlanta, and Florida.

135. Probably other teams make better pitches with runners on base.

Wow. How 'bout them A's.

Today Dusty Baker had Corey Patterson (.276 OBP) batting leadoff. See Steve, someone always has it worse.

Probably other teams make better pitches

Since the Dodgers have allowed a relatively low number of runs with 0 outs, they aren't likely giving up too many home runs to start the game.

But there was a stretch in late May, where it seemed that every home game opened with the Dodger starter letting the first two guys on and at least one of them would score.

I saw Weaver in the home opener let the first give guys score and in another game let the first three guys get on and then give up a grand slam.

Again, very, very high annoyance factor when this happens.

X Nady is being semi-"good" Choi-like this weekend, 4-7, 3 HR's and a triple, something like 5 RBI's, and his HR today went into the top balcony of the Western Metals building.

With Nevin joining Ramon and Eaton on the DL, and Roberts probably out for at least the opener, it's just about a fair fight?

Mariners just tied it on a 3-run "job" by Rivera.

137 - Now imagine being Rich Harden, he will be 4-3 at the end of this game and probably around 500 for the year. Yet his ERA is 2.7 and his run support will be inflated by the one game the A's hit in.

138 -- No, no. I still have to watch Derek Lowe every five days. Like being pecked to death by a very expensive duck.

Should have taken Lowe out. He is starting to CRACK. Angels are great at situational hitting.

The wrong Izturis comes through!

144 -- maybe we can trade them Repko

I feel bad for Lowe - but I am feeling good about UT, they are close to winning the College World Series.

My eyes deceive me. Dodgers threw out someone trying to steal second...

Cesar Izturis was born 2/10/80.
Maicer Izturis was born 9/12/80.

How did that work?

It is legal to intentionally throw the bat at the pitch?

They're half brothers.

150- thanks.

Lowe is not really a 1 or 2, although Depo signed him as 1 or 2. Lowe relies too much on defense and no 1 or 2 should dominate without relying so much on defense. Even Penny is not really a 1 or 2. He has low K pct. The dodgers have basically lot of good 3 or 4 starters.

It's the umpire's discretion as to whether or not the batter interferes in that situation.

Since MIzturis was out, it was a moot point.

Our offense is one-dimensional today.

But it will have to do.

148 -- cloning banjo-hitting shortstops that can't steal bases? Last night's prophecies are coming true. I must say 1,000 Holy Chois

Wow, Werth his weight in gold.

Jayson the Baptist comes through again, Choi bless him.

Now that is situational hitting.

Now we tied it, Tracy better not stay with Lowe next inning and HOPE to get 1 more inning. But I bet Tracy will try to squeeze 1 more inning and take a chance. We have enough relievers to use.

Is anyone up in the pen?

The Angels do have the highest batting average with runners in scoring position at .303

Tampa Bay is second.

The Brewers hit .225, yet have scored just 27 fewer runs than the Angels.

With Werth producing, the return of Drew and Bradley gives me hope.

A heart of the order featuring Drew-Kent-Bradley-Werth-Saenz could be intimidating.

Since we can't get any hits with RISP, we need at least 1 more home to win this.

Only four more hitters until Perez-Saenz-Werth gives us our last chance to win it!

My Korean neighbors just went nuts as a woman named Birdie Kim holed out a bunker shot on the 18th for a birdie to put her ahead by one.

Birdie is not her given name.

These same neighbors also got every excited when Choi had his 3-homer game.

choi has not looked very good at the plate at all. i dont think everyone ate thier eel today to help choi out.

Theoretically, couldn't Kent pinch-hit at some point today?

I think the Dodgers are 1-1 with runners in scoring position today. Saenz doubled before Werth's first homer.

New nickname: Getting Our Money's

Don't take Lowe out, I need him to get a win for my fantasty team, I mean, errr, he's got an inning left in him.

A golfer named Birdie is like a ball player named Homer... oh, I'm sure there've been a few (Bush, for one).

Werth's "job" was Bo Jackson like. Was it an all-star game when he hit the tarp covering the CF seats in Anaheim?

In the 8th, the M's have Randy Winn on 3rd and Sexson up. Seanez pitching.

Giants just gave up their DH spot...I guess it doesn't matter much when you are down by 16.

A's 16 runs on 23 hits
Giants 0 runs on 1 hit

Sexson flies out to deep center. According to Gameday it was past the fence. Day-um.

Runner on third with one out for the M's

Beltre grounds out
Sexson flies out

Still tied.

I am for this -- it helps when Cabrera is leading off the inning.

166 comes close to blaspheming, but the second sentance keeps him on the happy side of hell. Truly, Choi is flawless, it is we who fail him. As the braintrust of the Mountjoy dynasty once (nearly) said, "America, bless Choi."

Grab makes a grab. Please Lowe just get one more out.

You know in the AL, when you pinch hit/run for the DH and the pitcher has to hit? I love that.

Aggressive Angel hitters have no interest in getting into our bullpen. Very stupid.

#175 Thanks, Bob!

You lose the DH when the DH comes into play defense.

Beltre now leads Izturis by .006 - a margin Cesar could make up in his next at-bat! Go get 'em, Izzy!

Saenz was pinch run for last night, I think he was the DH.

Silver lining update: Damian Jackson just hit his SECOND HR of the game. First was a leadoff job. Why do bad things happen to good people? Because bad things happen to everybody.

The two women tied for second at the US Open were amateurs so they will have to split their second place prize of $0.

Birdie Kim picked her first name because there were too many other Kims and she wanted something unique.

I think this bodes well for Choi's next AB. He will take a Frankie Rodriguez slider into the rocks!

I'm pretty sure 'Grabowski' isn't Polish for 'graceful'.

Other than Kent, the dodgers bench is so bad (Robles, Rose, Repko), I hope we don't play extra innings.

180- They've probably heard of the groundswell of support for making Erickson the closer. They're scared.

Thanks Bob for clearing up the DH thing. How often would you guess that happens? Once a decade?

Thou shalt put no other gods before Hee

Sad state of Dodger pitching. When a starter goes 6 or 7 innings and gives up 3 runs, we have to say we're lucky.

I think you see the DH go into the field about 10-20 times a year overall in the AL. Either the teams get shorthanded or there's a blowout.

These youngsters in Anaheim are just plain ugly. Is that why Vin hasn't done any "Tots Shots?"

Tracy should have Donnelly's glove checked.

Gamecast's Cody Ross picture makes him look like a demented munchkin.

Here comes our hope! Perez/Saenz/Werth

Otherwise, we have to get about three more innings of scoreless ball.

We need some of our starters to give us a dominant start (7 or more innings with 1 or less runs). I wonder if they keep these stats similar to QUALITY START. We should call them DOMINANT START. No 1 or 2 pitcher should have many of these.

Donnelly really has that "tar-ball" working today.

At least if it does go extra, Derek Thompson should be rested and ready to go. . .Oh, wait. My bad.

And Choi! I forgot Choi! Really, I just forgot. Please don't clone any more Izturises and send them to wreak havoc on America's baseball diamonds

These days, any average pitcher looks like All Star and good pitchers look like Cy Young.

Frankly, this new camera technology blows my mind.

Will they have Vlad bunting?

Oh Boy, another leadoff runner. Angels are so good at scoring when leadoff runner gets on. At least Guerrero won't bunt. Dodgers have problems handling bunts.

Ooh, Duaner vs. Vladimir.

This is going to be ... um ... interesting? Exciting? Different? Intriguing? Worrisome? Nettlesome? Vexatious? Enervating?

M's just made the highly unusual 8-6-3 DP. Sweeney was on first, Klesko hit a shot to center, guessing CF caught a ball he had no business getting (Reed had great range) and they doubled Sweeney off of first via the cutoff man. Would love to see the tape.

197 - You seem to be harping on this theme and while I agree, you need your starters to do more than just go 6 IP, 3ER every game (4.5 ERA) when a starter does go 7 IP, 3ER it shouldn't cause for weeping and gnashing of teeth. The problem right now is the hitting, not the pitching (hey weren't we saying the opposite in May?).

This could be the game if Duaner doesn't get Guerrero out.

196: you think? To me he looks like Don Drysdale run over by a steamroller.

Sea lead off 1B

never mind, Boone hits into DB

Sanchez scares me. Vlad with a hit. geez.

SD wins. Dodgers soon to be 6.5 back

11-0 DBacks over the Tigers.
Green is 3 for 3 with 4 RBI and 2 HR.

SD wins.

When is the next Angels - Nationals matchup :) ? Robbie vs. Mike

Word to the wise...don't throw him a fastball.

216,
World Series I suppose.

Well we knew that was coming.

that ball was misplayed. should have been caught.

#214 Wow, Green sure has changed. He is the Kevin Willis of baseball.

wow. nice. 5-3 LA Angels of Anaheim. Thanks Sanchez.

why is Cody Ross in? he can't hit and can't field. we should have had Repko in the late innings.

Wow, would've been interesting if Erstad had slid, with Guerrero right on his heels.

2-11 on this road trip from hell

They have to chant "Sweep! Sweep!" since "Beat L.A." is no longer appropriate.

220
You're right, Ross took his eye off the ball, looked back, and couldnt catch up to the angle of the ball.

i wonder if we'll ever get to .500 again this season.

Choi almost blew that one again.

The 24-1 hit disparity between Oakland and San Francisco today looks weird.

Bring in erickson.

Boy Choi sure showed his cat-like agility there

Damnit.

I often wonder how Sanchez keeps his ERA so long. It seems that every time I pay attention to him, he's giving up runs.

Is it too much to ask to have a game where we score more than 5 and the other team does not?

I knew 3 runs wouldn't be enough. We must have terrible record when we score 3 runs or less.

Is Cesar nicer than Maicer? Not today.

Not sure if this has been discussed, Tim Brown of the Times listed possibilities (not that they are officially on the block, but perhaps their names have been tossed around) for the Dodgers:

"So, presumably, they could afford, say, Preston Wilson ($12.5 million), Geoff Jenkins ($7.3 million), Hideki Matsui ($8 million), Matt Lawton ($7.8 million), Gary Sheffield ($11.5 million) or Mark Kotsay ($6.5 million). And the likes of Adam Dunn ($4.6 million), Carl Everett ($4 million) or Aubrey Huff ($4.9 million) would be that much easier."

Would 2-11 be the worst Dodger road trip ever?

At least we helped one LA team to go to the playoffs.

At least the slowest man in organized baseball is hitting.

Is it too early to give up on the season?

These dodgers have no passion or emotion. I guess they just accept the defeatist attitude because they are being paid pretty well whether they lose or not. I hope we had jobs that wasn't based on performance.

When in doubt, I always look to 1992 for guidance. That year the Dodgers had 1-10 road trip.

The Brooklyn teams probably had worse ones, but in the old days teams would have 20 game homestands followed by 20 game road trips when they had to go out to the "West" of St. Louis, Chicago and Cincinnati.

I guess it's hard to get excited for a game when your line-ups not only filled with minor leaguers, but career minor leaguers. Grabowski? Ross? Edwards? Sounds very Royals-like to me.

I wish the season was over.

239,
Bill Plaschke gave up on the team on Opening Day, so you aren't late to the paarty.

I guess we have to accept that the Dodgers are not very good team and just accept the losses and look forward to next year. It's getting too stressful and frustrating.

Bob, have a really great time in Japan!

No doubt we'll have a 7 game win streak in your absence :)

Questionn for everyone: How long does Izturis stay in the leadoff spot? Does DePo have to move him in order to get that out machine away from the Blue?

Its frustrating, but Izzy has no business getting the most at bats on the team.

Speaking of the Royals, they lost today. But the big surprise was that Lima started at Coors and did not give up a home run. Lima still lost.

At least we will have Gagne starting next season. We should just bring up the Minor Leaguers and just chalk it up this year to learning experience. Maybe, we can get rid of Drew and his hugh contract.

Saenz should be on second!

Yeah you will definately be missed. As for the dodgers, if the Giants can come back from 15.5 out, then I am not going to give up on this half of our team at 6.5 out.

That was inexcusable of Saenz.

That's grat Old Maid is walking to first. What a passionate group.

240- If they cared about losing the way you wished they did, they'd all be flameouts. Most of baseball is failure. You can't sit down and cry every time something goes wrong. Even if it happens three times a day. Or eleven times out of thirteen.

Oh, okay, I didn't know he was that gimpy. Which is more bad news in itself.

252
Absolutely

Is Kent going to bat for Choi?

247. I think our offense started having problems with Izzy's slump. Tracy is so stubborn that he doesn't use any common sense or logic anymore. It's his way or no way.

Pontious Tracy pulls Choi.

Could use a mini-Gibson moment here.

Pontius, even.

If Depo gives up on this season, I hope that he keeps the younsters in the minors. Most of them are not quite ready to make the jump yet, so it would just be starting their six-year clocks earlier than needed. Might as well lose with this team and keep the talent around as long as possible.

Choi would have hit his popup a little farther than Kent would have.

Ugh why not wait and replace Phillips instead? I hate Tracy.

Saenz didn't want first base to be open so they would have to pitch to Babe Werth.

Who needs Adam Dunn, we have Werth.

Do you think a loss bothers us more than it bothers a particular player (Jeff Kent excluded).

i think kent just wanted to go back and sit down in the dugout

Is Drew too hurt to even get 1 PH appearance.

I hope Drew is WELL RESTED for SD.

Tracy is just saving Drew for when they really need him.

Time for Edwards to atone his years in the minors with a 3-run job to put it away.

He must be if they are leaving Edwars in to bat.

I do think that the way DaVanon played Saenz's popup may make the way Ross played Anderson's ball a bit more understandable.

Yeah Drew coming in for Edwards sounds pretty good right now.

When will the home games cease to sell out? Only then will there be any real pressure on any of the guilty parties.

#259 I hope you are kidding. Choi is 1 for 9 in series. I want Tracy to PH Kent for Choi

#262: Thank you for making the point that I was going to make. If we're going to lose anyways, leave the kids in the minors. One of the things that bad teams consistently do poorly is bringing kids up too soon. Prospects are only extremely valuable if they are performing very well for league-minimum. If you bring them up early, when they'd perform average or slightly better, you lose this opportunity.

I don't think attendance will have much to do with it.

The 1992 Dodgers had the second highest attendance in the National League despite a 63-99 team and having four games turned into doubleheaders because of widescale riots in the city.

Have a good trip, Bob. Drop in whenever you can.

Glad to see Trace pinch hit our best HR hitter, and let Phillips hit...

I hate Tracy. If DePo cant reason enough to fire him after this road trip, then I think we're going to be stuck with him all year.

You dont bat Izzy leadoff!
You dont pinch hit your HR's leader when you actually need a HR.

Its sickening.

At least the A's are hot.

276- he should have pinch hit Kent for Phillips.

I like Choi as much as the next guy, but he was likely going to be owned by K-Rod if he stayed in. I don't like the matchup of a swing-and-miss type against a dominating strikeout pitcher. At least Kent and Phillips were both pretty good bets to put the ball in play. The decision could certainly go either way, but that's one situation where I don't really fault Tracy for pinch-hitting for Choi.

Do you think we can get anything good for Olmedo, assuming Tracy didn't break him? The Angels are looking for a DH, right?

1992 was only a handful of years after a World Series Championship.
And fans and others alike want something to rally around after an episode on the scale of riots.

I can see stadium counts falling sharply just for the fact that the Dodgers have been sucking so hard and for so long.

Sorry Bear can't agree. Why is Choi so untouchable? He may be the team leader in HRs but that is not a big accomplishment considering its the Dodgers. Choi has shown himself to be one of the streakest hitters on the team. He has also shown he is ice cold. He isn't even making "hard" outs. Tracy has given him a chance to play all three games, hopefully the consistant ABs will get Choi hot again. But for those who think Tracy should be drawn and quartered the move to hit Kent for Choi was, IMO, the right move and at a minimum reasonable.

There are reasons to be critical of Tracy and I understand why many don't like him, but let's be fair. Not every move by Tracy is a bad one.

But the Dodgers attendance just isn't going to fall dramatically? People in L.A. like to go to Dodger games.

What do you consider a sharp decline?
School is out so the attendance is likely to go up.

I don't foresee Dodger Stadium turning into Stade Olympique.

The LA Clippers draw very well. And they are one of the worst franchises in professional sports.

#283 I don't mean to be Tracy's great defender today but the reference to Tracy "breaking" Olmedo is a little unfair. First the guy played DH today. How fragile can he be? Second, who should Tracy have used otherwise? Not a lot of options out there. Finally, Old Maid has come through the last few games. So playing him was the right choice. Otherwise the Dodgers might be 8.5 back.

Well, rats. At least I got the laundry done.

Have a good trip, Bob. Bring omiyage back for the board.

I think the remark in 283 was facetious. Tracy had remarked earlier in the week that he was fearful of hurting Saenz by playing him too much.

The Dodgers consistently have high attendance numbers. That's one of the reasons I'm annoyed at the sterotype of Dodger fans being indifferent. The Dodgers haven't had many (if any) top teams the last ten years but they're always at or near the top in attendance.

#289 Bob, if you are right, than "oh never mind." ala Emily LaTella.

Travel safely. BYW is Icaros moving in to take care of the cat?

My cat is being put into the Witness Protection Program.

You guys are wrong.

The option is to bat Kent for Choi, over Kent for Phillips, or Kent for Edwards.

That is the situation.

You maximize your chances.

Hee Seop Choi is a better hitter than Mike Edwards.

Hee Seop Choi is a better hitter than Jason Phillips.

Hee Seop Choi could go an Izturis-like 0 for 300, and he would still be a better hitter than either of those two.

Would Tracy bring in ANYBODY to hit for 2-173 Izturis in that situation?

Of course not.

When your options are limited, you don't make them worse.

Kent bats for Phillips.

Speaking of trips to Japan, one of the travel agencies out here is offering 4 days, 3 nights airfare to and hotel in Tokyo for $719.

My trip will be a week and less than that because one of my brothers who travels all over the place for business gave me a free ticket.

I guess flights from Honolulu to Tokyo aren't as bad as ones from LAX. The jet lag wouldn't be as bad. It would just be bad, instead of miserable.

You could fly out to Tokyo and cheer on Hawaii's own Benny Agbayani on the first place Chiba Lotte Marines!

#291: Indeed. My comment was intended for Bob, as he has been the one making the "don't break my Olmedo" comments..

Have a great time Bob!

Sorry Bob and Blue. That's what I get for chimming in without following the threads for the last couple of days.

I'm still sitting here and I can't believe, particularly can't believe, that my friend Fearing Blue isn't grabbing his pitchfork in this situation. I'm sorry, did I miss where Jason Phillips was kicking ass on this road trip? Did I miss Mike Edwards' four-hit game? Why would you drink Mike Edwards Kool-Aid after 50 at-bats? You think Mike Edwards is going to save us -- develop into a .330/20 HR, five-tool guy?

Choi is flawed. But he's the guy. That's the guy that has to step up. And if he fails, then we'll all have to live with that. But if you are going to seriously hang your hat on...Mike Edwards...then you are simply playing out the string, with no hope of winning anything at all.

I'd rather die trying.

I flew from Tokyo (well, Yokota AFB) to Honolulu (well, Hickam AFB) once in 1974, but I have no memory of how long the flight was. Since it was probably on a KC-141, I'm sure it was miserable.

Why is Choi so untouchable?

Why is Izturis so untouchable? Or, if you prefer, why is Phillips so untouchable? Those two have virtually disappeared. But there was Phillips, again, swinging for the game.

Choi is "untouchable" because he's all we have. That's it and that's all. Love him, hate him, love DePo, hate DePo, love Tracy, hate Tracy. He has 13 home runs. What has anyone else done? Should we have Grabowski playing first? Or (God forbid) Repko?

This team sucks. Tracy's only job is to make it suck the least. An inning where you bat for Choi, but let Phillips (pronounced with disgust) and Edwards (ditto) hit, is a waste of a chance.

some good news.

laroche 2-2, 1b and 2run homerun
young- 2-2, 1b, 2 run 2b
guzman- 1-1 2 run 1b

8-0 top of the 2nd no outs ha.

#301: I would have let Choi bat, but at this point I guess I'm picking my battles. Pulling Choi for Kent is certainly not letting Odalis hit with the bases loaded.

#302: For those who are interested in rooting for a winning team, the game is being broadcast online, www.jaxsuns.com.

bases loaded, no outs for joel guzman.

And Dodger Thoughts has temporarily become "Suns Thoughts"

I had to run, right after the game, or, I see, I would have had some SINNERS to damn. With two outs, maybe Our Loving Savior gets pulled for Kent. But Choi shouldn't get pulled in any inning that Edwards doesn't.

He wasn't looking great today (as 166 pointed out, that was our collective fault) but it's not true that Hee's been an easy out all series. He was hitting Santana hard yesterday.

I don't want to argue about whether streak hitting is as mythical as clutch hitting, but even if there is such a thing, does that mean you can avoid the bad patches by not letting Him hit? How do you know when to put Him back in?

Is Werth eligible for arbitration after this year? Does his playing time prior to last year count as one of his team-controlled years?

#308: He won't have three full years of service time, so if he becomes arbitration eligible it will be as a Super-Two. If he gets back to 2004 form, that seems fairly likely.

301: maybe because Izturis was 3-4 with an RBI?

Oops, wrong Izturis.

It looks like Hong-Chih Kuo is about to make his Suns debut in relief (assuming anyone besides me cares).

309 -- Why would his performance affect his arbitration status? Isn't arbitration solely based on playing time?

Is Kuo projected to be a reliever or starter?

311- I care. Thanks for keeping any eye on it.

You know what, Izturis could be good trade material... Never thought of that.

#312: Players are eligible for arbitration after 3 years, or after 2 years if they are deemed to be in the top third of 2 year service time performers (Super-Twos).

I say lets fire Paul DeStupida. Fire the entire team with the exception of Gagne, Izturis and Bradley.

Moneyball sucks.

Ross Porter, if your reading, Karma can be a real SOB can't it! :)

316 -- thanks

#313: He was originally projected as a starter, and has started 3 games this year, with 9 appearances outt of the pen. But, after two Tommy John surgeries, the Dodgers may keep him in relief for health reasons.

He just struck a guy out with a 97-mph heater.

kuo will be a reliever. his arm will fall off if we make him into a starter.

anyways, he jsut hit 97 on the gun. billy wagney 2.0?

#316: I was wrong. I relied on my memory, which is always a bad idea. Here are the arbitration rules I found on some random Brewers website:

http://www.brewerfan.net/baseballfaq.jsp

When does a player become eligible for salary arbitration?
A player with three or more years of service, but less than six years, may file for salary arbitration. In addition, a player can be classified as a "Super-Two" and be eligible for arbitration with less than three years of service. A player with at least two but less than three years of Major League service shall be eligible for salary arbitration if he has accumulated at least 86 days of service during the immediately preceding season and he ranks in the top seventeen percent in total service in the class of Players who have at least two but less than three years of Major League service, however accumulated, but with at least 86 days of service accumulated during the immediately preceding season.

Just hit 98-mph on a inside fastball for a strike.

KUO IS THE TRUTH

even though he is pretty wild at the moment.

So, are our starters turned relievers in Jacksonville going to be the makings of a great bullpen in the next few years or are they trade bait?

im hoping for a great bullpen.

Tommy,

You need to get out of the Hamptons and back to La Habra. You've become a knee-jerk-New-York-tabloid-style-instant-gratification Mets/Yankees type fan.

Loney just hit an opposite-field double off the wall. Now every position player has a hit on the night.

loney went opposite field off the left field wall for a double.

#325: Indeed. Possible bullpen for next year:

Gagne
Brazoban
Broxton / Kuo
Osoria
Alvarez
Stults / Thompson

broxton,kuo and brazoban setting up gagne would totally unfair :)

oh kuo is coming in for his 2nd inning. lets crank it up to 100 kuo. come on dont be a wuss.

325 -- Yeah, a bullpen full of fireballers would be nice. I would be worried that they would be traded, but I am still confident that Depo has a plan for long-term success.

Depo is probably coming up with a list of players he could get for Weaver.

#330: If Brazoban succeeds in the closer role, would you trade him in the offseason while his value is high?

#332: Weaver and Saenz are the likely trade targets.

#330,
I would think Brazoban, if successful, will be held on to as an insurance policy. There's still a doubt that Gagne could come back. Brazoban is inexpensive.

Somebody would have to offer the Dodgers a stud starting pitcher to get rid of Brazoban.

334- Saenz? I like him (I don't say so often enough because it seems disloyal to Choi) but do you think there are other teams that want him?

#335: If Brazoban obtains the official "Closer" label, we should be able to get a top young pitcher for him. I'd make that trade, especially with the bullpen depth we have coming up through the minors.

#336: I'm sure the Angels would love to have him as a DH, though I'm not sure we could get much in return.

kuos hit 99 and is sitting 97-98 with a nasty breaking ball that started at the hitters fast and breaking over the plate lol. how can lefties hit him?

The Suns announcer wants to have Kuo's baby. He's hit 98 at least 8 times, and 99 once.

fast= face.

my mind is too enarmored with kuos "fastness"

hahaha kuo strikes out 4 batters in the inning. wow

What do you think that Depo would try to get for Weaver and/or Saenz? Do you think he would take A or AA prospects or would he want people who could contribute next year?

Since the Dodgers need a short-term bridge to get to all of the pitchers in Jacksonville right now, I would be happy if Depo worked a three-way deal with Weaver. Weaver to some other team in contention that needs pitching (Orioles and Phillies spring to mind). That team sends prospects to Reds or Pirates. Dodgers get Aaron Harang or Kip Wells. If Depo were able to get a good starting pitcher who could play next year, I would be happy.

310 -- Believe me when I say that I'm sorry about that $30 million albatross playing for you between second and third for the next four years. As for me, one overrated Izturis is enough -- another one playing for the Angels will send me right back to the Looney Bin.

307 -- How do you know when to put Him back in?

Don't you know? -- Choi is God and Tracy is his prophet.

303 -- If the fight is between Hee Seop Choi and (Seinfeldian "Newman" inflection assumed here) Phillips and Edwards, I'll fight that battle until my dying day.

Kuo's Appearance:

6th inning:
Strikeout.
Hard groundout to 2B.
Bloop single over 1B.
Walk.
Strikeout.

7th inning:
Strikeout, passed ball.
Bloop single to center.
Strikeout.
Strikeout.
Strikeout.

Only one player hit the ball hard and it was a groundout. Six strikeouts in two innings. One player swung (and missed) at a breaking ball at his head before striking out. If this guy stays healthy, he's going to be very, very nasty.

A midseason Dodgers-Angels trade would be unprecedented.

The two teams haven't made an offseason trade since 1976.

We should choose one day where the Gameday Thread is for the Suns instead of the Dodgers. It will help get us used to the team that will be in LA in the next two years.

Poor Huntsville. After facing Kuo for 2 innings, they now have to face Billingsley for 2 innings.

billingsley isnt right.. double and single.

#343: I would trade Weaver to the Phillies for Gavin Floyd, but I doubt they would make that trade.

Looking through prospect lists, I just noticed that one of the Angels top prospects is named Bob Zimmermann.

Bob Zimmermann is a St. Louisan.

He's not related.

suns pitchers from the 6th inning on:
kuo- 6th and 7th
cbills- 8th
the bull- 9th

damn, i wish i was at this game.

Broxton just hit 99 on strike three to the first batter.

Jacksonville pitching staff:

Starters:
P: Chad Billingsley
P: Edwin Jackson
P: Justin Orenduff
P: Joel Hanrahan
P: William Juarez / Eric Hull

Bullpen:
Closer: Jonathan Broxton
Setup #1: Hong-Chih Kuo
Setup #2: Carlos Alvarez

That's one nasty pitching staff.

Second strikeout for Broxton.

LaRoche continues to crush the baseball. He went 4 - 4 tonight, with a HR, 2B (two feet from a HR), and 2 1Bs.

#355: He went 4 -for 5 that is.

LaRoche leads professional baseball with 26 HRs in 290 ABs.

Since we're on the topic, I may as well ask for your opinion. Before LaRoche turned into Babe Ruth, I think most people, including myself, just assumed that Guzman would be moved to 3B rather soon. Assuming LaRoche might be the Future Thirdbaseman, where does Guzman play next season and beyond? OF, SS, 3B??

And yes, I think Jax is far more interesting to follow than LA right now.

rf,lf,ss,1b are all still options for guzman.

He's REALLY going to have to tank before we move him to 1B. There's not much sense in pushing a guy all the way from one end of the defensive spectrum to the other without at least a couple stops in the middle.

I think the Dodgers need to keep Cesar. He might be hitting poorly, but I still think that he is the best defensive SS in baseball. Guzman at short would be a disaster. Maybe they can put Guzman in left because Drew will be in right for another 4.5 years.

#361: If we don't extend Bradley, Drew could move to CF with Guzman in RF.

The difference in offense between Guzman and Cesar makes up for a whole lot of defense.

Saenz is said to strained his hip flexor? I seriously think that God read Moneyball this offseason and decided to set the game back 20 years. Either that or Satan is a Giants fan. Perform an exorcism in the clubhouse!

"The power of Choi compells you, the power of Choi compells you!"

362 -- That's true, but I think that we will extend Bradley. With Drew's "injury" history, we couldn't afford to let Bradley go. Also, I think that Bradley would show a hometown discount if the Dodgers were to try to extend him. I know that term gets thrown around a lot, but he seems to like being in LA. He grew up in Long Beach and seems to appreciate the second (and third) chances that the Dodgers have given him. Given how cheap some position players will be (LaRoche, Guzman, and maybe Delwyn Young) in the coming years, the Dodgers will have the money to spend on Bradley.

Grand Cosmo,
I haven't had so much fun in regards to rooting against the Yankees, its been a real blast. Everyone here is ready for purple Koolaid.

On Friday, I was at a hardware store in Riverhead, and on the counter they had these packages of talking bottle openers with Mets and Yankees logos. I then noticed what looked to be Larry, Moe & Curley Joe on one of the other packages and remarked to a whole slew of people waiting in line to cash out, "Hey look how appropriate, they've got the Yankees bottle opener right next to the Three Stooges one!"

The guy taking my money responded in New Yark-ese, "Yeah, you got that right!" and then all of the people in line started talking about how bad the Yankees are.

I walked out of there with a grinning smile ear to ear!

But then again, we've got our own Three Stooges in McCourt, DeStupida and Tracy.

Tommy,
You're not exactly turning this into the Algonquin Roundtable here.

Yeah, your right!

Bob, I'm telling you though, I'm dying to get home. (Are you going on a trip or something?)

Bob is going to the land where the Big Gaijin is revered.

Tommy,
I'm off to help negotiate a treaty with the North Koreans to get them to stop their nuclear program.

I'll be back in a week.

Izturis means too much to the pysche of the pitching staff, we need to keep as our cornerstone for years to come. Put Guzman in LF, let him worry about hitting.
Remember how much better Lowe pitched after the redsox added Cabrera.

How many abs this series did Solo-Shot Choi swing at the first pitch?

Ideal Lineup Post-All Star Break:

Versus Lefties:
1. Perez
2. Izturis
3. Drew
4. Kent
5. Bradley
6. Saenz
7. Werth
8. Phillips

Versus Righties:
1. Izturis
2. Trade or Choi
3. Drew
4. Kent
5. Bradley
6. Werth
7. Trade or Valentin
8. Navarro

I don't know about the first two games, but Choi only swung at the first pitch once in his three ABs today.

He saw 13 pitches in his 3 trips to the plate.

Heato,I disagree that Guzman would be a disaster at short.Have you seen him play?I have twice(and will again tomorrow and tuesday)He has very good range,although his throws could improve.If he hits the way he projects,I'd take him over Isturis in a minute.
Other impressions:Delwyn Young gets his money's worth every swing.He hits the ball hard consistently.Loney is a tremendous defensive first baseman(Wes Parkeresque).He needs to be more agressive early in counts as he takes too many first pitch strikes and gets defensive at bat.Laroche will be our starter at third for years.Martin looks good behind the plate and at the plate.
The current major league nightmare will pass and many of these kids will shine in blue.

373 -- If you have seen him play at short, then I will defer my opinion. I have only seen his error numbers and heard that he has little range.

Do you live in/near Jacksonville? How did that pitching look today?

How did the home crowd react to the severe beating about the head and shoulders the Suns doled out? It looks like you will be seeing Hanrahan and Orenduff the next two nights. I would rather see Jackson and Orenduff, but it should be a good time.

374 - The Suns are playing in Huntsville, AL for the next two days.

Oops, I thought that the Suns were playing at home.

hey bill cox, come back tomorrow and the next day with full suns scouting reports! thanks!