Ok.. time to fess up. Who sent the following letter to the LA Times?

Does somebody pull a string from the back of Dodger Manager Jim Tracy before he conducts a postgame interview or does he just rattle off those redundant excuses and cliches on his own?

Larry Yells

Hermosa Beach

Jon, thank you for linking to the Robles article. It's sad that the good human interest stories about our team have to come from another team's newspaper.

Yawn, it's early.

Random Dodger game callback

July 9, 1915

Despite its ace pitcher, Jeff Pfeffer, getting knocked out of the box early, Brooklyn rallied from an early 7-1 deficit to defeat the first place Cubs, 8-7 in 10 innings at Ebbets Field before a crowd of about 4,000. The Dodgers balanced their record at 35-35, five games behind Chicago and tied for fourth with Pittsburgh.

The Cubs got to Pfeffer in the first, scoring twice on two hits and a walk. Brooklyn got one of them back in the bottom half, but in the top of the second Chicago's Cy Williams hit a home run to make it 3-1.

In the fourth, the Cubs knocked out Pfeffer, thanks to a triple from Vic Saier and Williams' second homer of the game. Manager Wilbert Robinson called on veteran Rap Rucker, and the now clichéd "soft-tossing lefty" kept the Cubs in check the rest of the game although the Dodgers were down 7-1.

But Brooklyn came back against Cubs starter George Pierce. The Dodgers scored a run in the bottom of the fourth to make it 7-2. In the sixth, Brooklyn had runners on first and third with two outs, when shortstop Ollie O'Mara scorched a liner down to third that Cubs third baseman Art Phelan couldn't handle and two runs scored to make it 7-4. Jake Daubert walked and Zack Wheat singled in O'Mara and sent Pierce out of the game in favor of Pete Standridge. George Cutshaw singled off of him to make it 7-6 Chicago.

In the sixth, an error set the stage for Rucker to drive in Lew McCarthy with the tying run. It was Rucker's second RBI of the day.

The game remained tied into extra innings. In the bottom of the tenth. O'Mara had a one-out single against Standridge. Daubert then doubled to right center to score O'Mara and send home the crowd happy for the weekend.

The Dodgers improved again in 1915 and finished 80-72, good enough for third place, 10 games behind surprising winner Philadelphia. What made the record even more surprising is that the Dodgers were outscored by 24 runs on the season. The third place finish was the best for the Dodgers since 1902.

Brooklyn was hard-pressed to mount much offense on the season. Daubert led the team with a .301 average. Wheat batted only .258, his worst year in his career.

Despite the bad outing this day, Pfeffer went 19-14 with a 2.10 ERA. (Pfeffer was the second Jeff Pfeffer to pitch for the Dodgers. His older brother, Big Jeff Pfeffer, pitched in the 1900s. Neither man's name was really Jeff and Big Jeff was actually smaller than Jeff.) Jack Coombs came over from the Philadelphia Athletics and went 15-10 with a 2.58 ERA. The veteran Rucker pitched in just 19 games with a 2.42 ERA. Rube Marquard wore out his welcome with the Giants and joined Brooklyn in August.

The National League was in flux in 1915. The rival Federal League had siphoned off players. The long dominant Pirates, Cubs, and Giants all finished in the second division with the Giants in last place. New teams had a chance to make it in to the World Series. But the change wouldn't last long.

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

Gotta go to work. My last day at Staples and then, I get to do my grown up job as a high school English teacher. I'll of course be inviting Bob to lecture on grammar as I ain't got much truck with that there stuff.

Seriously, just wanted to quickly thank all who responded to the Dodger Thoughts Adam Dunn Scouting Excursion and double thanks to Jon for posting info on it. The winning game was July 27th, by the by. I'll send Jon a report on the game, Jon will (ahem) edit judiciously... it should be fun.

One more thing: I'd like a win today, please. For my last day at Staples, let's make it an "easy" win.

2. But we did get some interesting info on Wunsch in today's paper. Who knew he was a bookworm?

In the LA Times, they made it sound like Tracy was blaming Choi for the miscue at first (i.e. the out could have been made if Choi didn't bobble the ball), though it was not a direct quote. I didn't see the game - is this accurate?

Also, it seems like more evidence Weisman's theory is correct: Tracy disparaging Choi's glove just seems like sour grapes. Suspect Tracy didn't like Choi, didn't want to trade for him, and maybe got The Trade shoved down his throat. If that's the case and we have Mr. Irresistable Force not playing nice with Mr. Immovable Object, the salient question may be: which is easier to replace, a first basemen who can hit like Choi for that little money, or Jim Tracy?

My two cents is that this conflict has been going on since Day One: last year, I went to the game when Gagne's save streak was blown by Lenny Harris. Choi had recently arrived on the Dodgers, and blew out of the tunnel out after the game like the unhappiest man you have ever seen. At least 30 minutes before anyone else.

Also, I know Simers is like a bad rash & we just need to ignore him until he goes away, but how the hell is he bitching about McCourt not opening up his wallet to free agents? Kent, Drew, Lowe and Perez? You'd rather spend your money on Beltre, Lo Duca, Mota, Finley and Cora?

6 - To me, Choi made a sloppy fielding play, but Brazoban was also not at first in time covering. Brazoban also, as Steve said in the comments last night, made a lousy hanging pitch to Ensberg on the final play. Whether Tracy talked about this but it didn't get reported, I don't know.

Small Sample Size Alert:

Dodger batters vs. Oswalt

Choi 1 for 5, 4 K
Dessesns 1 for 2, 1 K
Grabowski 0 for 1
Kent 0 for 1
Ledee 0 for 1
Werth 3 for 3

Those are the only players on the current 25-man roster who have batted against Oswalt.
He's faced the Dodgers just four times and is 2-2.

Oswalt is 14-0 in his career against the Reds.

Astros vs. Weaver

Ausmus 4 for 9
Berkamn 1 for 2, HR
Biggio, 3 for 10
Ensberg, 2 for 6
Everett, 1 for 6
Lamb, 4 for 14
Palmeiro, 3 for 12
Petitte, 1 for 2
Vizcaino, 2 for 6

I find it amusing that Tracy thinks Phillips is a better hitter than Choi. Has Hee really sunk that low?

Same starters as last night for the Dodgers but in a different order.

Edwards bats seventh and Grabowski 8th. Werth bats 4th and Phillips bats 5th.

First four the same for Houston (Taveres, Biggio, Berkman, Ensberg)

Then:
Lamb 1B
Palmeiro RF
Vizcaino SS
Ausmus C

That's Taveras, not Tavares.

Here are the July OPSes for our starting lineup:

Robles: .962
Repko: .983
Kent: .619
Werth: .730
Phillips: .749
Choi: .466
Edwards: .866
Grabowski: .301

In 277 career major league at-bats, Grabowski has posted a .641 OPS. Doesn't Henri Stanley, also a left-handed outfielder, have to be a better option at this point? Coming into this season, their minor league totals were remarkably similar.

I really wonder what Grabowski brings to the table. Does he make nice tapas? Or maybe a good Cobb salad?

Instead of getting the Dodgers game as the game of the week, I'm stuck with the Giants game and "Pet Keeping with Mike Marrone".

#13: Grabowski got a stay of execution after crushing the ball in his rehab assignment. His batting line of .474/.574/.737 in 11 games may have been enough to get him through this season. I can't imagine him coming back next year, but I guess stranger things have happened.

Yesterdays over/under results:

- DJ Houlton Over/Under is a merciful 5 IPs.
(OVER)
- Over/Under on Dodger runs is 2.
(PUSH)
- Over/Under on Dodger hits is 6
(OVER)
- Over/Under on Clemens Ks is 11.
(WAY UNDER)
vr, Xei

Today's over/under lines:

Weaver 6 2/3 IPs
Dodger Runs: 3
Dodger Hits: 8
Astro HRs: 2
Choi Total Bases: 1.5

vr, Xei

SB,
I don't think I correct grammar. I used to correct spelling until Jon told me to do it offline.

And I make enough typos to keep the spell check business alive and well.

Assuming San Diego keeps up their .540 winning percentage through the rest of the season, they would win 87 games. In order to catch them, the Dodgers would need to go 47 - 29 the rest of the way, a .618 winning percentage. Only the Cardinals (.640) and the White Sox (.679) have put up winning percentages above that level this season.

19. So you're saying we got a chance!!!!! That's greaaaaaaaaaaat!!! :)
vr, Xei

So, by doing it offline, does that mean you sit there and go "stupid poster...it potato, not potatoe" ?

Man, Psycho's sidekick sounds a lot like Harry Shearer...

17 -

Under
Over
Under (today is Dodger Scratch and Claw Day at the ballpark)
Over (Weaver at Enron + a couple of his famous "Momentary Lapses in Focus" brought to you by Cheech & Chong gives up 2 HRs & gets yanked, pen's good for at least 1 more)
Over

Ready for some sizzlin summer temperatures?
http://tinyurl.com/7ljxt
vr, Xei

is the game on tv?

So, anybody out there looking forward to the Bad News Bears remake?

The game is on FOX in the L.A. area, but I can't speak for the rest of the nation.

But I'm at work.

24. It's the Fox national game, but depending on where you are, may not be on.

vs. RHP in 2005:

AB - Phillips 184; Choi 189
AVG - Phillips .245; Choi .243
HR - Phillips 3; Choi 12
RBI - Phillips 24; Choi 29
OPS - Phillips .631; Choi .779

No justification whatsoever. I've made the switch:

www.firejimtracy.com

Thought the reason we gave Tracy the job was because the young guys we brought up from the system (Izturis, Lo Duca, Cora, Gagne), and were about to bring up (Thurston, Jackson, Hanrahan, etc.) all knew and respected him. Few of the purported reasons for hiring Tracy remain, and he does stupid shit that alienates the new talent: hitting Werth third ahead of Kent, the million slights to Choi, any time he's called Erickson's number, etc. There is a clear philosophical conflict between Tracy and management, which Tracy is refusing to accomodate. Most new GMs dump the manager/coach in short order; DePodesta has been magnanimous in this respect, but the gulf is too wide.

More to the point, can anyone see Tracy being an effective manager anywhere else?

a very "unscrappy" start for the boys in blue.
vr, Xei

The national game I'm getting is Giants-Cards, and it's not for a couple of hours yet. Grrr.

On the other hand, I have to see a dentist this morning anyway, so maybe if I'm not paying attention they'll win.

28. In case you missed it, Choi is lifetime 1 for 5 with 4 Ks vs Oswalt. Tracy is just playing the percentages! (Ok, you can laugh now).
vr, Xei

Being Jim Tracy "What the hell is Choi thinking, fouling off those balls like Goldilocks? A scrappy hitter could have have 5 scratch bunt singles and stolen second 4 times by now? Man, I still can't get over how sharp a Dodger uni looks sharp accentuated with a Gold Rolex. Those guys at Bernini know their stuff."

Good news is, we've made Oswalt throw 41 pitches in two innings.

Perhaps Palmeiro's homer will inspire Scrappy Repko to do the same later.

Lyons crushing on Repko big time. Called him one of the best outfielders in baseball.

That gold watch is a bit much. I wonder if there's a gold necklace to match dancing through chest hair. Maybe even a Camaro in his stadium parking space?

Great article about Oscar. It's extra sweet that he made his dream come true in front of Fernando. Interesting that even though he is Mexican, he was subject to the draft. That he was picked in the third round is a good indicator that his hitting is not a fluke.

For the fellow radio listeners, I ask who is more annoying:

1. Paul, I am the King of Big Screens
2. Larry Miller(or your mattress is Free!) of SitnSleep
3. Bobby, the kid who cavorts with the Dodgers' weakest fulltime announcer and tries to get people to donate cars.
4. The first ever draft choice of MLB (by the KC A's, a center field from ASU.)

Since you didn't mention Al Downing, I'll go with Bobby.

Fox announcer: No one has given up more HRs to pitchers than Weaver in a season since 1972.

We haven't even hit the all star break

38. Al Downing is fortunately a part timer, and thus ineligible for this competition.

39. Poor unlucky Jeff Weaver. Always having to face the leagues best hitting pitchers. :)
vr, Xei

40
Well, Without our pal Al, I give Bobby the nod, only because you get a double whammy of him and his buddy Rick in those damn commercials

37. Good question. I have to go with Bobby. Although he is working for a charity anyone who is responsible for giving Rick Monday more air time is the hands down winner in my book for most annoying.

Sit n' Sleep, in a landslide. Miller's charisma vacuum was bad enough by itself, but for adding "Irwin," he earned an eternal roasting in radio hell. The concept behind Irwin seems to be: "These radio spots need something, but what?" "How about we add Larry's beleaguered accountant?" "Great! But here's the twist: let's make him an Anti-Semitic stereotype!" "Hey, that's outside the box! And what would be really funny is...let's give him a death wish!"

I think Miller is Jewish as well - I've never known a Larry Miller who wasn't, which may make it even worse. And people wonder why satellite's kicking ass.

I like Paul. After all, he is the king!

Personally, I'm so sick of Sit N Sleep commercials I will never enter one of their stores. Besides, as far as I can tell, the name should be Sleep n Sleep. I never hear anything about chairs for sale.

or your matress is FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

45. He's the king of jerks too! Many years ago, I used to make up his ads for a local weekly. What a tyrant when it came to proofing them. If the ad came out perfect, he felt compelled to complain very loudly and adjust a type size or font.

I actually bought a bed from Sit and Sleep. Larry and Irwin are abnoxious but I got a good bed at a good price so I can't ding them. Never noticed the anti-senitism and I'm a member of the tribe.

So much for the Werth mulligan.

6&7

FSN showed a slow motion of the replay a few times last night. Had choi fielded it cleanly he would have he would had to wait for Braz, who knew he was late and tried to haul his butt to first. Although I thought Choi deserved an error, I was impressed by the nifty recovery and snap pass to Braz. Braz was impressed too-- he forgot to catch the ball.

The article on dodgers.com really makes it seem like Tracy thought the loss was because of Choi.

http://tinyurl.com/cx66k
"The play in the ninth inning opened a number of doors [for Houston]," Tracy said. "I think we do get [Taveras if Choi fields it cleanly]. He was in the right position. I thought we had a play."

This quote comes as no suprise to anyone on this site. Choi is a great character for taking this sort of blame and misuse. Sadly, there will be dodger fans picking up the LAtimes and tuning in to Rick and Charlie, who will believe nonsense such as: 'the game was lost by a Choi bobble' and 'Tracy's move of Phillip to 4th was ingenious'.

Yesterday the majority of sportcenter (a show i never watch, but there was nothing better at 3 in the afternoon) was spent talking about Epstein and Franvona vs. Sox players and talking about whether or not Dusty Baker should be fired and should take some blame for the Cubs' losing.

Somehow i could never concieve that the national media, or even our LATimes would ever dare talk about blaming Tracy for some losses or questioning his decisions. It's funny how all the media has to say about him is that "he is one of the best managers in the game" and "look what he did last season". I don't think the media even cares to know what is going on. Maybe they just sympathize with Trace because Depo is the 'bad guy'. I dunno. I'm mad and I need to study.

For those of us not watching, what's going on with Werth?

Choi goes for a triple? With Lyons in the booth? Dangerous move, Hee Seop.

Hee Seop Choi!

Marty, Good point about the chairs.

Announcer says "Dodger picked the wrong year to remove the names from the jersey." Lyons is now doing some McCourt butt-kissing to justify a piss-poor decision which Frank implicitly acknowledged was a mistake.

Isn't it an unwritten rule that ethnicities can make fun of themselves? Even in the media?

Apparently Oswalt balked before he made the pitch that Werth hit, so Kent got to go to 2nd and Werth got another pitch, resulting in a strikeout.

#50: Your read of the play was the same as mine. With the bobble, it was a tough play, but Choi made a great flip that Brazoban dropped. Even if Choi fields the ball cleanly, Brazoban still doesn't make it to the bag in time. It's possible that Tracy thinks Choi could have taken it himself if he fielded it cleanly. Nonetheless, the Dodgers really need to work on getting the pitcher to cover.

The Houston Gameday operator appears befuddled because Jayson Werth is still batting. He must be looking around to see how he is supposed to code a balk.

Ok that's enough!!! The announcer just refered to our pitcher as "Dream Weaver."

Choi's clutch hit made me think DePo's lack of a baseball background makes him too defferential to Tracy and his mismanagement of the team. His mentor BB would have "Art Howed" Tracy long ago. I have confidence that DePo will grow into his position. I can only hope that the same cannot be said for his field manager.

42. Anc, very good point. A negative twofer with Rick and Bobby. (remember when we could be two bags of peanuts for $1).

For me it is Larry Miller of SitnSleep, simply for the illogical aspect of his campaign. He says that he will match any price or "your mattress is FREE!" So, let's think about this, Larry is selling a Serta Sleeper for $499. I bring him an advertised special from Sears that offers the same mattress for $399. I show it to Larry, and he says, "I'm sorry sir, we can't beat that price, so please take our matress. It's FREE!" Yeah right. Something tells me Larry will take $398.

It may be that McCourt won't let Depo fire Buntermaker. Who's decision would it be, Depos or McCs?
vr, Xei

55 - DOdgerkid: I agree with that rule completely: I'm Jewish, disagree frequently with the ADL, and can tolerate more than 3 seconds of the Nanny (which apparently differentiates me from most land mammals). But for me, the problem is, Miller's not ragging on himself. And the character of Irwin isn't even well done!

Now the Gameday guy in Houston is catching up.

Boy are the pitchers working fast!

Choi quickly nails the "Over" of 1.5 total bases with his clutch triple. Let's just hope "Dream Weaver" can make his "Over".
vr, Xei

Gameday puts Grabowski's fly ball as being caught near Tal's Hill. Is that correct?

57 - what I don't understand is, if you're one of these "play the game the right way" types, the failure of a pitcher to cover on a 3-1 drives you up the wall. They spend all of spring training drilling it into these guys. It doesn't matter if there's a 15'Wx40'H net playing 1st base, you cover automatically.

Ok, I have decided to watch the game on mute. Lyons is ridiculous.

"Dream Weaver" is better than being known forever as the brother of the guy who had a long contract negotiation with the Angels.

Whoever is writing the Fox announcers' notes must be the same guy who writes the script for "Bobby."

65, pretty much.

Oscar is so good that the city of Pasadena is going name a street for him.

#65

Bob, yes. It would have been a home run in Cincinnati and most Little League parks.

ESPN.com is reporting that Kotsay signed a 2-year extension with Oakland.

Tell me again why they traded for Jay Payton?

Oscar's hit inspires me to ask if anyone here listens to the Dodgers on KWKW? If so, does big screen Paul (Pablo) say, "Yo soy el rey!"

"Our apologies to America."

Fox probably forced him to say that.

Payton hasn't been traded to Oakland. It was just rumored. Just like Preston Wilson being traded to Washington.

Repko (strike three call, again) has taken his replacement of JD Drew way too literally.

70 - It's pronounced Oscar "Roe-bulls"? I had no idea! That's how everyone seemed to pronounce when I lived (briefly) in Pasadena, and worked in Duarte (which to many rhymes with party), and before I moved to Lows Fee-liss. On that note, does anyone know if anyone has compiled a list of Spanish mispronunciations common in SC? That would be useful.

50. I don't think the national media is too interested in digging deep about a 3rd place sub-.500 team. The Times is just too lame. Having said that Tracy is regarded as a good man, a good manager and while many here, sometimes me, disagree with some of his decisions, I am sure he believes they are the correct ones.

Speaking of members of the Other Tribe, here's Brad Ausmus. And, no, despite common misconception, Lance Berkman is not included in that exclusive club.

#77 - I'm pretty sure it's Robe-Less. At least according to my Spanish friend of the same name.

When I first got to this town, the mayor, Sam Yorty, pronounced it "Luss Angle-eez." That used to be a common pronunciation, now it's endangered.

We still call San Pedro "San Pee-dro," and it's annoying when PC types insist on pronouncing it as in Guerrero. It's Peedro, man.

San Pee-dro.

If you want to pronounce Oscar's surname like it would be in Spanish, it would be "rrroh-blehs".

When I heard the Colorado play-by-play guy say it, he had a pretty good Spanish accent.

The street in Pasadena is pronounced "Lohs Robels" just like the city near San Luis Obispo is usually pronounced "Pass-o Robels"

Jose Vizcaiano is my third favorite ex-Dodger after Dave Roberts and Dave Hansen. I hope that after they retire, they all have some involvement with the blue. They are all gentleman, smart players, hard workers, and seemingly good guys.

For locals, it's Peedro, sans the 'San'

Jose Vizcaino has suffered from the problem though that he has only been good when he was NOT on the Dodgers.

Reminds me of that SNL skit with Jimmy Smits where the white news reporters are pronouncing every spanish word with the accent: "Yes, I will have a booo-hrrrr-ee-to" "Dah-neee-ell Ohrrr-tay-guh" (it was the 80s).

Anyways, they used to sell t-shirts that said, in Gangsta Gothic type: "San Pedro: Where the Ghetto Meets the Sea." Love it.

From an old "Rockford Files" episode with Isaac Hayes guest starring.

"Hey, Rockfish, you've got to come down to a nice little place in San Pedro."
"Gabby, there's no such thing as a nice little place in San Pedro."

I know it's not true (although it may have been in the 1970s), but I've always loved that exchange.

Long as we talking ads. They just showed the "watching athletes do their job is just more fun" Pepsi commercial. The ad features A-Rod, Vlad, the 15 year old soccer kid (forgot his name), a skateboard dude and race car guy who I am sure is very famous but I have no idea who he is (maybe Jeff Gordon?). Commercial must have cost a small fortune.
The questions is this: Is race car guy really an athlete?

I've always liked Pedro. Good weather, there used to be lots of old-timey bars. Bukowski hung out there too.

The La Brea Tar Pits. Translating the Spanish words into English, that means The the tar tar pits.

stick Choi in the 2 hole already. Would be nice to have someone who can actually get on in front of Kent.

Choi doing some running today. Run Choi Run!

Yup - though some are paunchy, it's grueling work, and most have to be in great shape. My stepfather used to point out that when they used to do Battle of the Sports Stars or whatever back in the 70s, Jackie Stewart used to always clean people's clocks.

Professional poker, however, is no more a sport than the New York Times Crossword.

LAT: Freddie Adu is the "football" player you referred to.

Lyons just said "irregardless". I don't think that's a valid word

Speaking of Bobby and Rick, can someone explain to me the "donate your car" industry? Given the ridiculous amount of ads for these Cars for Causes type of "charities," my gut says there is something extremely shady about what they do. Typical non-profits just don't seem to have such a large ad budget.

dzzrtRatt: EVer try translating "The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim" into Spanish? I thought Arte was trying to court the Spanish-speaking market. Changing your team name to a ridiculous Spanish pun is how you do that?

The Fox announcer just said "irregardless." Its not a word. We are listening to announcers who use made-up words. Geez.

99 see 96 :)

Using "Irregardless" is definitely irregular if not ill-advised.

The donated cars have a tendency to get fixed up and then bought by criminals who then dump them over the border in Mexico.

That's not always the case, but the LA Times did run a story about Father Joe and his cars and they had a tendency to turn up that way.

97. I don't know if its a scam but my accountant says its one of the biggest red flags you can send the IRS.

They just changed the rules on car donations too. Now you can only deduct what the organization actually sells the car for I believe.

100. Marty. Haven't you noticed I am the slowest and worst typist here.

Lyons praises Biggio for that idioic sacrifice he made last night.

Time for the meltdown?

Weaver doesn't get a call and starts to lose it. Where have we seen this before?

FWIW, before I moved to Japan, I donated my left overs stuff to a Goodwill type of place. When I dropped it off, they gave me a receipt in which they filled out the quantity, and left it to me to write in the value of what I donated.

Meltdown right on cue.

booooom!!

It's Nightmare Weaver now

Very Weaver-esque.

The umpire does seem to be squeezing him.

If only Weaver had a manager who would put him in position to succeed...

At the mound visit you could see Weaver say "What? Why?". I wonder what Colbert was saying.

His manager puts him in a position to suck.

Weaver would have been a great librarian.

If Weaver wasn't in baseball he would be working in a Post office somewhere and he would eventually make the national news.

119 - Actually, if Weaver wasn't in baseball, he'd be one of those guys who parks their VW van down the street from our place and lives out of it while he surfs.

I miss #120

Everything's going to be OK, Weaver is fired up now.

I made the over!

In the dugout you could see what Weaver was saying. But Jon's no swearing policy prohibits me from repeating it.

[premature]

Good thing the guys with bad hamstrings are getting all the hits.

121 Do you mean in a "van down by the river?"

Oscar: "Yo soy el rey!"

We need some scrapiness here.

I see non-baseball Weaver as more of a pool cleaner-type. Or maybe working in a skate/surf shop with bad lighting.

It appears that I was very very wrong about Robles after his first month with the team.

Scrapie = Mad Sheep Disease? For whom? Mike Lamb, perhaps?

game time!

Minor league update posted in yesterday's game thread.

What a scrappy walk! That's the best that could happen since I highly doubt that Repko could ever get hit off of Oswalt.

Come on Kent, go Manny here.

No GIDP, please, Mr. Kent.

Aw man Link, you just jinxed it

No, no, it's the reverse jinx theory in play here.

On the flight to Japan, I read a book about Japanese league players. One of them talked about a manager in the 1950-60s named Mihara who would often pinch hit for guys who were 3 for 3. He thought it was unlikely that anyone would go 4 for 4, so he felt the team would be better off with a new hitter.

Surprisingly, his teams won a lot.

Is it ever worth it to swing at a reliever's first pitch out of the pen?

#135: Please reply occasionally if you read the minor league updates. I'd appreciate any feedback or suggestions for improvement. There haven't been any comments the past few days and I'll stop doing them if the readership is 0.

come on kent, be the king

I'll take it!

"You know with a runner on third, we should look at how many wild pitches this pitcher has ..."

141: That's like the guy who would pack a bomb in his luggage because he figured the odds of a plane carrying two bombs was off the charts.

That was very anti-climatic.

Bases loaded, 1 out, and we get one stinking run on a wild pitch. If there was any doubt that we actully suck its now been removed. And Werth you espicially suck.

FWIW, Werth's K/AB ratio is very similar to Adam Dunn's...

Clutch hitting is not our forte this year.

Wow...it's been a long time since I posted.

I know it's popular to dog on Weaver, but taking a look at his game log is actually pretty interesting.

Not counting today, since his May 29 start, this is his line:

53.1 IP, 39 K, 14 BB, 2.70 ERA

In that stretch, he never pitched less than six innings and gave up four earned runs only once. That's not too shabby, I'd say, particularly given the common perception that he's a basket case on the mound.

146. Nice Vin, Bob.

Is that pitcher that good?

Bob, I watched a Hanshin Tigers game on TV three years ago, when their manager pinch hit for the cleanup hitter (Ivan Cruz) with a backup shortstop. There were two on and no outs. The pinch hitter bunted. Or tried to bunt. The result was a force at third. The next batter smacked a two run double and bailed out the manager.

I think they are bunting less in the past couple of years since Valentine and Hillman came into the league.

How is this inning get scored? Qualls presumably doesn't get a run--does Oswalt? Qualls can't get a hold for this, can he? Do stats like inherited runners allowed to score get raised in arb hearings?

His K/BB was 32-9 before that inning, so he's a pretty good strikeout pitcher, I guess.

152 He's only a basket case when the smallest adversity arises.

Adam, he can get a hold since they still have a lead.

Keep em comin' Fearing Blue, saves me the time of looking up all the box scores.

Fearing, I enjoy them. Keep em coming for as long as you can stand it.

Outhit the Astros 9-5 so far, and what good has it done? Sheesh.

#157: LAT, are you suggesting Weaver hasn't faced any adversity since May 29th?

Qualls should get credit for a hold. He came in to a save situation and the Astros are still ahead.

"Professional pitchers" don't start off innings with 4-pitch walks.

152 - Weaver led the NL in quality starts last year, didn't he? But his utter inability to look stoic when in a jam drives traditionalists crazy, I think, so it damages his reputation inordinately. When he was with the Yankees, you'd think he was Steve Trout, but aside from that one WS relief appearance, where they basically hung him out to dry after not using him for months, his numbers weren't any worse than some of the other recent pinstripers.

#159/160: Thanks for the ping response. I will keep posting them at the end of the previous day's open chat / game day thread.

Blue, quite the contrary. He has faced adversity it just seems to always come after the 6th inning--when the game is still in question. In his defense he never gets an easy game from his offense but none of these pitchers do.

I think the Japanese managers are also bunting a little less because they realize that in the domed stadiums there, the ball carries really well. The Tokyo Dome and The Osaka Dome are almost Coors Field like.

156: Qualls' H/9IP is over 10, and last year it wasn't much better.

Tokyo Dome is popularly known as "The Big Egg" based on its exterior appearance.

Just to follow up on Weaver.

Maybe he does have a propensity for really laying an egg from time to time. We do have to evaluate him by his entire body of work, but it's interesting nonetheless to note that nearly half of his earned runs have come in four starts (out of eighteen for the season, again not including today). If we take those games out his ERA shrinks to 2.69 for the rest of his fourteen starts. Again, I'm not saying we shouldn't look at all the game. In fact, I'm saying that we really should look at all the games when evaluating Weaver as a pitcher.

#167: I agree with Adam M. The "headcase" label that gets tagged to Lowe and Weaver is likely because they are emotional on the mound. I don't think they are any more likely than any other pitcher in the majors to give up runs when they get in trouble after the 6th inning. That is, most pitchers give up runs when they get in trouble after the 6th inning.

In Moneyball, I learned the Paul DePo doesn't drink. If he can make it through this season without tippling, he has my everlasting respect.

I love all the shutdown guys we have in the bullpen. Weaver pitches a decent game so it is time to bring in the guys in the weenie suits. I think someone should look at how often our relievers give up more runs than our starters in a game. It seems like all the time the starter gets us to the gates of the promise land and then the relievers decide we need another stint in the wilderness.

#171: Indeed and two of those starts was during his "dead arm" phase when he was throwing his fastball at 86 - 88 mph instead of 89 - 91 mph. Weaver is, and probably will continue to be, a good 4th starter.

Eddie Guardado is on the block, as is the often-crafty Shigetoshi Hasegawa.

171. Paul, I'm with you. Jim Tracy has a lot to do with Weaver's ERA bulge from his bad 4 starts.

175 - Too bad he's not being paid like a #4. Then again, most #4s don't lead the league in quality starts. Few teams want to trade for him, and the Dodgers are smart enough to recognize his value.

Blue, I agree we should look at Weaver's entire record. All I am saying is he has shown a propensity for tightening up as the game goes on and when he makes a mistake he can't put it behind him. I think mistakes in the first or second inning cannot be given the same weight as mistakes in the 6th or 7th. Pressure is building in the later innings and time is running out. Thus, those mistakes are magnified and Weaver has yet to develop the fortitude to get over them. Weaver has the talent. He's not Kirk Reiter, that's what makes his mental errors so frustrating.

Barring a come back we will be as far back as we have been this season at 7 games back (before SD plays). I might be wrong by I think that is most we have been back this year. It is also nice that we have played 17 games under 500 after going 12-2 to start the year (again barring a comeback.

But in the 9th, we'll have Grabbo, Ledee, and OSCAR!

I think Weaver is helping boost his trade value with his recent outings, although he would be best suited for a city out of the limelight (Baltimore maybe?). If we don't trade him before the deadline I will be very disappointed; it's pretty obvious we're toast for this year and he could net us some more quality prospects.

Why is Sanchez pitching now? Shouldn't he be resting? Down 2 runs in the bottom of the 8th, doesn't it make more sense to use Osorio?

#179: I agree that mistakes later in the game are more critical, but my understanding is that all starting pitchers make more mistakes later in the game as they tire and throw more pitches. Again, it's just Weaver's response that highlights them.

Franquelis, I don't give a damn

I think we tend to reduce Weaver's late-inning, uhh troubles, with his "meltdowns." If we didn't use stats, judging by what people have said on this board the last month plus, the casual observer would guess weaver has a 4+ ERA when really he's been pitching pretty well, especially for (when everybody is healthy) our 4th best starter.

#178: Well, he's making $9.25 million. The market for 4th starter types (Ortiz, Milton, Benson, Perez, Lieber, etc.) was $7 - $8 million / year for 3 years. Sadly, his salary is not far off from the market rate.

With his stuff, what took Lidge so long to reach the majors? Control problems?

So, if Choi's batting average (.237) passes Phillips' (.242), Tracy will have to bat him higher in the lineup, right? Going 2 for 4 with a triple raised Choi's July OPS to .703.

Re 188:

Injury problems, I think he missed a whole year with elbow surgery or something. I believe he was a 1st round pick and has pitched well wherever he's been.

#188: Being drafted in 1998 and then having a major league impact 5 years later (2003) is pretty typical for college players.

Additionally, in the minors, Brad Lidge was primarily a starter. It wasn't until he joined the Astros that he was converted into a full-time reliever. Starters can take longer to develop than relievers, because they have to work on multiple pitches. As a closer, Lidge can succeed with his above-average fastball and excellent slider.

Another day, another loss.

Zelasko is looking more and more like a bloated muppet.

#190: That makes sense as well. Between 1998 and 2001, Lidge only pitched 100 innings in 23 games.

The Yankees have a $200 million roster...and today they started Darrell May.

fearing blue, keep the updates coming. i like them.

as for weaver, if we do trade him, i would look at two teams: orioles and rangers.

orioles: haydenn penn+ Nick Markakis

rangers: john danks+ vicent sinisi

if we dont trade weaver, i would like to keep him. in fact, i wish we could trade lowe and give weaver lowe's money since i like weaver more than lowe.

to add on

i think weaver is a solid #3 starter. he, along with penny, have been our best pitchers over the last month and a half.

Oswalt is the anti-Odalis Perez. He has a decision in all 19 of his starts this season.

If the GM of a contending team were to offer serious talent for Jeff Weaver, they would need the skin of the rhino, a titanium-coated reputation (Mr. Epstein, I'm looking at you), or serious testicular fortitude, because it's hard to imagine such a trade not being met with almost deafening howls of derision: trading for that Series-blowing headcase?

Given that, it's hard to imagine anyone the Dodger could realistically get that would be an improvement over Weaver.

If it makes anyone feel better, Mike's Baseball rants compiled the No-Star Team of the worst performing regular players in the first half. It consists of:

DODGERS:
[none]

FORMER DODGERS:
Lima
Nomo (bittersweet)
Jordan

ANGELS:
Cabrera

D-BACKS:
Snyder

PADRES:
Burroughs

Fearing, if it were me, I'd post your minor league updates in the current thread instead of the previous one.

#200: Sounds good, Jon. I'll give it a try. The reasons I had chosen the previous day's thread are 1) I'm a generally impatient sort and sometimes the current day's thread isn't open yet and 2) it would be easier to find for any who are searching for it. I have been told many times that patience is a virtue, so I'll try to get the updates in at the top of the current day's thread :).

#196: I like Hayden Penn, but he's not any further along than our current top pitching prospects. If we were going to trade Weaver, I'd like to get players who are closer to the majors, but perhaps with a lower upside (i.e. could contribute in 2006). I would also like to resign Weaver, but I imagine the biggest contention will be over the length of the contract. DePodesta could budge and give Weaver $9 million / year, but going beyond a 2-year extension doesn't make much sense considering the state of our farm system.

Bob Wickman's "save" for Cleveland today

Top of the 9th
Cleveland 8, New York 6
Sierra homers
Cleveland 8, New York 7
Williams singles
Womack runs for Williams
Jeter gets bunt single, Womack to second.
Cano hits into 4-6-3 DP, Womack to third
Sheffield walks
Rodriguez grounds into force play

GAME OVER!

Thanks for the link to the Robles article. A very touching read.
If there has been anything positive that has come out of the Dodgers' recent struggles, it has been the emergence of Oscar Robles.

Viva Astro Boy!

A couple highlights from Jim Callis' Insider chat on ESPN.com:

tyson (toronto): Which GM in baseball do you believe has made the best decisions when it comes to drafting college/high school pitchers? Why?

Jim: Most GMs don't make draft decisions, especially after the first round. In terms of scouting directors, Logan White with the Dodgers and Roy Clark with the Braves immediately jump to mind.

Giacomo (windsor): What 3 teams in your opinion have the most talent down on the farm.

Jim: Dodgers, Braves, Twins.

hey fearing blue,

kuo is warming up in the suns bullpen. i think hes going to come in today...

The Suns are getting crushed 10 - 1, which gave me some time to look something up. James Loney is the only regular position player with an OPS under .800 (.755).

Here is the pre-game OPS for each of the regulars:

RF Justin Ruggiano: 1.881 OPS in 6 ABs
3B Andy LaRoche: 1.039 OPS in 74 ABs
LF Tydus Meadows: .955 OPS in 228 ABs
CF Jon Weber: .891 OPS in 270 ABs
C Russell Martin: .873 OPS in 257 ABs
SS Joel Guzman: .848 OPS in 296 ABs
2B Delwyn Young: .800 OPS in 315 ABs
1B James Loney: .755 OPS in 307 ABs

The Suns lead the league with a .793 team OPS.

#206: Yeah, he's been warming up for a while. It's too bad I won't be able to see the pitches on this TV webcast.

Is there something wrong with the TV feed on the web? There's only this shot of the OF.

WWSH

If Kuo stays healthy, what sort of prospect grade do you think he'd get?

Fastball in the low 90s according to the announcer. A little worrisome.

WWSH

Lead-off hit and a walk. Is he just tentative, or is there really something wrong with his arm?

WWSH

Kuo is only throwing 91 - 92 mph on his fastball after hitting 98 mph in his last appearance. Whatever it was that happened with his arm, he doesn't seem to be fully recovered.

Plus the long warm-up time from what I've read here. Did he have problems getting lose?

I can't believe the medical stuff would let him pitch if there was something seriously wrong with the arm. Maybe he's just a little paranoid or something, and he can eventually get his mechanics back.

WWSH

#212: Well, in his prior 3.1 innings, he had allowed 6 hits and 2 walks, but I'd still say the latter. When I've listened to him pitch before, there were a lot more swing-and-misses.

Lead-off hit, walk, and line-out. Doesn't look good at all.

WWSH

i think kuo is a little timid to uncork it right now.

the gun at jax is also 3-4 mph slow.

so a 91 pitch is actually around 94

#214: I wouldn't put anything past the Dodgers medical staff. I'm hopeful it's a combination of being tentative and regaining some arm strength.

Is the gun slow at this park? The announcer says 90 on the gun, and then he says probably 93, 94. Losing 4 mph isn't as serious as being 8 mph off.

WWSH

Re: 218

Tks for explaining that. Wasn't sure if that was the meaning of the announcer's comments.

Re: 219

Good point on the medical staff. Forgot about how they handled Gagne.

WWSH

If Kuo stays healthy, what sort of prospect grade do you think he'd get?

it depends. as a reliever, not our top 10 but better prospect than yhency. as a starter, definately top 10.

i think kuo is for sure timid. he usually does 2inning appearances. so lets see if in the next inning he will uncork it.

3 outs and no Ks. very unusual for kuo.

Re: 222

Is it even still realistic to consider him as a starter with his medical history? I know Callis at BA recently raised the possibility in that online Q&A, but that arm really seems too fragile for starting.

Kuo gets out of it. No Ks, but he got out of it.

WWSH

re 224

you are right. i think he will stay a reliever. but as a starter, his value sky rockets.

i think with broxton, brazoban and kuo, we are good in the department of fireball relievers.

#225: Don't forget Carlos Alvarez. His 14.7 K/9 and 5.25 K/BB in Columbus were extremely impressive, and so far he's performing well in AA also.

alright kuos done for the night. they only used him for an inning.

Re: 226

Yikes! It's embarrasing I haven't heard of this Alvarez kid. Those numbers are pretty out-there.

WWSH

alverez looks like an awesome relief prospect. the thing is, they say his fastball is only average but his change up is devastating and thats what causes all the Ks. but he is someone that should be in our future bullpen plans.

Re: 227

Let's see how he does in his next few appearances. Hopefully he's just a little tentative and will get his confidence/arm strength back soon.

WWSH

to add. alverez is very very young. he is only 20 years old.

Dear Chicago White Sox,

We own you.

Sincerely,

The Oakland Athletics

#232: Wow. Quite a pitching performance by Zito.

#231: Exactly. Alvarez turned 20 in March, so his dominance in Low-A, while very impressive, was age-appropriate. If he continues to dominate in AA, he'll be the talk of the town by the beginning of next year.

Interesting. Eduardo Perez, at 20 years old, was crushing the ball with the GCL Dodgers to the tune of .375/.487/.531 in 10 games. Today, Perez was called up to Jacksonville. Perez is a third baseman, so either the Dodgers do not think he is a prospect or perhaps there are other moves on the way. Unfortunately, Perez's minor league history doesn't show up on the baseball cube so I don't know which of the two is most likely.

Catching up on old Jim Callis chats. Here's an interesting clip from the 6/15 chat:

Drewbles (Chicago, IL): All things equal who do you like? Andy Marte, Joel Guzman, Jeff Francouer or Ian Stewart?

Jim Callis: I'd be happy with all of those guys, but given my choice of just one I'd take Joel Guzman.

#235: Also interesting, Carlos Medero-Stultz, a 19-year old catcher, was added to the Suns roster. Medero-Stultz was not performing nearly as well as Perez with the GCL Dodgers (.320/.302/.480), but I don't know why the Suns would need 3 catchers on their roster.

Sounds like action, Jackson

Well, Martin and LaRoche are not available for the series this weekend. Maybe the callups are just temporary until Martin and LaRoche return from the Futures Game.

#238: I hope so. Theoretically, the Dodgers could promote both LaRoche and Martin to AAA after the futures game. Navarro and Martin could split time at catcher with the other spending time as a DH. Or, it could be that the Dodgers are close to trading Navarro, which seems plausible considering Martin has likely passed Navarro on the prospect charts.

#239: I was thinking that as well, but my reasoning was that it seems like quite a hassle. I forgot that the Jacksonville Suns and the GCL Dodgers are only a 3 hour drive apart. Your reasoning, while not nearly as exciting, is probably much more likely.

Not that I'm harboring pennant illusions, but this is interesting (in my opinion).

Final at Coors Field

Colorado 1
San Diego 0

First ever 1-0 game played at Coors.

Luis Gonzalez doubled home Aaron Miles for the only run.

Jason Jennings went 7 innings, Jay Witasick 1 and ALL-STAR Brian Fuentes survived 2 walks and an error to save it. He struck out Giles with the bases loaded to end it.

Brian Lawrence was the tough luck loser.

Re: 242

Man, SD, for a division-leader and probable playoff entrant, is a pretty pathetic team.

It's pretty disgraceful for both offenses to have that little production at Coors. If it Clemens and Santana, sure, that'd be understandable, but not Brian Lawrence and Jason Jennings.

WWSH

Until Fuentes struck out the side in the 9th, the two teams had combined to strike out just three times all game.

The Padres left 12 runners, grounded into 3 DPs and also had a batter called out for interference on a stolen base.

the A's game today was freakin' sweet.

fearing blue, how legit do you think pedroza is?

3-3 tonight, with his 4th homerun in 41 ABs.

hitting .537 so far. i dont see any other college hitters putting up his numbers this year.

could he be the high cieling polished OF bat we all longed for?

#246: At this point, I have to say he is legit, even though we don't have a whole lot to go on.

Here's what Baseball America had to say about him:

OF Sergio Pedroza is one of the best college hitters on the West Coast. At .341-12-46, he led the Titans in all three triple-crown categories. He has a nice, loose swing with quick hands and power to all fields. But at 5-foot-10, he's not tall enough to be an early-round pick and his other tools are below-average, except his arm strength.

Here's what MLB.com had to say about him:

COMMENT: Short, quick w/ compact stroke. Make consistent hard contact. Uses the whole field. Has decent amount of pop. Strong RF arm, could make transition to catcher. Extremely tough out.

Since he was a 4-year college pick, Pedroza is already old at 21, so he should be expected to dominate at this level, though obviously not to this extreme. If Pedroza continues hitting, it would be nice to see him promoted to Columbus or even Vero Beach in August to see how we would do against more age appropriate competition. It seems like his tools and build project better as a catcher, but there's no rush to move him with Martin and Navarro already in the system.

Since he was a 4-year college pick,

pedrozas only a 3 yr college player. everything else i agree with.

the only problem he had in college was against lefties (220BA). but other than that, there isnt a blemish on his offensive output so far. I kind of want him to go to columbus in at most, a week. hes ready now. pioneer pitching isnt challenging him.

dunn GS against brandon webb.

damn, some days, i would trade the world for dunn, other days, i try to know better.

#246: After tonight's game, Pedroza's line is .524/.592/.833 in 42 ABs. All three would lead the Pioneer League if he qualified.

#248: Whoops. I didn't check on the # of years, but I assumed it was 4 years based on his age. I guess he got held back in kindergarten :).

If he keeps up the same pace for another week, then send him straight to Vero Beach! I'm assuming he has to slow down, at least a little, because this is ridiculous. Where did you get his college stats from?

#249: Just keep telling yourself that he's a first baseman pretending to be a left fielder. It's what keeps me from wanting to give up the moon for him.

So the top 3 teams in the NL Worst lost and the bottom 2 one, both shutting out first place teams.

I don't think I've ever typed "one" when I meant "won" before. What time is it?

#253: That's the NL West for you. Five teams competing for the opportunity to be the eliminated by the Braves in the first round of the playoffs.

Just learned something new about arbitration from an old "Ask BA":

"A player with three or more years of service time can file for salary arbitration. There's also a provision that allows for a player with two-plus years to qualify, as long as he accumulated at least 86 days in the majors in the previous season and ranks among the top 17 percent in service time among players with between two and three years of service."

I didn't realize that the super-two exception only applied to players with at least 86 days of service time. Thus, once we hit the point where there are less than 86 days remaining in the season, any player the Dodgers expect to be on the major league roster starting next season could be called up without any financial ramifications. The exception would be players like Steve Schmoll and Derek Thompson who have already logged some service time this year.

Today's Over/Under results:

Weaver 6IP (Under 6 2/3)
Dodgers 2 runs (Under 3)
Dodgers 9 hits (Over 8)
Astros HRs 1 (Under 2)

vr, Xei

By my count, there are now 85 days remaining in the season.

#258: Wow. That's exciting. If we ever are officially "out of it", we may get to see some of our prospects. So far, Schmoll has accumulated 41 days of major league service time and Thompson has accumulated 28. By my calculations, Thompson could be brought back up August 6th and Schmoll could be brought back up August 19th without any financial concerns.

It's a good thing for Depodesta that he's "not a fan." He can look in the mirror and focus just on incompetence without the concern for the miserable road he's led fans down. I mean, really, what does he think he's building? Bring on the kids and lower payroll further, which will at least ensure keeping his job with his boss. Probably Depodesta is sweating only the Cora move now that Boston picked him up. It's easy to picture McCourt screaming at him, if Boston wants him he must've been good. You let Epstein outmaneuver you on Roberts, this better not make two! Ah well, DT knows better, it's all the fault of Tracy and injuries.

256. That's very interesting. I wonder if Depo knows this. If he doesn't then we need to inform him. I really would like to see some of our higher ceiling prospects if our season continues to go south. Even if only one or two of them prove themselves this year, we'll have higher hopes going into next season.

From today's LA Times Dodgers Report, Tracy talking about Scott Erickson:

"What I have seen of late is encouraging from the standpoint that he has spent a lot of time in the bullpen and is comfortable warming up and sitting down, which is something a starting pitcher doesn't have to deal with," Tracy said.

Erickson, a sinkerball specialist, has given up one run in 8 2/3 innings spanning six appearances since June 7.

Said Tracy: "Would I use him in a situation where we need to get a groundball? We are getting to that point."

Could someone who's more schooled in Revelations tell me if this is one of the signs of Armageddon?

#260: Exactly. I was a little concerned when DePodesta broke Werth's wrist and tore Gagne's elbow ligament. But, I thought there must be some master plan. Then, he had the gall to give Perez shoulder inflammation and Alvarez shoulder tendinitis. It would have been nice to see some creativity, but two shoulder injuries, come on! And now, between Izturis, Ledee, and Kent, it's three hamstring injuries. And, it's a second broken wrist with Drew. It's like DePodesta can't think of other body parts to injure. Fortunately, he showed some creativity in giving Bradley a climbing injury that nobody has ever seen on a baseball player before. And then, the genius stroke was how he injured Wunsch. On top of everything else, that's just art.

Perhaps it's time to reevaluate the situation when Steve Henson and Tim Brown have already gotten of the boat and you find yourself sitting there by yourself with Bill Plaschke?

Re 262 -- Actually, I'm also pretty comfortable warming up and then sitting down. Now, pitching to major league hitters, not at all comfortable doing that.

And one more entry in the "Year of the Bunt" notebook, with a particular nod to the Weisman/DePodesta principle (when assessing a bunt situation, one must consider the possibility that the bunt will fail).

http://www.thenats.blogspot.com/

The value of any opinion is conversely related to its reliance on Alex Cora.