First.

1 This is not slashdot.

I had the same thought about Loney. For a very young guy getting his first taste of the bigs, he rarely looked overmatched. Gotta feel good about that.

He's not ready yet, but with a little more time he could be good.

I don't like this lineup at all. This should be tonight's lineup
1. Fucal SS- while he's not hitting, he is getting on base at decent rate (or he was before yesterday's 0'fer).
2. Cruz LF
3. Drew RF
4. Nomar 1B
5. Mueller 3B
6. Kent 2B
7. Repko CF- he deserves to be in the lineup over K Loft. The fire has been lit, I don't think it's going to go away with him on the bench
8. Navarro C

Yeah, I don't know why Lofton is starting, except that Repko did have a bad flu recently, I read. So maybe that's it.

Is it a bad thing that I'd rather see our 5-6-7 hitters coming up than our 1-2-3? (note: Small sample size warning with Nomar)

[4] can KeLories be activated from the bench? :)

4 Does Kent in the 6th spot mean you have completely given up on him because of a slow April? Or is there some other reason?

5 - Pettite isn't a "death on lefties" lefty. Probably the cutter he features is easier on lefties, since it cuts away from them.

There probably is a reason why Repko is out, but Pettite makes it an easier decision to make.

Jon,

While loney clearly wasn't ready, he showed a lot of promise. I see him as a Sean Casey type player in the future. No real basis for it, just a feeling. I could see like a .315 avg with about 15 HR...it's a great sign that he's putting the ball in play as much as he is. Hopefully that's a sign of the future and I'm sure more of those balls will find the holes in a year or two...

Andy does also effectively curtail the running game, I believe.

I also liked the way Loney fields at 1B. I felt secure with him over there. He'll be back.

Meanwhile... I thought Lofton was playing better the last 2-3 days... why is it bad that he's in there? (Not that I'd mind if Repko was in there, either...)

12-

Because Pettitte will probably own Lofton tonight.

11- I was just going to post this. He has a great pickoff move and holds runners. If Lofton keeps playing everyday, maybe he'll wear down (not that I'm saying I want to see him go down with an injury.....)

14-

yeah pettitte has one of the best moves in the biz. Although, I'm feeling better about our CF options. Repko and Lofton combined should put up decent enough numbers that we don't suffer in that spot.

I'd still like to see a big time hitter for a corner OF spot...of course, it'd have to be an upgrade over Cruz...

Cody Ross has made it to RFK for tonight's game for the Reds in DC. He's listed as wearing #16. "Old friend" Dave Ross wears #26.

16 Isn't 16 Lo Duca's number while in LA? And then Jim Tracy wore it "in loving memory?"

Kenny Lofton is 3 for 25 lifetime against Pettitte.

Jose Cruz is 18 for 43 against Pettitte.

Eddie Murray is 7 for 18.

18-

does it drive anyone else up the wall that Murray just "sets" his cap on top of his head? I have no idea why this bothers me so much.

Just ran a sim of tonights game using the Dodgers starting lineup and Houston projected lineup. It was an exciting game with the Dodgers taking a 2-0 lead in the top of the 5th inning. The Dodgers stretched the lead scoring two more times in the top of the 8th inning, knocking out Pettite to take a commanding 4-0 lead. Grady Little left Lowe in to pitch the 8th inning and after giving up a run was relieved by Saito who promptly gave up a three run homer to Lance Berkman who tied the score up at 4-4. The game remained tied until the 11th inning when Garciappara doubled home Jeff Kent with the go ahead run. Danys Baez pitched the bottom of the 11th to notch the save. Dodger hitting stars were Dionner Navarro who went 2 for 3 with 2 singles, 2 walks, drove in one and scored one run... along with Garciappara who went 3 for 5 with 2 runs scored, 2 singles and a double. No word yet if any of the players failed the simulated drug test. :) vr, Xei

Dodgers with significant ABs against Pettite
Nomar - 47 ABs/ .298 with 6 XBHs, 6Ks
Cruz, Jr. - 43 ABs/ .419 with 2 HRs, 4Ks

OTH - Lofton - 25 ABs/.125/3 SBs

Most of the other main players Furcal, Drew, Kent, don't have much of a history against Pettite.

18 -That's quite a split for Cruz, there, Bob. Normally I don't like the whole "He's 3 for 9 lifetime" argument, but 43 at-bats is a pretty fair number of appearances.

If our current slug% is 409 we should expect a gradual increase with Nomar who should post between a 450-475 and Kent getting back on the beam. Jose Cruz should also show more power then he has so far and for that fact Furcal. Only Mueller and Repko have hit over their heads so far so that slug% will be on the rise very quickly.
While Loney did not strike out I don't really find that anything to get excited about. I'd rather he was swinging and missing with some effort then making contact and hitting weak ground balls. His age is in his favor and I still have hopes for him and his 1st time through the bigs was about what I expected.

Yeah, Pettitte's move IS terrific. Because it's a balk. Every time. And I've never seen it called. At this point, I think it's like Patrick Ewing's 3 steps across the lane - it's HIS move, so the refs (umps) let him be.

Just checked. Pettitte has 9 career balks (called). None in the last 4+ years, which means none in the NL.

23 - One hopes, and expects to some degree, that his ability to hit for power will improve over the next couple of years. But he's shown an ability to avoid being fooled by major league pitching, despite not having seen any of the players against which he batted (the "Saito" effect, one might say, only one that pushes down his average).

Is he guarenteed to become a star? No. But I think his patience at the plate and ability to put 'bat-on-ball' speaks well for his ability to be a solid contributor in the (not too distant?) future.

Cruz was 3 for 6 against Pettitte last year.

In 2001, Cruz was 6 for 7. A good chunk of the at bats were early in Cruz's career.

Minor League update courtesy of Baseball Prospectus about 2 big Jacksonville prospects:

OF-R Matt Kemp, Dodgers is currently riding a nine-game hitting streak that includes three home runs and 11 RBIs, lifting his season averages to .319/.395/.583. Just as encouraging are the seven walks--a number Kemp needed 26 games to reach last year.

LHP Greg Miller, Dodgers in five scoreless two-inning appearances, all with a minimum of three days rest, Miller has allowed just one hit and struck out 11, though the occasional command problems (six walks) crop up now and again.

25 Not to mention his ability to absolutely rake in the Grapefruit League. He's a proven Grapefruiter Leaguer. ;)

There's a helicopter above us and a huge amount of westbound traffic on Wilshire outside LACMA's front door. Some demonstration going on somewhere?

BTW, Neyer's (Insider) article purports to be a list of the Rule-5 All Stars. Without swiping any of his prose, can anyone with Insider status just reproduce the list of names?

Thanks.

29. President Bush is in the southland today... Has he left the area yet?
vr, Xei

31-

pretty sure he's still here. I'm surprised he came...I know he doesn't like doing LA or NY.

16

are you watching that game as well? it would be cool if we get Cody Ross updates.

And we're underway . . .

I thought the President was just speaking in Costa Mesa, which I believe is not Wilshire District.

Neyer's Rule 5 All-Stars
Jody Davis
Willie Upshaw
Bip Roberts
Deivi Cruz
Bobby Bonilla
George Bell
Shane Mack
Jay Gibbons
Chris Shelton
Johan Santana
Graeme Lloyd

(I apologize if this got garbled or double posted)

Looks like I lit a fire under K Loft. He will now proceed to get picked off.

27 - Kemp added another game to his hitting streak going 2/3 with a double and a walk, he struck out in his other plate appearance but his 8 walks/14 strikeouts in 84 plate appearances is a great start for his year.

Right now the only minor league team that has had a slow start is Vero Beach, which probably has a lot to do with the 2004-2005 drafts, while producing top prospects such as Elbert and DeWitt but I think they were hurt by not getting Luke Hochevar or another player of equal ability at that spot.

But with 3 of the top 31 picks, I would expect the Dodgers do be stocked again at the lower levels and it is great to have such good prospect filled teams at AAA and AA.

Howdy, uh-ooh who are these announcers on DTV; I haven't had time to figure it out yet.

Sheesh. It's good to see that Pettitte doesn't feel like getting strikeouts.

-grumble-

Sorry I missed Lynch thoughts in the earlier thread. I can't believe Jon hated Blue Velvet. That's my favorite Lynch movie, followed by Elephant Man. He likes to use shorting-out lights in all his movies if you've noticed.

The cubs-marlin game so far is all about letting Carlos be Carlos...

16.
Dear Lord, I had previously failed to make the Dave/Cody connection in Cincy. One can only imagine two possible explanations for this phenomenon.

Either there is a Ross-collection fetish running rampant in NL front offices, or the pull of the previously-undiscovered "Roson" particle becomes exponentially greater as the separation between to Rosses (Rossi?) increases.

every time I see Lofton I just think "Willy Mays Hayes".

At least he had to throw 22 pitches (grasping at straws) ...

43- He also had to show his pick off move a few too many times. It's all going according to plan...

man! that was a hanger

43 - That's true. At this rate, by the 6th inning, he'll be gone with 110 pitches, and he'll have a WHIP of 1 (he'll also have 15 strikeouts, but hey, nobody's perfect).

Furcal

Furcal is anemic.

Whoops. There's a defensive error behind Derek Lowe. We can now expect at least 7 runs this inning, although somehow only 2 of them will be earned.

What is it with LA sports teams and weak D this year?

Furcal,Drew and Kent strike-out? not a good sign. Will our defense make it up. Jeez-Furcal seems flustered lately.

51- He probably just needs a drink...

I could be wrong be Furcal's body language tells me his shoulder is still sore.

Allright Kent!

50 Apparently you never watched UCLA play basketball.

belly whoper by Ensberg.

Albert Pujols is just a bad, bad man.

What happened on the Taveras play?

57

don't tell me, He hit another one out?

How exactly did Taveras wander into getting thrown out at third? Not watching the game.

50- not the Clippers

Furcal is going to make 25-30 errors this.

What just happened? Taveras stole but then was out at third?

55- Excluding UCLA basketball.

So it looks like Taveras stole second on ball four, but somehow got thrown out at third?

59. Is it even worth the energy to guess?

I retract my statement in 50. I will rephrase.

Why is it that all the LA teams I follow have horrible D?

Why is it that both "publicly" and "publically" are correct spellings?

65
Bad luck.

Think about someone who roots for UCLA in football and basketball. Talk about extremes.

Long at-bat for Nomar.

Preson Wilson has HOPS!!!!!!

62/65 - Much better. :)

WHA.....?

66 Who sez "publically" is correct? Certainly not me.

72
The OED sanctions both spellings.

67 - No kidding. Both teams were apt to give me heart attacks all year long, just for different reasons.

58,60,61,63
I have a mental image of a Looney-Tunes-style question mark floating above the heads of all work-bound DT-ers simultaneously.

First ball swinging Cruz Jr.

Whats with all this Astros hustle?

Jeez, two hitters were both robbed by great D.

At least they're now hitting the ball...

63 Taveras stole second on ball three (I assume, ball four was the next pitch) and it sounds like he rounded the bag after throw from Navarro got past Furcal, but Kent backed up the play and they caught him being too aggressive. This is via Rick Monday on the radio, so it's the best description I can give you.

78.
Looks like a 4-3 groundout in the box score.

77 Quick, before, his hitting begins to taper off, the Dodgers should trade Repko to the Astros. I'm sure we could get one of their top 3 starters for him... Gotta love all that scrap!

The reason I thought it was ball four is Gameday said the next batter walked even though it was three outs.

78 - Both Drew and Nomar had long flies.

79.
So...

Is this the new plan?

83 - Sorry, that should be to 80

82 The next batter (Berkman) did walk on the subsequent pitch to the steal/out. That was followed by a 5-3 to end the inning.

83.
Yeah, I know, but I'm just a little more snarky than usual today.

ah, thanks. gotta love Gameday

I am so tired of Lowe walking guys this year. It is making me nuts. Cut it out, would ya Lowe.

Neifi! with the freak double.

83 They must have the same tailor.

Brad Ausmus should never hit a ball that far.

nothing...NOTHING irritates me more than walking a guy then having him score.

He's a ground ball pitcher.

91 *rimshot*

93

an error that SCORES dons't irritate?

Juan Pierre up with two on for the Cubs...

And Pierre does what Juan Pierre does. Strand them.

96-

sure it does, but that doesn't happen NEARLY as often.

If Steve is still around, and The List still exists, please add Andy Pettitte's incredibly annoying "look under his cap to the plate to get the sign when there are runners on base".

You mean, that's not on The List already?

Why the hell is lofton starting against a lefty, i thought he was going to be platooned?

102 - We've discussed this. It's either because Repko is ill, or because Pettitte isn't a typical lefty. Neither of which may be particularly satisfying reasons for you.

I'm listening to Leo Kottke's Armadillo album. If anyone wants to hear a guitar wizard, check it out.

this already smells like one of those games where we manage to scratch out 4 hits, but lose 2-0....hopefully we can get a guy or two on and get a big fly....

1,2,3 inning & let's get some runs blue!!

Your first candidate in the Best Mondayism Poll tonight:

"But Taveras has already made a loud vote tonight."

Hah?

Let's get it started Kent

107

Picturing him saying it is what get's me all the time!! LOL!!

105 Just the first three words in your post there seem to sum things up neatly so far.

105 - If Houston is held to two runs, that would be a feat.

I'm a day late but can someone tell me what Tomko's fastball was clocked at yeaterday?

111 - Outside of his first start, Lowe has pitched better, best number is one HR in his last 22 innings. He is definitely keeping the ball down thus far today.

111 While Houston has expirenced success so far, it's only a matter of time before they fold.

While Berkman and Ensberg are legitimate threats, and Jason Lane should bounce back, look at who else has unbelievably high averages, which boosts the team OPS:

Biggio: .352
Ausmus: .310
Everett: .290

Once those get back to the levels they should, Houston will end up as a below average offensive team.

Okay, do you send him 3-2.......

alomar, kent, biggio, soriano?

Answer is no, since Grady and his staff is familiar with Pettite, I'm guessing that they don't think that he is wild.

113 - My comment was more about Houston than Lowe. But Lowe still deserves some skepticism.

What's the trivia question?

I think next time around we'll hit Pettitte (atleast that's what I hope)

Argh, redux. Monday's call of that eventual double play was so terrible I had no idea what was happening until it was all over. Sigh. I'm going home. Maybe things will be better by then. At any rate... happy Monday everyone.

Thank goodness Jeff Kent signed his extension when he did.

There is nothing I have seen out of Furcal to suggest he is a better defensive SS than Izzy was/is.

Do you guys agree with that?

The only thing I have seen and almost hope is that Furcal is still hurt.

I don't know what defensive stats have said, but I have always thought Izzy to be a better defensive SS than Furcal. 20 Games in and nothing has changed my mind(realizing eyes can be wrong).

that kind of stuff only happens to the dodgers...at least it seems that way.

With the way things are shaking up, I don't see us scoring more than a run off pettitte. Hopefully we can get his pitch count up. Not being pessimistic, he's just pretty much dominating us...

It just occurred to me thinking about James Loney and his hitting into 5DP's. That really shouldnt come as a surprise.

#1. Loney is a contact hitter
#2. Loney is not a fast base runner.
#3. Loney doesnt drive the ball with air underneath it. There's no uppercut in his swing like so many LH power hitters have (edmonds).

Someone compared Loney to Mark Grace. If I were a betting man, I'd wager that Grace hit into a lot of DP's in his career too for the exact reasons above.

Projecting Loney to hit .300+ when he hasnt done it at the minor league level is where I lose faith in James.

I don't loose Faith in anyone who is 21. Not that your points aren't valid!

124. Who's gonna break up Pettite's no-hitter? I think Nomar will, just a hunch.

I'll go with Mueller

123

Furcal steels more bases & has more pop! But for my taste I'd rather have a gold glove S.S. then a ERROR making S.S. JMO

The thing that I wonder about, re the Kent deal (which did not strike me as a horrible move at first blush), is what Colletti thought he was bidding against. This is another one of those instances where you don't just have an "unfree" market, you don't have any market at all, and so you're just guessing.

Nomar.

Nomar looks alot better when he doesnt hack. I hope he keeps his patience up. He's done pretty well the first two games.

Nomar looks alot better when he doesnt hack. I hope he keeps his patience up. He's done pretty well the first two games.

I guess it won't be Mueller

Cruz Jr. first pitch swinging AGAIN!

If Greg Miller continues to be healthy, he should be eased back into starting. It is ridiculous to turn a 21 year old 6'5" lefty with his stuff into some kind of middle reliever. No room at closer, for we have two major league closers, and anyone with a good fastball( Broxton,Kuo), won't get a chance to start.
Then again Baseball's evolution over the last 40 years is pointing to two sets of starters throwing 3 innings each; maybe he could be a first 3 or second 3 guy.

Just looking at the gameday, Cody Ross and his 9 RBIs have not made it into the game at RFK.

Marty -- you are listening to records in a hotel in Washington DC?

Bob -- but does the OED "sanction" both by allowing them or "sanction" both by punishing them. That word troubles me.

129-

you'd rather have a SS that can't hit the broad side of a barn? you've got to be kidding if you'd rather have Izturis over Furcal...

No-hitter through 5IP.

With Navarro, Pitcher, Furcal coming up in the 6th, Pettite has a chnace to make things interesting.

Am I mistaken, or were there no no-hitters last year? The last no-hitter I remember was Randy Johnson's perfect game against the Braves in 2004.

136-

from what's been said, his arm simply can't handle being in the starting rotation. Sad part of the game...but having him as a 3 inning guy would be nice.

24 thoughts. I don't trust Audrey!

spent a few minutes earlier watching the cubs/marlins on espn. would someone explain to me why dave o'brien needs a nickname ("ob")? i can understand with eric karros and rick sutcliffe in the booth, there may be some confusion because their names sound alike, so i can deal with "ek" and "sut". but to call dave o'brien "ob" is dumb. erin andrews is called "erin". this is the primary reason i only watched for a few minutes.

Sam, let's hear it for Ipods!

129 yeah, I am not even talking offense whatsoever.

If I could, right now I'd cruise into the Houston dugout, check for chicks and then go sit right next to Pettitte and start talking politics or religion

What can Furcal hit?

123 Izzy looks better defensively. I just don't know, but I always thought his offensive collapse might have been because he was hurting. If thats it, for his healthy stretch in 2004 he is just about as good on O.

Why would you bunt in front of the pitcher?

The only chics in the dugout are in San Diego. Apparently, Keith Hernandez is against female massage therapists.

According to Bruce Bochy, the Padres masseuse has a very important job that helps get the players ready for the game.

3 would be better than nothing. But you have to wait and see. I don't think when your 21 you can say gee-my arm can't take it.

Marty..I don't trust that little weaslie guy who hangs out with the Dept of Homeland Security Woman.

148-Keith still won't help Jerry move though!!

I don't think when your 21 you can say gee-my arm can't take it.

you absolutely can. Not only that, but 21 is the exact age where I had to say "gee, my arm can't take it" when I was pitching in college.

I'd rather Izzy at 3 million than Furcal at 13, even if he does hit twelve homers.

Why would you go on the radio and pretend to know anything and not say anything about the loon who just tried to bunt in front of the pitcher?

Furcal is really due for a hit. Maybe he'll be the one to break up this no hitter.

Gamecast has the Biggio groundout to end the inning, without explaining what happened with Ausmus. Anybody want to explain?

138

Just My Opinion, call me 'ol school. Furcal dose have more pop & can steal more bases. BUT HE CAN ALSO MAKE ALOT OF ERRORS!

It's the bottom of the ninth in DC, 4-2 Reds. Unless the Nationals tie the game and take it to extra innings, no new memories for Cody Ross tonight.

- B. Ausmus doubled to deep right center
- A. Everett grounded out to shortstop
- A. Pettitte struck out swinging
- C. Biggio grounded out to shortstop

Will someone please shoot the schreeching fan.

150 Yes, he's a worry too, but I suspect Audrey cuz she was with Cummings, and Peter Weller said he cut some main artery and now it isn't that bad. And she sounds too strident telling Jack to get the tape.

Could be me just reading too much into it though...

156-

how many of those errors are going to cost us games, or even cost us runs? It's not like errors score EVERY time....

On the flip side, having Izturis' black hole in our lineup absolutely kills our ability to score runs.

158 - Thank you. Gamecast (ESPN's new service, which is rather nice to look at but still seems buggy) missed the Pettitte SO.

156-

not to mention furcal has really improved. Last year he had 15 Errors compared to 11 for Izturis.

You're telling me you'd trade those 4 more errors for absolutely ZERO offense? Would you take JT Snow over David Ortiz?

Furcal is really struggling.
9 outs for history.
Pettite at 88 pitches.

You folks do know that "24" isn't going to air here for another 2 1/2 hours.

You know what, I looked it up, and Rafael Furcal can, indeed, make a lot of errors. He was particularly Offermanian in 2003. But Furcal gets more chances too -- I'd guess that he has better range just looking at the raw and clumsy numbers. Neither of them get you very far.

Didn't Reuss say what a big mistake Adam Everett made?

I think there's a guy who runs this website who knows about all sorts of fancy defensive metrics that try and shed some light on those problems. Maybe he'll tell us.

Nomar will end the hitlessness with a Homerun and then will hit another homerun in the 14th inning to win the game;.

BREAK THE NO-NO!!

Did you guys here Steiner!!? that was funny!

He was like "how about that positioning by Furcal"

Oh, I get it. It was a "mistake" to ground out to the shortstop. Well, yeah, I guess. Thanks, Bob.

I guess I was wrong

139You're correct - the last recorded no-hitter was Randy Johnson in 2004.

169 170 will meet with Jon's supertitious, psychological ire.

"Derek Lowe's pitching performance so far has stayed underneath the radar gun." - Monday

I know what he means though. Poor Lowe.

176- funny mispelling.

https://griddle.baseballtoaster.com/archives/356343.html

Presented without comment

Bob, I'm sorry. I will not speak of it again.

JDtD!

woo hooo

Woohoo Drew!

180
Thanks Marty. If you kept that up, MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WOULD DIE!!!

Then I would have to shoot you in the thigh.

Thank yew Drew!!!

DREW!!!!DREW!!!!DREW!!!!

DREW!!!!!!!!!!!!

good bye No No. Good bye lead. Huzzah, JD!

179

Likely won't be updating that page tonight.

But it kills the rally... :(

JD DREW ROCKS!!

184
the fleshy part, i hope

Thank the Gods! Now I don't have to listen to Steiner and Steve "Idiot" Lyons talk about Pettitte's no-hitter anymore. Hey guys, he doesn't have one!

Should Grady take Lowe out now?

184- That would not phase Marty maybe try his wife.

190 That's why JD just isn't a scrappy ballplayer.

Has Lofton lit Drew's fuse or what?

Man, Rotoworld can be pretty brutal sometimes:

Jason Kendall started Monday despite sporting a shiner under his right eye, the result of a head butt from his 16-month-old son, Kuyper.
The kid's got more power than his father does. Apr. 24 - 9:44 pm et

I'd stick with Lowe, but throw behind him in the pen.

great pitching duel I'm enjoining it.

don't tell me kendall's kid was named after duane kuiper! at least the elder kendall has more power than kuiper had.

Wilson - 22 K's 2 walks. Bill Stoneman is dying to get this guy on his roster.

200 Grins. Enjoining it, huh? Hey, lawyers! ;)

Estop! Or I will eshoot!

Kent is now hitting exactly .200, and .143 since the opening three-game series vs. Atlanta.

200 I thought you could only enjoin Twins games?

{rimshot}

The Cubs have scored six runs on three hits in the 8th at Wrigley against Florida.

206. Haha

Yay! Carter and Hamulack!

if it get's anyworse in Saito we trust!!

At least we got rid of Pettite, anyone think that Tracy would have sent up Pettite in this spot.

Hoboken?

Ooooh, I'm dying!!!

211 All part of the master plan...

Pettite was very good, Charlie (Steiner), but give Lowe some credit too. Good good pitching.

"Mu" "Ell" "Er"

"Mu" "Ell" "Er"

211 -- Does anyone not think that?

Lowe- 101-62.....15-1
Pettitte- 101-61.....13-3

15-1 GO-AO ratio for Lowe. Wow.

i have to get back out west. these in-n-out and weinerschnitzel commercials are killing me.

Remember last year when Javier Vazquez hit a home run against Sanchez in Arizona to put the DBacks and then he went out to warm up and THEN Bob Melvin pulled him.

That was the same night that Duaner turned the BOB into the House of Flying Gloves.

206

cut me some slack will ya! My spelling is very bad I know! :o)

"Mu" "Ell" "Er"
"Mu" "Ell" "Er"

212 - Pardon me, but could you help out a fellow American who's down on his luck?"

220

It's just that you stumbled into a funny word.

222

I'm glad to know somebody else has spent a lot of time watching very old Warner Brothers cartoons.

We're finally seeing the Cruz that played in Arizona and Boston last year.

223

What word is that?

226-

enjoin

ugly strikezone.

has Navarro gotten a hit in the past three weeks? I'm dead serious too...I can't remember the last time I saw him actually get a hit.

Grits better not pinch hit for Lowe. Our bullpen is awful.

Ledee is a good pinch hitter, but Wheeler is an excellent setup man. I would have kept Lowe in.

Dioner Navarro was 2 for 3 Sunday.

lowe looked like he could use a beer just then.

The offense is missing the "Saenz vs LHP" component.

Ledee makes an out, inning over, game over.

229 - He got a double yesterday and a single on Saturday.

232-

That was the day I missed...I didn't even look at the stats from it.

Lowe's at 101 pitches and the top of the Astros order is comign up in the 8th. I'd probably have taken him out too.

why aren't there any left-handed catchers?

229, 236, 232 - Bob is right. I was reading the wrong column.

Did we ever think we'd be complaining about Grady pulling a starter TOO EARLY.

239

Catchers aren't left handed because it is felt that they would be at a disadvantage fielding bunts and throwing to first as well as trying to throw out runners trying to steal (since most batters are righthanded)

Saaiiito your @$% down biggio

HEAT!!!!!

Was Saito this good in Japan? I'm in awe.

See 243

This guy is sooooo dirty.

243

LOL!

Saito is going to give up a run eventually, I just hope it isn't now.

239
i would guess it's because most batters are right handed, and the glove hand is on the wrong side for tags at the plate.

in babe ruth, our best player was a lefty catcher

Bing Bong

249

SPOKE TO SOON!

Nice job Confucius

Oooooops. Spoke too soon.

I never understood the belief that it would be harder for a left-handed catcher to field bunts. They wouldn't have to spin like a right handed catcher would.

[242] i don't see the disadvantage throwing to first.

and is there some sort of statistic that (ostensibly right-handed) catchers throw out fewer runners when there is a left-handed batter in the box?

left-handed first basemen also have a slight advantage, but there are still right-handed first basemen. if a lefty catcher has a good enough arm, i don't see why there can't be one.

confucious is/was a very wise man...

249- !!!!!

2-0 fastball bad call, oh well Saito is only human

There we go. That's the Saito that pitched in Japan. Game over.

[249] you just HAD to open your mouth about it, didn't you.

has anyone worn 44 since the strawman?

bah!

You think a LH catcher would do well at throwing out runners stealing 3rd?

I always thought RH 1st basemen had a defensive advantage because they can guard the line easier, taking away the extra base hits.

You can't have your catcher reaching across his body to make a tag on every play at the plate. And you can't have a catcher throwing through right handed batters on SB attempts. Too many righties.

256 Left-handed first basemen also have a slight advantage, but there are still right-handed first basemen. if a lefty catcher has a good enough arm, i don't see why there can't be one.

It's probably a developmental thing. If you have a good left-handed fielding player, why play him at catcher where he's going to get beaten up?

256

A lefthanded catcher would be facing the wrong direction when throwing to first on most bunts. He would have to throw across his body.

It's not a huge disadvantage, but once you get to pro ball, the Powers That Be feel it is.

Now left-handed second baseman or shortstop would be a sight to see.

Okay 3 K's but a HR this team makes me crazy.

266
Do you remember the time you hit that grand slam off Al Holland vs. the Pirates? That was awesome. Do you remember that?

[265] but they have a harder time ranging to their right, where there is more ground. they also have a longer arm movement when catching pickoff throws from the pitcher.

266 Why not?

264 This makes sense. Throwing out a runner at third around a RHB is hard for a RHC who can jabstep around the batter. The lefty would have to try and go over the batter's head (if short) or around them somehow (if tall). That's probably the best reason.

Furcal is trying to hard right now I think!

How many games have the Dodgers lost by 1 run?

Yes, my career was long and storied

This run comes in or I'm taking hostages

Lofton must be clutch. He owns the 9th inning.

Dodger 44s after Strawberry:

Mark Guthrie
Phil Hiatt
Paul Shuey
Takashi Saito

275
i enjoyed how you hit so many meaningless homeruns, yet managed to drive in so few runners.

Come on Drew

Look at Ausmus just wear that sinker in the dirt. What a man.

Everytime I criticize K Loft, it seems to light a fire under him. Drew better do something here.

Shut up Lyons. I said it first.

man I find my self biting my nails!!

272

Not just the throwing around the batter, but the need to turn the body and throw...RH Catcher is in better natural position. Same reason you don't see LH SS, 2B, 3B.

setting up the 643

wait.. I'm biting my skin now! oops!

Giants lead 3-0 on an Alou homer.

Mike Matheny is batting sixth for the Giants. Followed by Pedro Feliz and Jose Vizcaino.

I know you can't criticize a guy for a walk, but that was such a J.D. Drew at bat...I'll just take my walk, thank you very much.

"Je" "ff" "Kent"

"Je" "ff" "Kent"

Good job Drew...keeping the inning alive.

Kent will find some way to blow it.

that is crazy talk GB

Drew tried not to walk. He swung at the 1st two pitches out of the zone.

"porn" "mus" "tache"
"porn" "mus" "tache"

I'm not knocking him...It's just a very J.D. Drew thing to do...Relax, I like the guy.

285 The "Why Not?" was in reference to 266's comment on reaching across the body to make the tags. I referenced incorrectly. I agree with the throwing on SB attempts.

NOMAHH TIME!!!!

Good job Kent. I thought he'd go for the RBI.

Nomar with a chance to win the game.

Lidge can't throw strikes!

"No" "ma" "ah"
"No" "ma" "ah"

I think Lidge sees Albert Pujols every time somebody steps in the box.

dam! Nomar was sitting on that one!

"o" "c" "d"
"o" "c" "d"

NOMAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Nomaaahhhhhhhhhhh

boo ya

that's right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"I see dead people....Um, I mean Pujols"

I think that counts for 2 of the 9.

All praise Nomar! Wow. I wish I watching this game.

NOMAHHHHHHHHHHH

Hold on... Need to adjust my keyboard....
unplug, plug, shift, unplug, plug, shift...

Ok, what did I miss?

The fans in Houston haven't seen Danys Baez pitch much have they?

haha, SWEET! 1 down, 8 to go.

YES!

Nomar does have power. At least in Houston.

8 HRs, 96 RBI to go.

Maybe this Nomar guy can hit after all

steiner channeled mel allen there...

how 'bout that?

wow.

I guess this will cool the Kent to 1B for at least a day.

That means he only has 8 left.

oh, and willy aybar, in case anyone cares, also sluggs a homer. eh, only three runs.

this inning took alot out of me man!! woo!

Nice.

That was well worth using up one of 9 right there.

You can here a pin drop in minute made park

Lidge's ERA goes from 3.48 to 6.97. Nothing like some walks and home runs.

After the game:

Ned: Nomar, nice home run there!
Nomar: Thanks!
Ned: You do know our policy though about guys who hit grand slams?
Nomar: No
Ned: We can't keep you.
Nomar: What?
Ned: Did you read the contract?
Nomar: There's nothing like that.
Ned: I'm afraid so. Tell Mia that you are going to Cincinnati. Sorry.

could that be the monday moment?

Nice hit Nomar...You officially have one thing I'll remember from your one-year stay. Thanks for the memories....errrr, memory.

Is Lidge hurt? Why did they take him out?

Did not see it, I remember Pujos' shot, that was the hardest ball I have ever seen, how was this one. Line drive or just a towering fly ball?

Nothing like some walks and home runs.
Talk about a rally killer...

I would assume Garner doesn't want Lidge to throw too many pitches.

oh look at Cruz finnaly get a hit.

334

Nomar hit the ball hard, but it was about 20-30 feet lower than Pujols's shot last year.

They probably pulled Lidge because of his pitch count...That, or the 9,000 foot grand slam he gave up. One of those two things.

334

it was a BOMB bro! Left centerfield

334 It was a hard-hit fly ball, and hit most of the way up the columns behind the left-field wall.

P.S. I rather like Nomah so far. If he can keep from swinging at everything (and stay healthy, of course), he may well earn his millions.

No longer a Save Situation™

I think Saito-san may get his first MLB win tonight.

339

LOL!

no save for danys

IS Baez gonna come in?

Its so much easier to score when you walk and hit for power.

OH O!

The All Star!!!

Walks and home runs...You sound like one of them stat people...We don't take too kindly to you "Thinker-Types" in Dodgertown. Just ask the last guy...You know, the guy who had the job before Super Mario came in.

Walks and home runs...You sound like one of them stat people...We don't take too kindly to you "Thinker-Types" in Dodgertown. Just ask the last guy...You know, the guy who had the job before Super Mario came in.

ahhhh

Carter in.

Carter is in for his "set-up" role. Let one guy on and Baez has a save opp.

the gun in Minute maid park in juiced!!

Two guys have to reach for it to be a save situation.

Carter? There will be a save opportunity for Baez tonight.

here we go!

Why does BP carter get to do this to me?

The brought the gas can in so that Baez can get a save. Grady taking care of his closer.

So, let me get this straight. If you enter the game in the 9th with a 3 run lead, and give up 2 runs while getting 3 outs, you get a "save." If you enter the game in the 9th with a 4 run lead, and give up 0 runs while getting 3 outs, you don't get a save.

Remind me again why saves are valued so highly.

PS: Lance Carter's official job description involves creating save opportunities for Baez.

Can you say "quick hook" Grady?

I sure hope you do.

i like lyons' thinking: it's ok to put a guy on base because it sets up the double play

346 don't speak so soon, Carter is in

Our catcher sleeps back there or something???

330 Well paced, understated, overall -- pretty darn funny.

Thanks for the correction Bob. But since you can get a save if you come in with a 3 run lead, I figured you could get a save if you came in with a 4-run lead and a runner on.

now two guys on sets up the triple play. brilliant!

YANK!

Sir Lanceanot!

362
When you think about it, wins and losses and saves are all pretty much arbitrary.

Take him out! Send him to AAA, pack his bags! Carter is awful.

Tying run on deck. Carter offical "sets up" Baez.

Good job All Star.

Correct...Tying run on deck. Easiest way to remember.

Can we have some Dialogoue between Kent Carter and Grady?

He may be an overpriced injury waiting to happen, but Nomar just did more for the Dodgers with one crack of the bat than Darren Dreifort ever did.

368

You get a save anytime you come in with the potential tying run on deck.

I think it was in 2004 when Gagne got a save for retiring one batter when he came in with the Dodgers up five, but the bases were loaded and there were two outs.

The really cheap saves are the ones for pitchers who finish games by pitching 3 or more innings. There have been guys getting saves in 15-2 games.

See, Grady knows how to take care of his closer

4 run lead, plus Gas Can Carter, equals Save

from frank's simulation:

Grady Little left Lowe in to pitch the 8th inning and after giving up a run was relieved by Saito who promptly gave up a three run homer to Lance Berkman who tied the score up at 4-4.

Lol, thats funny.

anyways, carters gets DFA by may 15th.

I know there are some people out there who think Lance Carter is valuable...

...and those people are Baez's fantasy owners.

381
and i am one of them

But don't they give out saves for pitchers who close out 3 run leads even without a runner on base when they come in? In that case, the tying run isn't on deck.

3 runs or less, or tying run on deck. That's it...That's the list.

Booyah Baez!

One full with a lead of 3 or less is one criterion.
Tying run on deck is another.
3 or more innings to end the game is the third.

WoooooHoooooo!!

386
One full inning ...

well that was rad, best game of the year

gaemez over!

Baez and Carter must be in cahoots.

384 Or the one Bob said, at least 3 innings pitching effectively to end a win.

anyways, carters gets DFA by may 15th.
Not going to happen. Ned won't admit that trading for the all star was a bad move.

Wow, three innings for the save. When was the last time we saw that (tears up thinking of Goose Gossage).

Thanks Bob, got it now.

392
just like worm and mike mcd...

New post up top.

387 You're right, just looking at that line-up makes me shiver in terror. There is no better cleanup hitter in the majors than Mike Piazza.

Wait, it's 1996 right?

PLease See comment 169.

Great game.

OT: Baseball Tonight, a Paraphrase. Really:

Harold: Hitters play differently when great pitchers are pitching, because they have the mentality that they don't need to score a lot of runs. This explains why Clemens got such little run support last year.

John Kruk: It's easier to score runs when you've got a great pitcher on the mound because you don't press.

Steve Phillips: Sometimes a great pitcher is just too good, he gets his guys out of their rhythm because he is blowing the other team away so efficiently. This makes it harder for the offense to score runs.

Why do I watch these guys?

Not sure if someone mentioned this...it's very early, but Matt Cain is having a special game against the Mets so far.

Whoops! fell asleep watching the game what a way to wake up. 307 and all BOOYAAH!!!

377 - Gee, Molly, that was unduly harsh on Dreifort. In one game alone, Dreifort homered twice and I believe went six or so innings for the win.

401 Perfectly rendered, and so aggravatingly true.

404- Was one of those homers a grand slam?!?!

I am hard on Dreifort. I know he's a good kid, and that he just caught a string of bad breaks, but the man got paid $63.9 million to win 48 career games.

But anyway, yay Nomar! Weeeeeeee!!!

406 - Yeah, I understand we need shed no tears for Dreifort ... it just seemed like a long way to go to take a shot at him - and of all the shots to take, it wasn't even fair.