Gotta run for shelter, gotta run for shade...

Gotta get some lemons, make some lemonade...

Not the lyrics Kool & The Gang envisioned.

You think it's hot? It was 114 on my back porch yesterday...

Am I the only one whose sidebar is taking up half the screen?

Someone needs to post a really really really really really long comment.

https://griddle.baseballtoaster.com/archives/432479.html

None Dare Call It Encroachment.

OK, I've got nothing. We're stuck like this for a while.

None Dare Assign a Five-Yard Penalty to the Defense.

6

long comments are overrated.

I am in San Diego and the TV listings show that WGN is televising a game at 1pm opposite the Big Fox game at the same time (SF-Phil, no LA-StL here but I can pick it up from LA w/my antenna luckily).

I thought nobody else could show a game during the Fox time slots (which I assume is during any day game on Saturday).

Are there exceptions?

Suppan is not that impressive he has an ERA over 5.00 I think if Hendrickson pitches a good game (keeps us in the ball game) we have a good chance of beating Suppan.

8

Does Steve own a copy of "None Dare Call It Treason"? It's a 1964 classic by John Stormer.

They had a lot of copies of it at my elementary school library. Somebody dumped their John Birch Society starter library on the school.

I think Fox is just showing the two early games today and none in the late afternoon slot, so it's fair game for everybody else later.

Your bias against Drew is just unbelievable, and ridiculous. I have no idea why you're under the impression that JD Drew is a HR hitter..he never has been, and never will be.

Yet somehow you don't talk about Kent's lack of power, the fact that Izturis can't hit, the fact that Lofton is in the lineup...Drew really is the LEAST of our worries offensively.|

Sorry for the late response.

Drew hit 31 home runs in 145 games in 2004. That's pretty much the production I was expecting, and he's not on pace to even hit 20. Last year, Drew hit 15 in 72 games. Drew has yet to even hit 10 so far. So yes, he is NOT producing.

In the last 5 years (2001-2005), Drew averaged about 1 home run every 17.5 at bats. This year, he's averaging a homer every
31.3 at bats. You think that's a little off his career mark?

Yes, JD is a big concern for me right now. He's our clean up hitter, and only hitting .267 the last 30 games, and only has 3 RBIs the last 10 games. Yes, that's something to worry about, don't you think?

I think Kent & Drew are still kind of hurt that's why they can't hit the long ball.

I think Kent & Drew are still kind of hurt that's why they can't hit the long ball.

In the case of Drew, Vin Scully has been suggesting as much recently.

15 - They are showing SF-Phil here at 1pm. No big deal, I just thought it was weird.

Padre game last night was crazy.

Dunno if this was mentioned in previous thread, but it looks new - there's a piece on "Scouting the (next year's) free agents" on Yahoo this morning.
http://tinyurl.com/qa2s3

The only name ahead of Barry Zito may be a surprise for some:
1) Daisuke Matsuzaka, SP, Seibu Lions (Japan) – The only question about Matsuzaka concerns his pitch counts. He did once throw a 250-pitch game as a high schooler, and just this week he won his 10th game by going the distance in a 10-inning victory. Projected contract: four years, $50 million

He's the MVP of the world baseball classic and "Japan's best pitcher since Hideo Nomo."

He's also likely to be repped by Scott Boras.

Sigh. Zito and Matsukuka, both Boras clients.

With Kent, he concerns me a little, but he has been on the DL, and has been hitting very well since May 5th. Kent is averaging 1 homer every 25 at bats, so yes, that's off.

Zito and Matsuzaka, that is.

Meanwhile, yeah, being in SF, stuck with the SF-Philly game as the one shown on Fox today, in the afternoon. I was naively hopeful the LA game would be on in the morning here, but dunno why I was.

Conscience of a Commenter -- a manifesto for a new generation.

Extremism in the defense of not bunting is no vice.

Dodgers whipping boy checklist:

1) Drew - doesn't hit enough homers
2) Kent - contract too long, bad fielder
3) Lofton - blocking Matt Kemp
4) Izturis - doesn't hit enough
5) Nomar - is no longer hitting over .700 after the seventh inning and hence is useless (expounded last night)

6) Hendrickson - not good enough
7) Baez - not good at all
8) Tomko - not good enough
9) Billingsley - throws too many pitches
10) Lowe - too flakey
11) Furcal - poor fielder, overpaid
12) Ethier - won't be as good as Kemp (this is a problem for some people)
13) Sele - mirage
14) Ledee - not Matt Kemp
15) Saenz - doesn't socialize with teammates enough
16) Hall - doesn't want to be here
17) Alomar - old and doesn't walk
18) Penny - whined too much in game at Atlanta
19) Broxton - should be starter, not as good as advertised
20) Saito - see 13
21) Cruz - can't hit
22) Beimel - see 20
23) Martinez - see 22
24) Perez - too many things to mention
25) Carrara - retread
26) Martin - lone player beyond reproach

Too hot
This town is too hot
Now they're calling for their guns
About to spoil the rude boys' funs
'Cause rude boys never give up their guns
It's too hot

can we change Tomko to "not good at all?"

17 18 if watch a replay of that slide at 2nd where Drew was hurt in Colorado, you see why he can't drive thru the ball

they keep calling it a hip injury, but if you watch closely, his knee was bent sideways...I think he can't put full pressure on that leg without pain in his knee

as for Kent, aside from just being old, that HBP he took in the noggin may have affected him more than we know

but no matter, it all comes down to pitching, and the fact that they are coddling up to Perez to calm him down points out the fact that we don't have enough

25 Good list, but you forgot:

Frank McCourt - too poor, callow
Jamie McCourt - too in-charge
Ned Colletti - too not-Paul Depodesta, awful hairpiece and mustache
Grady Little - makes lone player beyond reproach bay 8th
Charley Steiner - not Vin SCully

"bat 8th". Dang. I even previewed.

can we change Frank McCourt to "squirrely?"

25 You forgot Martinez (mirage).

Wait, no you didn't.

29

I didn't wish to make the list ridiculously long. ;-)

When I saw the comment last night complaining that Nomar is disappointing because he isn't as well after the 7th anymore, I knew it was time to get out of town. Apparently, Garciaparra only has value to the team if he hits .750 after the 7th inning.

29 - You forgot Monday. =P

On another note, I think Sam DC and I are out of luck for the game today.

25 - you forgot

27) Matt Kemp - also not Matt Kemp

25 12) Ethier - won't be as good as Kemp (this is a problem for some people)

I keep wondering why Ethier, who I do like, has been given the opportunity to play every day and work himself into the groove, whereas Kemp was given substantial time off to rest almost immediately after his 7 homer binge...of course, disruption of the players' routines is a continuing problem with Grady Little

34 If someone actually said that, I'm glad I missed last nights game.

Josh Rawitch -- defends trades with Tampa Bay

34 - I thought the statement was made mostly tongue-in-cheek, but with some of the group here one never knows...

28 - call up Mark Alexander!

From last night's thread check comments 85 and 99.

I checked out at 101.

31 - Motion seconded.

29

Ned Colletti - too not-Paul Depodesta, awful hairpiece and mustache

I always wondered about that one but never had the guts to say anything!! lol! I solute you fellow dodger fan.

40

I think the comment was at least somewhat serious. But it was definitely inflammatory.

42 Wow, that's amazing. Nomar's almost dropped to the level of production we expected out of him for 11 games, it must be time to critize.

Wait, he was amazing last week, so he's been bad for the last five games.

Is that 101, or the 101?

42 - Yeah, I was around (I think I stepped in not too long after you left, not sure...). -shrug-

In any case, Fox is currently running an in-depth look at Ozzie Guillen. All I'm taking away from it? Guillen is insane.

Although Josh Rawitch defends Tampa Bay trades, he also criticizes Bill Plaschke columns, so I would not include him.

Besides, Josh came by to say hello to the Dodger Thoughts group at the Jim Tracy Mockery Game.

41 Actually, yeah, I was wondering what the Dodgers' thoughts are on Alexander. Do they think he can help in the majors' sometime soon? Obviously no one can expect him to repeat his recent success in the minors at the major level, but can he contribute? He doesn't get mentioned very often in prospects talk.

42 Ditto.
Nice list, btw. Where's Toby Hall, or is he
27) Beyond... uh, approach

40 - Yes, it was a bit tongue in cheek, and also a statement that he's due to pick it up a bit more soon.

If you had a leadoff man who got a hit in his first at bat every game, but only in that at bat, would he be a hall-of-famer for having a 162 game hit streak, or derided for hitting .220?

Oops, my bad, there's Hall at #16. It is a thorough list, so thorough I skipped right over Hall, just as he feels Grady Little does every night.

51 I'd deride him, then figure out how unlikely it was that he put together that hit streak.

51

Is there some sort of ideal distribution of hits that would satisfy you?

53 - Hmm, that sounds familiar. =P

Speaking of Jax Suns, I saw that Scott Elbert pitched 6 scoreless innings last night and Chin Lung-Hu had 4 hits. Those guys haven't skipped a beat even after all the players they lost. So many good ones were right behind. Alexander got his 22nd save with a 1-2-3 9th.

Hey, that looks like some Cardinal fans arriving late.

54 - I'd prefer 1 hit per at-bat, but maybe that's just me.

57
Impossible!

Those are The Best Fans In Baseball™!

HAH!

"The Yankees have battled this year, they're only a game-and-a-half out."

Yes, those poor widdle Yankees, with the three highest player salaries in the major leagues. It's a wonder they're not losing by fifty games after All. Those. Injuries.

I get stuck with Yanks and ChiSox. Screw that.

Congratulations Bud Selig. A 7 year contract with FOX is quite possibly even worse than Kevin Brown's 7 year contract.

4.564*10^-28 if anyone's curious.

60 - and that pitching staff. They have Rivera and Mussina. The Big Unit's too old, and the rest just goes downhill.

J.D. Drew hasn't homered since June 1. I'm pretty surprised that more people haven't voiced frustration with him.

Cruz Jr. batting 2nd dosn't make sense to me.

WOW it looks bueatifull in St. Louies.

64
You haven't read thinkingblue's incessant drumbeat of J.D. Drew critcism have you?

Who should bat 2nd then? Izturis? (I'm sincerely asking.) Cruz is batting vs. RHP today which is his weaker matchup so maybe it is kind of odd...

Toby Hall gets a start, good ol' Toby!

Nice start for Furcal!

Dear Steve Lyons,

Not scoring for 20 innings when you lead the league in scoring is not indicative of a problem.

Gameday trick: If you have "Away Hits" or "Away Outs" or the like depressed, you can find out the result of the play before the results window tells you.

Cruz Jr. making me look good.

darn! I thought that ball that Nomar hit was gonna be a hit (they had him played perfectly)

54 - The best time to get hot is in September. If JD Drew went on a tear in September, I'd be thrilled, and I'd say Grady is a genius for not letting him break earlier.

For my money, I've got Nomar down as the next guy to hit .400. He's just got to get hot. I'm not frustrated with him, because he's just hitting preseason expectations the last couple weeks. But when he's hot, it's like having John Stockton as Shaq's designated free throw shooter.

If somebody reaches on an error however, Gameday does not indicate where the ball was.

Sigh, well, once again MLB audio crashed on me three times and now won't let me back in. And no Fox game this morning (although then I get to miss Steve Lyons) so it's GameDay for me, too.

Drew is obviously hurt, and getting the criticism one would expect from people who would otherwise criticize him for not "playing through it"

Drew gives us the lead

JD Drew says, take that snarky blog-commenters! ;-)

Incidentally, if you search Jose Lima on MLB.com, you can still watch the highlight reel of his CG shutout of the cards.

Nice to see Drew drive that, even if it should have been caught.

Good for JD! I'm happy.

Jeff Kent taking a walk. 3.5 time

Suppan pitching around Kent, I like that hit from Drew, hopefully that's a sign of him getting out of his little slump.

Was that an intentional walk, an intentional unintentional, or an "I can't find the strike zone"?

It's funny how a guy batting 290 in July is "slumping," but I guess that's referring to power numbers...

If Tampa bay can somehow get its hands on Suppan, the sky will be the limit for Flanders.

Bradley's game last night brought him back up to replacement level for the season.

Gameday for another Dodgerless Saturday.
Does that MLB-tv have to honor the Sat. blackout?
Well, Drew and Furc, who I was grousing about in my misery last night redeem themselves.

86

yeah, that's what I was refering too.(power slump)

86 - It's like saying a pitcher is on a tear if he hits over .200 for a stretch.

I'm gonna be Hendrickson lucky charm today

25 Love it!!! Might add to (1) and (2)- Overpaid.

David Eckstein's GameDay picture never fails to scare me. Looks like some country cuzzin' of Charles Manson.

WOW! look at Kent

Kent making Bob Timmermann look bad. :o)

Hey,
I've got no opinions here. I'm just trying to sum up everyone's likes and dislikes here.

I think Baez is the player disliked by the most people with OP a close second. Other players have their detractors, but I think Kent and Lofton have a small number of detractors, but those that dislike them make it a point to bludgeon you with their dislike with them until you start bleeding out of your ears.

28 I think you're on to something with Kent. I've had the feeling since that hit that he might have a vision problem. He's lunging for a lot of low outside pitches ala Matt Kemp. He didn't use to do that. Is his walk ratio down? That was the secret to his success, he made them throw him strikes to swing at or he took a walk.

97 - So THAT's why my collars have been stained red lately.

I don't believe old Busch Stadium was imploded. I think it was knocked down with wrecking balls. There are too many structures nearby to risk that. Including a light rail station that probably wouldn't welcome all that dust.

And the Savvis Center.

And the Bowling Hall of Fame! You get three free frames with your admission.

Hendrickson slider looks pretty good, that hit by Pojols was like Lyons said "had gears on it"

97 - those that dislike them make it a point to bludgeon you with their dislike with them until you start bleeding out of your ears

Especially if you read all the comments out loud.

I love that those are the best moments they could find from Hendrickson's career.

they made him look clumsy.

The Moose off to a good start in Yankees/White Sox game, 3 Ks through 2 innings with very good movement on his curve.

Who was the Sacramento player complaining to Hendrickson about not getting the ball? I think it was Terry Dehere. I think he was the only short black guard on Sacramento that season. Mitch Richmond was on the team, but he was 6'5" and he was a little more chunky.

I'm sure Hendrickson played baseball in college right? what college?

Washington State. Same as Sele.

I'm guessing he doesn't need any help from them.

Hendrickson looks like an out machine so far

100 - yes, it was the wrecking ball. I remember being surprised that they didn't implode it, but apparently it turned out to be cheaper to use the ball.

a neurolagist bought a urinal from old Bush stadium, true story Lyons just mentioned it on FOX.

98 - I remember hearing from my Driver's ed instructor that if you didn't need glasses or something by age 22, you would probably be good until age 38.

111 - I thought the fans politely took the stadium apart brick by brick.

Actually it was a urologist, not a neurologist.

All though sometimes after a tough game and reading some comments here, I can feel my brains going down the toilet.

115 - and I'm usually pissed off at the Dodgers, so there you go.

115 - I hope Gagne didn't make the same mistake.

Since when is Nomar the next Craig Biggio?

113

I'm proud to say I have great great vision, So I guees I'm good till 38 then, My entire family has great vision except for my mom.

118

is he known to be hit alot? I don't like it one bit!!!

so nice of Suppan to ground out on the first pitch.

Biggio? He's going for the all time record.

Why couldn't they hit Odalis Perez with a pitch? We'll send him up as a pinch hitter if they'll agree to do that.

122

is there something to that? I'm serious he was hit 3 times the other day, what gives!?

They'd rather pitch to him inside, I guess.

Is being the "reigning" NL Player of the Week worth anything?

113 A blow to the head can cause many things to go wrong in our very complex, very delicate systems.

how big is that ballpark? it looks HUGGGGE

3.5 on first

Bottom 3rd Yankees game, to lead off the inning Damon and Jeter bunt one right after the other. Sheesh (though admittedly Damon's was perfect and he got on for a hit).

126 - That was the Easter game, right?

Was that the one where Hamulack hit Bonds' armor?

Toby Halls swing dons't impress me all that much (shoot he just got a hit)

it still dons't impress me.

Boy, that Cruz is a great player, isn't he? Are you sure the Yankees couldn't use him? I'd take a baseball cap in trade...

Somebody earlier asked about why ethier seemed to have a longer leash than Kemp, and it occurs to me that one reason might be that ethier is 24 and Kemp is 21.

Was the Doc. who got the urinal over weight.
Then he would be a "Meaty Urologist"! a weatherman do you see?
I'm deeply sorry.

135 - Thank you for that, um, tidbit.

6

Bob knows that us chicks dig the long comments :-)

Could it be the heat? It looks like a Walt Johnson vs. Cristy Mathewson tilt.

138

This is more like a game between Highball Wilson and Bob Unglaub.

I wonder if Ron Gardenhire has Ed Delahanty's autograph in his Baseball Encyclopedia?

134 You're exactly right, Ethier is not only older, but already has a full season of AA under his belt (not to mention a college career). Plus, Ethier never showed any true flaws; he looks like he belongs right now. When he was getting sparse at-bats earlier in the year it wasn't a big deal because he was already polished enough that his progress wasn't being stalled. The only reason to send him down would be to try to get him to develop more power, but there would have to be better options in LF than there currently are (so a trade would be necessary, which probably won't happen).

"I proved to everybody I could handle the major league level," he said. "I know what they expect out of me. I'll be back up here."

Matt Kemp, unlike Joel Guzman, was impressive, and did not come up with "nothing to say."

I have a baseball autographed by Carl Mays and the other autograph reads "Ray Cha" then there's nothing else.

hanger by Hendrickson (to Encarnacion)

Memo to cardinals:

Don't just stand there, do something.

Thank you.

Goodness. Another 2 Yankee bunts in a row, White Sox misplay BOTH (scored as a hit and an error, but on the 'hit' 1st wasn't covered).

Yeah, that Hendrickson guy is a straight-up bum!

Spin it...

Yikes. Buehrle getting TAGGED. 8-0, got through only 3 innings (he started the 4th but got no outs).

I hope Grady, says enough is enough with Cruz Jr. he just dons't kut it left handed.

Let's go Nomar. I'm gonna need a nap or something if Suppan strikes out the side.

150 Jose Cruz Jr. has contributed more to this offense than Russel Martin has according to my VABR system.

143 Ouch.

Nomar wasn't going to let Suppan even get strike 1 on him. Too bad he grounded out to short.

Hendrickson v. Suppan. The first thing I think of, for sure, is a pitcher's duel.

152 - It's the GIDP. Martin's had 6 to Cruz's 2. If you don't factor those in, Martin's 195 AB were more impressive than Cruz's.

The Izturis to Furcal play ratio is at 2:1 now.

152

I don't know what VAbr means.

pitching duel

156 Point being, Cruz has contributed more runs to the Dodgers than Martin. Grounding into a double play is the worst thing you can do, and whether it's luck or not, Cruz has avoided it.

158 - Value Added Batting Runs. See

http://dodgermath.com//?p=326

152 How about Martin is a catcher and according to Gragy et al, isn't expected to contribute much to the offense. Cruz is a corner outfielder and is expected to earn his keep with his stick. Well, he isn't. And that's why he's the FIFTH outfielder on the club and won't even hold that job much longer. Martin is twenty times more valuable to the club than Cruz.

It should also be noted that Cruz just dipped below Martin by going 0 for 3 so far.

162 Make that 'Gragy' Grady (Little).

Did Steve Lyons really just say that alternating between AL and NL home field in the World Series "doesn't make any sense"?

162 I just don't get why you'd be upset with a fifth outfielder with a .360 on base percentage and solid defense.

165

There's a whole lot of rationalizing going by Albert and Lyons about the All-Star Game.

You could just make the team with the better record the home team for Game 1.

But apparently that is unfeasible according to the Lords of Baseball. Although the NHL and NBA have been getting by for over 50 years with that system.

fifth outfielder with a .360 on base percentage and solid defense >>> first shortstop with a .348 on base percentage and horrendous defense (and a $39 million contract)

I suppose there's a good reason why Izturis got a free pass there.

They don't think much of Toby Hall.

I suppose there's a good reason why Izturis got a free pass there

Is his D4P greater than one...?

That or Suppan doesn't like pitching from behind in the count like that.

169 it seems amazing, but I think he's good in that sitch. Is Hall that bad?

That Tony Larussa is a genius for walking Izturis!

Hall and Izturis have similiar OPS figures this year and all La Russa did was increase the chance that Hall would drive in an extra run if he could manage a home run.

No way. How on Earth did he hit that out?

That was at his ankles, how could he even create enough power to hit that out?

Didn't Hendrickson learn not to give Pujols anything over the middle of the plate?

I'm trying to blame Hendrickson for that, but the guy just shoe-topped a ball into seats. Good lord.

how could he even create enough power to hit that out

HGH

178 That ball almost bounced.

178 And he was in front of it.

181-

I hate to say it, but I think he's the one prominent guy still juicing.

183 It also helps that he has, probably, the most perfect right-handed swing of all time.

you can't blame Hendrickson for that, Pujols is just playing sick.

As a counter point, Hendrickson could be the worst hitter I've ever seen.

Hall better go long.

I probably would have gone for Lofton to PH there.

180 - that was my first thought.

I don't really care about these guys hitting tons of home runs any more, especially ones like Pujols who have long term associations with known suppliers/trainers of the juicers.

The players brought this suspicion on themselves by fighting any testing and then only putting in weak programs that don't actually assure the fans they aren't still cheating (i.e. HGH not tested and it's one of the primary substances they cheat with).

Tony Larosa (spelling?)hands out HGH and steroids to all of his teams. The A's in the 80's and the CARDs in the 90's and 2000's. I hate that man. He has zero integrity in my book. He is a cheat.

Sorry, I mean Hendrickson.

183

I respectfully disagree with you, just couse somebody is great don'st mean he's juicing it, I don't like the perinoia (sp?)
some people are just great period (no juice or nothing they just have the god givin talent)

189 That's pretty broad accusation to throw around. I don't particularly like LaRussa, but you can't just throw that kind of thing out there.

Well, we can't really blame the starting pitching much this series, we just plain can't hit right now. Maybe feasting on D-Backs pitching will help turn that around.

I will say something bad about Pujols HE RUNS REALLY GOOFY

191-

It has nothing to do with paranoia. Pujols has known connections to people involved with HGH, not to mention that guy is humungous....NOBODY should have been able to hit that pitch in the seat. It's that simple. We're seeing exactly what happened with Bonds....at least Bonds is finally going down.

This is where it hurts that Kemp's out.

I was really expecting an "LOL" at the end of 189.

And at least a far better attempt at spelling Tony LaRussa's name.

188 They still don't have a reliable test for HGH. Then, when they're finally able to test for that, another new supplement will come along. I think we'll just have to accept that some guys will be getting away with cheating whenever we watch a game.

196 Why, did we need someone to strike out? ;)

Well, we can't really blame the starting pitching much this series, we just plain can't hit right now.

I don't think the hitting is a surprise to many of us...not with the lineups we put out every day.

195

His arms were fully extended & he got "good wood on it" it's that simple in my book. I could be wrong though.

The Dodgers have a new setup man: Brett Tomko. Tomko has agreed to pitch relief, provided he is a short reliever. His plan is to throw really hard, "It could be very interesting, going all out for one inning with nothing under 95 [mph]." He also hopes he can have a quicker rehab.

Hendrickson's starting to get the ball up a little too much.

197

they been cheating in all sports, it's just a fact of life some people cheat you can't change human behavior that's simply the way some people are waird.

201

It's easier to take the high moral ground that Pujols cheats. And of course, all of the Dodgers players are beyond reproach.

What about Vladimir Guerrero hitting a home run off of a 98 mph fastball from Penny that was at his eyes?

200 With the exception of Izturis, it's basically the same line-up we've been trotting out all year. I don't think the difference between Izzy and Aybar makes THAT much of a difference. Seems just that a lot of guys are slumping a bit now, nothing to get too worried about.

203

agreed.

202

With the way the Dodgers bullpen is, I can't say that having Tomko pitch an inning at a time is any worse than seeing Baez pitch an inning.

It would likely 1/5 the amount of time we would normally have to see Tomko pitch.

205

I don't know I guess I'm just naive to think some people simply have god givin talent. (Vlad & Pujols)

204 I hate to be one of those guys, but could you work on your spelling a little bit? Every post you make causes me to cringe a little bit. Nothing personal, just something that a lot of people (myself included) have a bit of a pet peeve about around here.

198 - I understand there isn't a reliable test. I also understand that the players association fought like crazy to prevent testing of all kinds of substances for the longest period of time so I have no problem making my own assumptions about who is juicing based on the circumstantial evidence available. For instance, Pujols is huge, hits home runs like Bonds used to and his long term trainer has been accused by Grimsley (known steroid user) as a supplier of HGH. As a result, I couldn't care less what Pujols does.

hows the Cards pen these days??

It's easier to take the high moral ground that Pujols cheats. And of course, all of the Dodgers players are beyond reproach.

No player is beyond reproach as far as I'm concerned. When relative no-names like Jason Grimsley and others are implicated, it seems kinda naive to think that "most players don't juice."

210

I'll try & use spell check from now on, sorry about that.

The Cardinals pen is not particularly reliable.

205-

And of course, all of the Dodgers players are beyond reproach.

I never said that, but okay.

What about Vladimir Guerrero hitting a home run off of a 98 mph fastball from Penny that was at his eyes?

so what? Plenty of guys hit HR that high in the zone. If you make contact, especially when the ball is coming 98 mph, it's going to fly.

As far as Pujols, his behind was flailing out, he was on his front foot, and he was completely out in front of the ball. I just don't buy it with him personally. Ive thought he was a roid head for a while now and I didn't say anything because I didn't want to get attacked. I think the guy juices, if you diagree that's perfectly fine.

213

I see your point D4P, I just don't like to think of the game I love in that context, You make very good points don't get me wrong.

I'm going to make a bold assumption that Izturis is not on the juice.

Unless the juice is apple juice.

The other problem you can run into is that how do you distinguish between a good play and something that is only accomplished by juicing? You can't just look at one event and chalk it up to juicing. It's a whole series of events played out over a course of a season.

The logic here is:

1) Player A juices
2) Player A hits a home run
3) Player A hit the home run because he was juicing

Everyone jumps from 2 to 3 although there is not enough evidence to prove it.

Good little outing for Mr. Hendrickson. Nice job.

Eckstein is 0-4 today!

216

Vlad did that not to long ago, against the Indians.

My understanding is that there is a reliable test for HGH, but it is a blood test and not a urine test. The current CBA only allows urine testing.

I imagine that blood testing will be an issue of contention in negotiations over the next CBA.

Broxton had a good little inning also.

that ball the Drew hit had eyes!

take that Hector Luna!

219 - Pujols long term trainer is named in the Grimsely investigation as a supplier of HGH. Pujols is massive. It is a fact that many major league players have been juicing.

I think you left a few pieces out of your logic chain.

214 Thanks, I can already see the improvement :)

223 I thought I heard that there is a good test for one type of HGH, but there's another version that's harder to detect. It's not a very concrete memory, just something I thought I heard on ESPN or something.

I understand that enhancements will be part of the argument for the foreseeable future, but let's give a little credit where credit's due. The guy wastes absolutely no movement, loads his hands perfectly, hardly strides, has perfect balance, and cuts down on balls, backspinning them out at 400 feet. It's pretty much the most perfect swing you could ever develop. You wanna argue that he's juicing (without evidence), that's fine. But he has ridiculous mechanics.

I think that if Charlie Steiner were juicing, he could start pronouncing "Encarnacion" correctly.

Pujols long term trainer is named in the Grimsely investigation as a supplier of HGH. Pujols is massive. It is a fact that many major league players have been juicing.

You do the math.

230 You mean it isn't pronounced En-canar-cion?

227

I was using the logic that I thought people here were using.

It could very well be that Pujols is juicing.

He also hit a home run off of Hendrickson.

It is not necessarily true that the juicing caused the home run to happen.

The fact that pitchers are also juicing never seems to enter into the equation.

Finally, I think everyone's view of PEDs is colored by which team they are rooting for at the time.

The fact that pitchers are also juicing never seems to enter into the equation

Gagne
Clemens
Brown
Grimsley
Alvarez
Who else...?

233 - I agree with all of that.

now back to regularly scheduled programming. Good game going on here.

Good at bat going for Ethier

234
Juan Rincon
Ryan Franklin

Several minor leaguers

205 - I saw Vlad take Pedro Martinez deep on a pitch that was at his shoetops and about a foot off the plate. That was the day he had 9 RBI against the Red Sox:

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B06020ANA2004.htm

When he's working, Vlad is nothing short of incredible.

Ethier does that Oakland thing!

Bottom line: To believe that players like Pujols and Bonds are not juicing is to believe that no one is juicing. I can understand that mindset from the standpoint of someone who loves baseball so much that they don't want to even entertain the notion that their beloved pasttime could be tainted.

But in the "real world," people do things we don't like.

237 Don't forget Juice Newton

My boy Izzy will deliver

233 - and my wife insists that Pujols is two or three years older than he claims to be.

The current steroids blabbing is just hot air. Nobody has any proof that juicing actually helps anything.

240

So does anyone want my autographed photo of the World's Fastest Man, Ben Johnson?

bases loaded for Izzy....uh oh.

id give just about anything to get that guy out of the lineup. anything.

My boy Izzy making me luck bad.

245

That out was most unproductive.

240 - so, if Albert Pujols weighs more than a duck, he must be... juicing! I get it now!

This would be a good time for hall to raise his trade value

when we're in the 8th inning with bases loaded and less than two outs we're not pinch hitting for izturis? really? Am I missing something here?

240 I just think it's too easy to condemn the guys who are the best hitters in the game just because they're so good. I'm not saying Pujols is or isn't a juicer, there just hasn't been anything close to conclusive evidence against him (unlike Bonds, Giambi, Palmeiro, etc). Some of you seem to be 100% sure of his guilt because someone he knows hands them out. If you have friends that deal drugs does that make you a druggie?

Golden opportunity going to waste?

245 - no, a GIDP would be most unproductive. See VABR.

The futility continues...

2006 Golden Sombrero Designees:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Sombrero#2006_Major_League_Baseball_golden_sombreros

252 - or to make it even plainer, if you have a friend who is a bartender, it doesn't make you an alcoholic.

Bad time for that popup, Toby. You're gonna have to hit your way off this club.

Seems like Ledee would have been a good choice to pinch-hit for Izzy there, maybe Grady doesn't trust his timing yet after such a long lay-off however. Otherwise the only options would be Lofton, Saenz, or Lucille II, none of which strike me as much better options than Izzy against a righty.

253 - yes. I was thinking squeeze play

or Saenz PH

I seriously can't handle watching this offense. Either Izturis or Lofton needs to go.

Why we're not just getting a heck of an OF bat and putting Drew in CF is absolutely beyond me. Apparently we like trotting out a slap hitting lineup and not scoring any runs. What is this, three runs in the three games?

Squeeze plays with the bases loaded are harder.

It's also a high risk, low reward strategy in that situation.

Whatever happened to the famous Dodger squeeze play?? Once agin, Dodgers in a tight tied game with the possibility of squeezing a run home and we get a strkeout and then the pop-out. We could have scored with a squeeze the othe rnight as well in this inning.

Grittle deserves to go another 14 innings today with Perez.

Ida gone with Saenz and hope for Wainwright to be dumb enough to throw a fastball.

that was a great chance gone to waste.

I guess I was a little late on my comment. But after what happened the other nght, I think a squeeze is still a viable option, if not the highest percentage.

And just because the glove left on the crime scene is the exact same glove you are known to wear, and just because it's your size, and just because your blood is found on the scene, and just because you have cuts on your hands, etc. etc. etc., doesn't mean you were guilty.

Logic is fun!

If you've got a lefty up, the catcher can see the runner from third breaking and can more easily get the pitcher to throw the ball outside to ruin the squeeze.

Also, you can just get a flip to home for a force.

And it was the 8th inning and Pujols is due up. So you can try a very difficult play to pull off and then hope that Pujols doesn't tie the score with one swing.

Brox, don't make the same OP mistake. Just really walk him.

Broxton hsd a really nice slider.

261 I'd be the first to tell you the Dodgers have been getting lucky with their offense, but we're leading the league in runs. The results of three games are largely irrelevant.

268-

it boggles my mind that he didn't get pinch hit for there...I mean, a five year old would have known to pinch hit there.

Good to see good games from Hendrickson and Drew.

271-

let's see where we end up at the end of the year.

267 - is there an argument here? Or do you just like shouting allegations because somebody isn't in Dodger blue? I'll take one from column (b).

Hooray Common Sense! And a message IBB to boot.

I love the news that Tomko could be headed to the bullpen. He has decent stuff. Maybe he can be effective throwing gas out of the pen.

271 - I think we established earlier that the Dodgers weren't getting BABIP lucky, but there's been this feeling I've had for a while now that there's a wheel coming off.

I'd take my chances with Rolen also, good call by Grady.

That must be pretty miserable to run to second in 110° F heat and have the guy at the plate foul one off.

275
Or do you just like shouting allegations because somebody isn't in Dodger blue

This has nothing to do with teams. I think it's entirely reasonable to think that Dodgers such as Gagne, Beltre, Lo Duca, etc. were users. And if Bonds were a Dodger, I'd have no problem shouting an allegation in his direction.

You know, I'm not sure he actually tagged Pujols out.

Apparently Pujols's chemistry doesn't make him run faster.

nice throw tubby. although i doubt it would have mattered since the liklihood of encarnacion striking out was probably....100% there.

278 When I looked at those numbers, a large number of players were BABIP lucky, with only Kent being signifigantly unlucky.

I don't think you really have to look at the numbers to see that this Dodgers offense is overperforming. Should this really be the most productive offense in baseball? But the offense is the least pressing concern we have right now, and I'd much rather focus on acquiring a pitcher.

Haha.

280

I'm getting dehydrated just looking at the game on the tube.

283 - or maybe he would have been out by two steps instead of one?

actually, I thought the replay showed he was safe (no tag, like scareduck mentioned). Even so, that was a nice throw by Hall.

Apparently Pujols's chemistry doesn't make him run faster

But it does make him popular in the clubhouse...

281 - yes, which is why you only mentioned those names after others brought them up.

Lo Duca?

Say it ain't so?

Say it ain't so?

267 You would have a point if at that trainer's house you had found a check from Pujols with "MVP juice" as the memo, empty bottles of HGH at Pujols' home, an e-mail from Pujols to the trainer saying "thanks for the 'boost'", etc.

Whatever happened to Jose Cruz's power numbers?

But the offense is the least pressing concern we have right now

really? I know how bad we need pitching, but this offense is terrible. You don't score runs you don't win games...I mean, we're having problems even scratching one run across.

Dang, thought that was out.

wow, the power alleys are far! I thought that had a chance

yes, which is why you only mentioned those names after others brought them up.

You're barking up the wrong tree. I'm about as far from a Dodger homer as you will find on this board. Trust me.

I made "PEDs" one of the categories for my expenses on my Quicken program on my computer.

If I cut down on my PED purchases, I could make more contributions to my Roth IRA.

Does that mean STL's offense is terrible? These are the top two offensive teams in the NL. Every team goes through slumps. I don't understand why all the doubting of the offense all of a sudden.

and I'd much rather focus on acquiring a pitcher.

The problem with that is any pitcher that is better than a 5th starter will cost us billingsley, otherwise you go after a 5th starter and that isn't gonna do us any good, we have many 5th starters already.

Unless you are talking about a reliever.

294

I really thought we'd tag Suppan today.

Game Over.

Settle in

302

don't give up so soon bro.

If D4P were an Angels fan, his handle would K4J.

Little curve there would have been nice

Nice 0-2 pitch right down Broadway.

cancel 303, go with 302

298
"Quicken! Premier! Dad, I hope you kept the receipt."

Fox must think the game is going to end now, since Albert is reading the credits.

That's the sign that they want to get off the air.

305 How could you slight Kent Bottenfield like that? He won 20 games one year you know...

come on Baez! one more

310

indeed

Alright, he only won 18, but that's like 20 these days.

Baez holds a runner?!

nice bullpen job so far.

18 is the new 20?

I hope this dons't become another heart break game.

317 That's right (in my best Puddy voice)

Don't bring up the extra inning stat Lyons! La Russa has a worse record in extra innings than he does overall!

I would imagine that just about every manager who has significant time managing has a lower winning percentage in extra innings than he does overall. It's a lot easier to lose in extra innings.

297 - sure. Whatever. Your ideas about jurisprudence remind me of the sorts of goings on that occur in banana republics, beind the iron curtain when there was such a thing, and in the minds of cops who "just know" that some guys are criminals because of the color of their skins.

Did you all just hear Steve Lyons say a naughty word instead of Kent's last name?

For those of you wondering if Lyons just accidentally said what you think he said, I rewound it twice, and yes, he said it.

Lyons was just comparing the Dodgers second baseman to noted philosopher Immanuel Kant.

That Kent extension is looking worse all the time.

Come on 3.5, be the hero!

325

See comment 25, item #2.

Wow, 42 year old Barry Bonds has stolen bases in consecutive games.

Off of Mike Lieberthal.

Awesome.

324 Nice try, Bob. Not even close. LOL.

Tonight's game reminds me way too much of Thursday night, with Odalis putting on the finishing touches once again at this rate.

327 - so, in the future I should just yell out, "Number two!" and everyone will groan in agreement?

Izzy & Hall had a golden chance.

322 - 324 - I think it's subliminable.

330 Thanks for re-emphasizing my point about the squeeze (percentages be damned).

331

I think if we codified the standard complaints, it would save bandwidth.

How many pitches can Baez go?

335 - Number seven!

Eckstein gets his first hit of the night.

331 Sometimes, the jokes just write themselves.

er, afternoon

What special things can the Cardinals do now with Eckstein on first?

Besides wait for him to come around on a hit or two?

Stupid Nomar

I think Nomar lost that ball on Eck.

Nomah!!!!!

I hate you Eckstein.

That would be a #11

or maybe not, I thought he did.

If Baez throws one away, I'm going to die. Laughing.

Everyone can prepare to yell out "Number Seven" soon enough.

Wasn't Noah Lowry supposed to be highly regarded at one point?

number 11!

If Baez can get out of this one, I'll have to admit to starting to have more faith in him. Broxton is already on his way up.

or not

number 7!

lost game by Furcal?

no matter what it was a heart breaker.

341 - I suppose that answered that question.

msttingly went 2-4 today with 2b and another SB. he did commit his 5th error on the year. BA at .377

Baez is a Positivist. Booo!

For once you can't really fault Baez for this one though: infield single, botched double-play, topped off by a jam-job bloop single.

We need to get out of St. Louis!

359

true

321- That's a little brutal, no? Like the Gulag, or the Khmer Rouge, or. . . a whole lot of other things that even in the spirit of hyperbole don't really belong anywhere near the argument?

I hate losing in extra innings, specialy away from home.

Just got home. No way that error should be on Furcal. Nomar lost us the game with his bat and glove. I actually feel sorry for Baez.

So how did BJ look?

So what is our record this season vs arguably the 2 best teams in the NL (cards and mets)?

Suppan isn't a great pitcher, I really think we're in a little hitting slump no?

I hope Eckstein gets a fastball in his ear tomorrow.

321 - my point is that he claims to "just know" that some guys are juicing. The Khmer Rouge claimed to "just know" that people with eyeglasses were counterrevolutionaries and therefore should be put to death. The only difference is in the penalty, but the process of arriving at the conclusion is exactly the same.

Whatever. Your ideas about jurisprudence remind me of the sorts of goings on that occur in banana republics, beind the iron curtain when there was such a thing, and in the minds of cops who "just know" that some guys are criminals because of the color of their skins.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying Pujols (or anyone else) is "guilty" or deserving of punishment. I mean, even the people who flew the planes in the WTC weren't "guilty" in the sense that they were never tried in a court of law. For that matter, the people we're bombing in Iraq are not "guilty." I'm simply saying that it's reasonable to think that Pujols juices, based on (admittedly) circumstantial evidence. But the "evidence" certainly does not "prove" guilt.

I really don't think you and I are in disagreement here.

The Rolen hit was a bloop.
Eckstein hit the ball sharply, although in the hole.
The DP ball was a rocket right at Furcal.
Nomar should have been given an error. Not Furcal on that throw.

Need a good effort from Penny tomorrow to avoid the sweep. Anthony Reyes is probably the Cards 2nd best starter.

Penny will dominate tomorrow, then let's hope we get hot against the dbacks.

364 BJ looked solid, he induced a lot of weak contact. The only run he gave up was on a really good pitch around Pujols' ankles that he somehow managed to muscle out of the park.

The only problem with Penny for tomorrow is that he seems to tire easily in hot weather, and with the bullpen being taxed the last 3 days we need him to give us a solid 7. If we're ahead late in the game I'm fully expecting a 2-inning save from Sammy. Maybe Beimel for the 7th then?

I just saw the replay & Nomar just flat out fell asleep on that botched DP.

my personal belief is that Pujols is/has juiced and Vladdy has not.

369 - Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying Pujols (or anyone else) is "guilty" or deserving of punishment.

Then you don't have the courage of your alleged, um, convictions and are an intellectual coward. What, exactly, is the point of your Alice-in-Wonderland accusation? That you have omniscience?

Nomar should have caught that. Although its tough to blame the loss on him considering the offense only scored one run off jeff freaking suppan.

376
This has gotten way out of hand. I think it's probably too late to remedy, so I'll leave now.

The reason why Pujols isnt associated with HGH or Roids, is because he was big physically the moment he entered the major leagues. There's been very little change in his body.

Bonds, Giambi, Sosa, Beltre, Gagne all put on massive amounts of weight after they arrived in the big leagues.

Pujols been a big man from day 1.

I would trade Billingsley, Lu/Abreu, DYoung for Dontrelle Willis.

would that get it done

who is Lu?

... If you want to find someone to blame for this loss, blame Izturis and Hall for coming up in the 8th inning and not knowing (or caring) how to approach their bases-loaded ABs.

You can't blame pitching and defense when you give up two runs in 10 innings. The Dodgers' offense faced a very ordinary starting pitcher and couldn't get the job done.

379 - But if he entered the major leagues at 32 years old...

Bonds just popped out with the bases loaded, two outs, vs Cory Lidle. It most definitely is not 2002 anymore.

oh my bad is not Lu. the defensive wiz

381- I bet he means Hu. Unless he means Tyrone Lu, and the Dodgers haven't announced his acquisition, yet.

380 It might get it done, but I wouldn't want to do it. With the price of starting pitching these days, we need to add to our staff, not just swap one out for another.

385- Lue! Doesn't help the joke if you misspell the name. Though there wasn't much that could have helped that joke.

382. I laugh everytime Izzy swings 2-0 with the bases loaded, especially after the pitcher just walked two straight guys preceding him. I actually laugh everytime he swings 2-0 period.

Hall, I dont expect to get a hit. So him making an out there, eh thats what you expect.

But Izzy's approach was awful.

The Dodgers have been a team this year that when facing even average pitching, has been able to produce runs at a remarkable pace. However, although no one talks about how this team's offense is similar to what the Angels have tried to do for the past 4 or 5 years, when facing good pitching, it is overly reliant on stringing together a number of good at bats as opposed to getting those runs on one swing of the bat.

Now, fortunately, there are very few teams that has the type of pitching that can shut down this team during the course of rest of the season and it also appears that for some reason, this team hits a lot better at home than on the road.

I do think that this team does have to deal with the Izzy question, I know that in a tight game, Grady probably did not want to replace his glove but I also think that you have give your team the best chance to win and Izzy in that spot was not the best option.

willis is 24, 6'4, lefty, throws 200 innings. 3-3.5 era.

I laugh everytime Izzy swings 2-0 with the bases loaded, especially after the pitcher just walked two straight guys preceding him. I actually laugh everytime he swings 2-0 period.
It's called waiting for your pitch. If you try to draw a walk every at bat, you'll like make a lot of outs. Izturis' pitch recognition has been a lot better this year. That said, we need power. Right now, 3B, 2B, CF, RF are underperforming.

Were you laughing when Nomar when 0-4 with the game losing error?

390 Willis is fools gold. He doesn't strike people out at an impressive, his K/BB has dropped to 2:1 and the main improvment he made last year, a drop in home run rate, is gone since he's already given up as many home runs in 2006 as he sis in 2005.

Not only this, his comparables are almost all players who had some good years, then flamed out before they were 27 including Steve Avery, Ismael Valez, and Jim Abbott.

If it was Willis for nothing, sure, but theres no way I would want Willis for what it would take to get him.

It's well known that Nomar is not as good now that his late inning average has dipped below .600.

393 Bob, I think he is still upset because he didn't get to play in the All-Star game.

If you try to draw a walk every at bat, you'll like make a lot of outs

More than Izturis normally would make?

Its 2-0, the pitcher is wild, the bases are loaded, a banjo hitter is up, there's only 1 out, and you actually are alright with Cesar Izturis swinging?

To each their own.

390 There's also the problem that the Marlins don't seem very eager to trade Willis (supposedly they have declined every offer, declaring he is not on the block).

393 What?!? It appears that Kenny Lofton has not been lighting enough fires under people lately, or the fires he has been lighting aren't large and hot enough.

Add that to Bob's list in 20-something under "Kenny Lofton".

im sure Willis had the same hype Bilingsley has, if not more. i dont think willis is fools gold.

have a good day.

398

but I bet you think Guzman is right? :)

There are only a few players out there I would be willing to trade Billingsley for. Willis is not one of them.

I'd trade Guzman,Aybar that's probably it I like Aybar but there's just no room for him here.

We need Billingsley to get Casey Fossum.

398 - The issue is that, even if we could get Willis, it would take more than just CBillz to pick him up. A straight up Billingsley for Willis trade? I'm not so sure if I could turn that down (though there are those here who would disagree with me, I think almost all of them would still at least pause for a moment first before rejecting the offer).

But we'd need to throw in a couple more players, who could also end up as major stars. Plus, doesn't Willis have Drew Rosenhaus (he of the Terrell Owens saga) for an agent? That's usually not particularly helpful when the time comes to negotiate...

403
He has Matt Sosnick, the guy Hochevar left Boras for and we got a deal done with him, only for Hochevar to change his mind and go back to Satan.

There's nothing wrong in principle with trading Billingsley for Willis (straight up), though the point is academic for reasons already well elucidated.

Fans of all teams should quell the Willis trade talk.

Unless the Marlins are bowled over by an offer that contains young, inexpensive. marketable major league caliber players (not prospects), why would they trade him?

-They control his rights for 2 more years. Even at arbitration, he'll cost less than most other "established" major league pitchers. It'd be one thing if he was a free agent at the end of this year. But he's not and if he was, they would have moved him in the offseason.

-They're trying to sell the team. If the team is devoid of all superstars, what appeal does it have? Cabrera is awesome, but Willis has drawing power and is the personality of that club. Who's going to buy the team when it's a bunch of faceless names? Dan Uggla, Jeremy Hermida, Josh Willingham and Hanley Ramirez are great and all (and there's an awesome pipeline ready to come through, Petit, Sanchez), but they aren't marketable right now. Why do you think the Dodgers overpaid (relatively) for Gagne?

-They're trying to get a stadium. Who is going to give the green light to build a stadium for a team when they have no one on that team to market around? Is it easier to get a stadium if you have Willis or if you don't?

There's a reason they moved everyone else and kept him and Cabrera. They're major league caliber, inexpensive talent. Unless they recieve an overwhelming offer for an established, inexpensive major league talent, there's no point to moving him. If the Dodgers get anyone from the Marlins, it'll be Joe Borowski.

Plus Willis never played for the juggernaut that is the devil rays.

I know how bad we need pitching, but I think everyone is underestimating how much we really need a bat as well.

Everyone likes our runs scored but doesn't mention how lucky we are with BABIP so far. Also, we have three slap hitters in the lineup along with a pitcher...that is not going to get the job done. I also like Eithier as much as the next guy, but really what are the chances he hits .350 again in the second half?

So not only do you have to expect a decline from Eithier, you have to deal with Izturis and Lofton in there every day. In other words, we're going to have a serious problem scoring runs. Ned really does need to get a bat to either replace Izturis, or to move Eithier back to 4th OF. In a perfect world we'd just pick up an OF bat, move Drew to CF, and leave Eithier where he's at but we all know there's no way they're going to bench Lofton.

So, while pitching is an absolute need for us, picking up a hitter is also crucial if we plan on scoring any runs.

I think the only guy available that could make a legit difference would be Carlos Lee (as long as you could resign him).

I do like that the Dodgers are apparently going to stick with Billingsley the rest of the year (putting Tomko in the pen). Thats at least smart.

Dose Tomko know he's going to the pen?

410
Yeah, and he seems to like it. He said he always wanted to just go all out for one inning.

Unreliable sources are suggesting that a trade could be imminent involving Charlie Steiner, Steve Lyons,Roger Owens, And Lu going to the Giants for John Miller.

411

were did you read this?

413
dodgers.com

412

I'd make that deal, but I would hold out to make sure that we were getting Jon Miller, the baseball guy and not Johnny Miller, the golf announcer.

412. I think Roger lost something off the fastball when they switched from the double-baggers.

I have to say I absolutely agree with the assessment of how to win the season from Dodgerblues.com:

If the Dodgers are going to remain in contention, they don't need Andre Ethier and Russell Martin to post superhuman numbers. They need the guys making the big bucks to start doing their [stinkin'] jobs. (No, Ricky Ledee, this doesn't mean you—you're only making $1.5 million.)

The rookies of the club aren't fully proven major leaguers, and are bound to have ups and downs. Kent and Drew are severly underachieving, though.

But on the bright side, Philly just slayed the Giants, 14-6.

415

I don't like that trade, I don't know why.

417 >>But on the bright side, Philly just slayed the Giants, 14-6.<<

WHOO HOO!!

It's this simple: Baez needs to learn strike 3. He had 2 outs, 0-2, but he couldn't get the third strike.

418 - Jon Miller would still think he's a Giants announcer.

What pitches does Baez throw anyway?

420

it was a pretty good pitch to Rolen but the good ones always find a way.

Baez with 2 strikes
0-2: Opp BA = .300
1-2: Opp BA = .200
2-2: Opp Ba = .120

Hall should have known better from catching him in Tampa. You've got to waste a pitch or two with this guy.

423

you gotta be joking, WOW!! 0-2 opp BA = .300, that's just a crime.

Bradley getting talking trash to Red Sox fans and then they started chanting his name to insult him. Now he is pacing the dugout talking to himself. Aww the old Milton returns.

*getting up and

421 He has a straight fastball, and a slightly slower fastball.

425- you do realize that he was standing up for his teammate, right? The A's unintentionally hit Varitek. The next inning, that swine Schilling purposely hit Nick Swisher in the back. Swisher is Bradley's best friend on the team too. The Red Sox are an extremely classless team. That's why I was really surprised that they didn't keep Derek Lowe.

The A's were also warned after Swisher was hit.

Any of you like the movie blow as much as I do?

429

to bad I don't have a baseball packege on my cable system, how much dose that cost$

428 - The Red Sox are an extremely classless team.

So that's why they got Julian Tavares.

Yeah, I know what happened. It is just funny he got into it with fans. I like it when Milton talks to himself and gets mad its funny. Swisher is every A's best friend it seems. Probably because he is a partying, happy, drunk.

424 - see sports.yahoo.com

Swisher is also a media darling. ESPN has "Sophomore Year" bits with him every so often.

I guess the bosox started this whole thing right.

Zito last night accidentally hit someone on the hand. Later in the game the Red Sox hit Frank Thomas. Today Harden missed on a pitch and hit Varitek in the leg. Schilling blatantly threw at Swisher twice.

437

sounds like a good old fashion baseball game to me.

were any words exchanged?

Other than Bradley swearing at no one in general, not really.

Meanwhile, the Nationals are so bereft of relievers that Robinson just had this weeks' callup reliever Roy Corcoran bat w/one out in the top of the ninth in a 6-6 tied game.

It was his first major league at bat.

It did not go well.

440

oh o.k, were heading to arizona, we have a little thing going with them don't we.

In his two games with the Nationals so far, Felipe Lopez has had 3 bases loaded chances and another with two on. And two others with at least a runner on second. And nary an RBI among them.

441 He actually had an AB in 2003. It ended the same way.

444 Thanks. I checked right after the AB and it said "1" but I guess it hadn't updated.

He's now walked bay and allowed a single to Casey to start the bottom of the ninth.

His gameday picture looks like after Frodo went away in the boat he became a baseball player.

And old friend Jose Hernandez up trying to win it for the Bucs.

446- Brace yourself.

446 Bunt hit, bases loaded no outs.

Could Frank get this poor schmoe out of their and give his (2005) All-Star closer a chance to extend the game?

Ronny Paulino walk off single.

It bounced over the wall. I know HRs count, I didn't know that ground rule doubles don't.

431- It should be free this weekend. It is out here, anyway, and I thought it was on all cable/dish systems. Check the channels that carry it to see if you have them free, this weekend. The Angels' game is blacked out, but you should be able to see the D'backs and the Brewers, right now.

I wouldnt be suprised to see the Dbax go on a bit of a run. Getting rid of Cousell is a huge bonus for them (he was a large hole at the top of their order).
If they can move Luis Gonzalez/Green to the DL or trade them, I think Quentin may be able to give them a lift also.

Cruz, Batista, Webb, Vargas, Gonzalez still isnt very good, but in the NL West thats about on part with other rotations.

412- Actually, we should try to get Steve Stone, the guy who got fired from the Cubs for being mean to Dusty Baker. He's pretty good, for a color guy.

Jered Weaver to the DL per the Angels broadcast tonight. I know, it's hazardous to your health to listen to Rex Hudler and Steve Physioc, but I have 4 fantasy players going in the game.

453 Hey, we don't need any of that racist stuff around here, I don't care if Steve Stone is "a color guy" or not, let's just focus on his skills.

;)

455-

LOL

Almost worth moving to Phoenix for: In My Own Words, Eric Byrnes, tomorrow on FSN Arizona.

453

are you serious, he got fired for that? I actualy think he's really good, WGN isn't loyal to there announcers are then??? I think they'd had like 10 announcers in like 5,7 years.

455

that was a good one. LOL!! :o)

Byrnes should go into baseball announcing after his career his done. I've heard him on ESPN radio before, he's pretty good behind a mic. He's sort of like Steve Lyons, except 500 times less lame.

I hope Edwin Jackson comes in to pitch for TB (he's warming up in the pen) I wanna see if he's improved.

458-

I don't remember the story exactly, but I believe Dusty had gotten frustrated by the amount of criticism his team was taking from the announcers at the time, including Stone. He argued that the negative comments of Stone were causing the team to play 'tight' or some nonsense.

And WGN apparently agreed.

Edwin Jackson warming up in the Angels game, also.

I have no respect for WGN anymore, He was really good, including Chip Carey I really enjoyed them.

It's true, Stone was fired for questioning Dusty's leadership skills or something, I believe it was after the Sosa debacle.

464
I can see Dusty being upset, but there's a thing called talking out your differences

is the ump from so-cal?

Shields (TB) has pick-off skills.

My fantasy team loves Chone Figgins, but also hates Jamie Shields. I finally had to dump that bum today.

I hope Edwin Jackson comes in.

468

the Angels are freaking lucky having a guy like Figgy. He's a mad man on the base pads, not to mentioned that he can play a ton of positions

It's very odd. The nationals game was tied 6-6 in the botom of the ninth. Ronny Paulino got a bases-loaded hit that ended it. Gameday and AP say it was a single. The Washington Post says it was a double. I'm told by someone watching that it was an automatic double -- bounced fair then out of the stadium. But if that's right would the score have been 7-6 or 8-6?

old friend Edwin Jackson pitching for the TB'S I really hope he has a good game, I feel bad he couldn't make it here.

471- I was watching, too. In any inning but the bottom of the ninth, that hit would have been a ground rule double, with two scoring, so 8-6. But I'm not sure if the rule is that any hit but a homerun only counts as a single, when it ends the game. So, I don't have an answer to your question.

Somebody send up the Bob signal!

473-

Even a HR doesn't necessarily count as a HR if it's a walk off.

Years ago Robin Ventura hit a walk off grand slam for the mets....his team mobbed him when he reached first base. So, it was called a grand single since he didn't actually round the bags.

Edwin Jackson had 2 solid innings, I hope he tears it up over in TB.

Just a point I'd make on Chad Billingsley:

He's shown flashes of good stuff, but just never all in the same game. If you combine the best numbers he's put up from each individual game, he's got a game score of 67. I think he just needs to hit the right groove or something.

How many people have Gomes in there fantasy team? that guy has scary bat speed.

Minor League Report

Ogden (Rookie)First round pick Bryan Morris pitched 5 innings, his longest stint, struck out 5, walked 1, gave up 7 hits and 2 runs. His GB/FB ratio was 7/2.

Again Morris(17IP/20K), along with Steven Johnson (30IP/36K), Jesus Castillo (19IP/20K)and Clayton Kenshaw (7IP/12K) represent the next crop of pitching talent, one difference I see is that these guys do make bats miss the ball.

From what I have seen this season, I like Castillo more than Josh Wall.

I'm watching the hollywood stars game, it's pretty comical some of the stuff.

Speaking of the minor leagues, James Loney hit his 8th home run tonight for Vegas. He, Guzman, LaRoche and Young each had 2 hits.

Silverstein is a pretty good SS he played for hollywood high if I heard correctly.

481

correcting my self (sorry) Silverman is his last name.

478 and 480
Both very good news.

That game's now in extra innings btw, LV and Tucson, 7-7, if anyone wants to follow the end on Gameday (go to lv51.com). Hopefully they'll fare better in extras than the parent club has this weekend.

I hope Scott Elbert has another good outing next time out, he's been very impressive the last two outings.

MILB.TV sounds like a good deal 9.95.

485-

I personally think Elbert is going to make a heck of a pitcher for us. Good news about Morris too...hopefully he and Kershaw step up for us.

Still too bad we couldn't land Hochevar...does anyone know if he's signed with the Royals yet?

486-

it's a good deal if you're into watching other games. Jamie Shields is a friend of mine so I like to check out the games he pitches. It's just nice to be able to put on another game when the dodgers are stinking it up ha.

from what I've heard not yet, you think he'll get the 4 mill?

I wanna see our prospects in Vegas, LaRouche, Guzman, Miller, Loney etc.. I think it's a heck of a deal.

were stinking it up here & in Vegas when it comes to extra innings. We just lost to tucson.

Sorry, I was out at the movies and being sociable.

Game winning hits are just as many bases as you need unless it's a home run.

452 Arizona restructured Shawn Green's contract, he makes $8M this year and then $9.5M next year plus the remainer of his signing bonus $2M, plus a $10M team option in 2008 or $2M buyout if the team declines his option. Luis Gonzalez makes $11.5M this year on the last year of his contract.

OTH Craig Counsel makes $1.75M this year in his last year of his current contract.

My hunch is that the D-Backs will probably send Drew back (unless he really hits and plays well) because Drew has a lot of incentives tied into his contract and they would probably not want them to kick in quite yet.

I think that D-Backs will probably wait to bring up the bulk of their prospects unless injuries force them, they already dumped Ortiz's contract, I don't think they have finances to do anymore of that.

It would seem that today ended with nary a save, which would be the first "complete" day without one since Sept. 15, 1978.

494

Gotta Griddle that one!

Was today the battle of the horrible retro uniforms in Detroit? Detroit's star uniform ultimately triumphed over the Monarchs uniform, so the Royals confirmed they pretty much suck no matter what the name on their uniform is.

http://tinyurl.com/s2pa4
http://tinyurl.com/paja5
http://tinyurl.com/m7f7z
http://tinyurl.com/nwqwk

Ok, what is it now, 108 or so at bats since Drew's last home run, and 8 RBIs his last 28 games?

Yes, he had a fairly productive game today ( LF should have caught his double, and his 2nd hit just got through), but still, no power. In fact, to be fair, this line up as a whole has STUNK lately. 6 runs our last 4 games.

In another subject, what are Danys Baez splits in an 0-2 count, vr. a 1-2 or 2-2 count?

Why do you continually single out JD Drew, when there are other players hitting much worse than him in the lineup?

Jeff Kent-.263/.369/.447
Jd Drew- .287/.380/.469

If your thing is hating on guys that actually produce, why not at least pick the guy that is worse? It just makes this blog seem silly to other fans who come here. I had one of my friends read this blog and he was like "You got some dude hating on Drew when your lineup has Izzy/Cruz/Lofton/Furcal in it everyday..When Jeff Kent has done nothing close to his career norms either.."

Its silly.

I've got some strong opinions on much of what has been said but I'm much more interested in getting to...

500!

I love milestones.

Well, yesterday's embarassing loss was a milestone all right. I can smell the fear and panic from the Dodger front office all the way up here in Nevada. A big trade(s) will be made today or tomorrow. Kiss Guzman, Aybar, Loney, and La Roche goodbye. That was my first thought. Then I realized they would need roster space for the "new all star acquisitions", so at least some of the deadwood from the big club would have to go, Lofton, Cruz, Ledee, etc. Then I remembered Ethier and Billingsly; they are likely to be part of the package of someone else's rejects we'll get. Sob! If I were GM, I'd figure this was the time to see what the kids can do. I'd shop the aforementioned deadwood but also Drew, Kent, Nomar, and whichever pitchers I couldn't see a future for. As soon as we cleared some roster space, I'd bring up the kids to fill it. There comes a time to fish or cut bait; I'd cut the bait.

Who hit a home run friday!

I mean Hu. whoops.

501 I feel you're pain
15 days till we can't make a stupid trade.

I you are doing poorly and you have all these players a year or two away, why take a chance with players who are either extemely expensive, or expendable to there present team.