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I mean, why not, right?
Wilson Betemit will play against "certain lefties," Grady Little said.
"We're in a situation where we've got so much talent in the infield, everybody needs to play."
So, Betemit's relative struggles against lefties in general provide an opportunity for Julio Lugo, like him or not, to start at third.
Little said the Dodgers would not skip a starting pitcher despite next week's off day, but hinted that there could be a skip after that.
"I certainly didn't see (his best) last night," Little said of Chad Billingsley, who walked six in five innings Thursday, "but we certainly don't expect he'll be on a constant decrease in pitch count."
When asked about whether the outing served as a learning experience for Billingsley, Little said with a dry laugh, "He's had a lot of opportunities to get that point across, to tell you the truth."
Little clearly likes Billingsley, but it's possible that Aaron Sele could start again (in place of Billingsley or Mark Hendrickson) before the season's over. Little seems a little concerned about Billingsley's workload relative to his age. Brett Tomko, however, will remain a reliever, Little said.
Little will also watch the workloads of rookies Andre Ethier and Russell Martin, but there's no question about their everyday roles. A day off for Ethier will only be for rest.
That's it. Great night for a game - let's play one.
I don't know. Whaddya asking me for? You're the benevolent dictator around here.
Expected remarks about "so much talent" in the infield.
Would love to skip a pitcher or
two.
It is amazing how often Furcal leads of with an extra-base hit recently. I was kind of tough on him before the Izturis matter was settled, but he is growing on me.
MCcourt was saying the same crap in 2004. At least he gets the details right. But really, Frank, my baseball "lifestyle" would be a lot better with tastier concessions and cheaper parking.
oh well, not much to complain about. It looks like Grady is going to creatively shuffle players to get everyone in. This lineup looks so much better on paper and on the field with Kent and Nomar in there.
3rd Inning, 1st and 2nd with 2 out. Hendrickson gets ahead in the count, 0-2 to Bonds. He walks him. Man, if you can't trust at least one strike-worthy pitch with all those balls to give, what the heck are you doing out there? Bonds is a .250 hitter! Durham follows with a single, run scores.
5th Inning, runner on 3rd with 1 out. Why the heck wouldn't you walk Bonds now? You set up a force play/DP opportunity with a slow runner, but if you pitch to him, he can hit a SF without even mashing the ball. Bonds singles home the runner.
Anyway, I'm sure glad they pulled it out. The Jint bullpen doesn't seem that impressive at all.
Stan from Tacoma
If my math is correct, that was Lofton's 350th plate appearance of the season, triggering a $50,000 bonus for K-Lo.
His 2006 contract calls for $3.85m base salary and $50k for each of 350, 400, & 450 PA.
Also, Nomar is about 36 plate apps from earning an even bigger bonus: $500k for 400 PA! Plus, he gets $500k for each of 425, 450, 475, 500, 525, 550, & 575 PA. Not bad, $20,000 per plate appearance as a bonus.
he has some flashes of brilliance, at least afield, but he never played on the big stage before now...
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