The Marlins sent Reed back to Albuquerque and called up Abercrombie.

Odd lineup. Hopefully it works.

Maybe Grady wants Tomko to go winless.

Martin in the 3-hole.
Me gusta.

I'm wearing my Dodger's tie today handed down from my father and his father before him. We've got to win now.

Does anyone know why Furcal was not awarded first yesterday on the Catchers Interferences in the first inning?

FYI, new open chat thread open at Screen Jam. I gave you a topic, but anything in entertainment and culture is welcome.

Don't be confused. I mean just ONE interference

5 Purchased at the Dodgers' main concessions stand in Ebbets Field?

8
Did the catcher touch Furcal's bat?

Yea, the bat hit the catcher's glove hand and it caused a 3-5 minute injury delay. If the ump didn't see it at first, he had to notice it when the catcher took off the glove, got on his knees, and started shaking his head in pain.

9. No, my grandfather lived in LA and worked for Bank of America. Used to have season tickets right next to the media pit by the Dodger's dugout. I don't know how he got the tie.

[11] i thought that was from the ball hitting olivo, not furcal's bat.

man, i wish my dad had a koufax jersey or something from back in the day. i should bug him about being too cheap for souvenirs or something :)

13
The umpires are obviously not shy about calling catcher's interference this year, so I would have to think that it was the ball that did the damage.

Most of the time, the catcher doesn't get hurt on an interference call as the glove just grazes the bat. Brian McCann is a notable exception.

Seriously, why cant these guys take a few pitches?
Willis has all kinds of control problems, and the're hacking at anything close.

Randy Johnson is doing a Brad Penny impression in Arizona today.

you you think that every year there a certain rule that seems to be invoked more than others? as if the umpires had an annual meeting and said to each other, "you know guys, we're letting them get away with X (balking, catcher's interference, what have you) too much. keep an eye out for it, and call it if you see it!"

I really wish ESPN would show more than just Yankee games during the week.

Russell Martin takes an immediate likeing to the 3 spot.

16 Jeff Kent is listening.

*liking

18
Yes.

Come on LaRoche!!!

Time to shine!

16 and Olmedo.

andy the rock up with the sacks heavy...

With Valdez on-deck, a hit's a lot better than a walk here, eh?

16 Just what the Doctor ordered.

oh man, that 3-1 fastball was a cookie.

full count!

Way to show the patience!

Laroche jumped all over that fastball. too bad he pulled it foul.

the rock draws the walk.

I assume that was an unintentional walk to LaRoche :)

Nice AB by LaRoche.

OK Grady, put the "take" sign on.

The D-Train seems a little off the tracks to start this game. Good to see the Dodgers show some patience there once they realized it.

31 Did you see the notes on Kershaw on the Scout.com site today? Said he was going to work on his off-speed pitches.

wilson valdez, escape hatch.

Vin says, "deuces wild"

37

no i didnt, what did they or he say?

After LaRoche walks in a run Valdez flails away at ball 3 three times. Finally gets his pop up.

Just turned it on a LaRoche walked in a run.
thought we had it made. Then were is Ethier.
This is insanity.

41 Weren't there at least two ball in there as well?

18 - you mean like speeding tickets? "Eddings, you haven't had enough no-catch calls from the dish. Keep an eye on that. I expect at least one in your next game."

is nomar hurt at all or just a rest day?

[44] not exactly quotas.. more like, areas to concentrate on, or uniform agreements on policy.

"we're should cut back on calling the high strike this year", things like that.

blah, i can't type today. this paper is draining my mind dry.

nice slider from tomko to strike out miggy.

45 Haven't seen anything other than rest.

42,

Yea, but those were about 2 feet off the plate. We got a run and finally made him throw some pitches so it's all good I guess.

32 pitches for Willis. I like that.

[49] it's a little odd, because in those small sample sizes that managers love to look at, nomar is 4 for 9 against willis with a homer.

Saenz starting vs. the lefty in place of a struggling Nomar makes total sense to me. I like Clark in for Gonzo, too. Unfortunately, if we need to rest Ethier, not being able to put Kemp in there - seeing Valdez instead - is not quite as nice. I thought Ethier hits lefties okay? Seems like a lot of guys getting rest today instead of tomorrow...

50 Perhaps that's how far off they have to be for some hitters to take a pitch.

So Kemp is in Vegas and Valdez is in LF???

I told you no good could come of having Valdez on the roster. And why is he batting a head of Clark?

52 Hm, he must really be tired, then. He's looked it.

Argh, Clark robbed on that blooper.

man, nice catch.

Isn't Kemp still healing, or am I totally behind the times?

Obviously, Willis is still upset.

53 But Willis is VERY tough on lefties.
Career:
vs. L .211 .274 .299 .573
vs. R .271 .333 .408 .741

nice AB from tomko.

nice catch by borchard.

[58] kemp is pounding the ball in AAA

0-2 on Furcal; was he hacking?

62 What was Ned's phrase? Would you say Kemp is "knocking the door down"?

If we have been Gentlemen enough to let Dontrelle get through his shakiness, the only strategy is to make him through enough pitches to get hime out of there.. Way to make him throw Juan.

grady should make pierre do pushups every time he pops the ball up, a la willie mays hayes in major league. maybe that'll help him build up some arm strength while he's at it.

Willis with 4 walks in 1 2/3 innings, so what does Pierre do, swing at the first pitch and fly out of course. Only 4 and 5/6 more years.

Apparently Furcal took two called strikes.

63 - Furcal took two called strikes.

67

There really is just no excure for that. I mean its not like he sees a fat pitch and thinks- Im gonna hit it out!
Very frustrating b/c you know Willis can settle down and get nasty.

[64] well, he's hitting .327/.387/.600 with 9 extra-base hits in 14 games. sure, he could probably use a few games, but he should be up sooner rather than later.

Does Grady have a "take" sign? That was also with Furcal - a purported base-stealer - on first. If Juan were leading off, he'd want his #2 guy to take there.

Belive me, Ethier would be the first to tell you he doesn't need any rest. He is a young baseball player. This isn't like soccer. If you can't do this every day--you are ready for the rest home.(Pitchers and catchers excluded.

24 pitches for Tomko, 49 for Willis.

Y'all are awfully cranky considering the Dodgers are winning. I'm afraid of what it'll look like here if they're losing; might have to hide behind my mom's apron.

(But, yes, I am cranky seeing Valdez in there today, too, instead of having Kemp on the team...)

Ooooooh. Cabrera just robbed Martin of two bases, darn him.

I was thinking Willy Mays Hayes last night as well. Grady would make a perfect Lou too. With that drawl.

"You may run like the wind but you hit like bleep"

Keep going for that first pitch boys!

If baseball players didn't need rest they wouldn't need greenies. I think your unfamiliar with a players daily routine. It is not like their day consists of only playing the game.

looks like cabrera isn't too fat yet to play some good D, heh.

We shall be behind soon enough

it's so annoying; the dodgers are hacking at the first pitch and looking at fastballs down the middle when they're ahead in the count. absolutely backwards.

[79] true enough. you gotta factor in drinking and partying with the groupies [rolls eyes]

I think Pierre was just asking Clark for advice on how he caught up to that one so quickly.

If Pierre has value--and I know the general opinion here is that he has very little--it is as a leadoff hitter with Martin second and Furcal third.
Take a look at the early games without Furcal and with Pierre leading off.

Outside of catchers and starting pitchers, I suspect the gardeners in my neighborhood expend more energy daily. Baseball is a languid game played in the summer (in the daytime) for a reason.

85 Pierre has value. He's one of the 1,000 or so best baseball players in the world.

Personally, I would use him as a reserve outfielder/pinch runner. I believe he would have quite a bit of value in that role.

Tomko returns the favor.

[85] what would batting him leadoff achieve that can't be solved by batting him say, 8th?

tomko's working very quickly; i like it.

Comments like that are so lame that i'll take my leave before I break a rule

87 Just want to make sure you know that I wasn't aiming my criticism solely at you, your points are valid.

See Valdez can bunt here. Oh happy day.

85 Sir, Juan Pierre makes outs at too high a rate for the last two seasons to justify hitting first or second. See 89, 8th works ok for me, too.

I love the fact that our announcers think Andy LaRoche stinks because of 90 at bats this season.

[94] what've they been saying?

Valdez has fallen behind Betemit in OPS.

Rookies have been so bad this year that LaRoche is already top 10 in VORP for rookies and he is only going to move up after today.

Valdez does those scrappy things that Steve Lyons loves to talk about. (Just guessing because I am listening to Monday and Reuss).

91 Thanks. No worries.

Even if you were criticizing me specifically, that would be OK. My blog is obnoxious. I dish it out there; I like to think that I can take it, too.

valdez does go from first to third very well, i'll give him that.

Now that was a nice play.

Tomko helps himself.

SQUEEZE with the pitcher!

94 Really? In his admittedly small sample size thus far he's hitting .444 and has been on base 7 times in 12 PAs. Looking good so far, I'd say.

95 Well, it seems like every time he does anything it's "Andy LaRoche, who was hitting only .235 in AAA...

Please let that be Raffy's wake up call.

Now that's the Furcal we know and love.

How can the announcers be dissing La Roche - he's already been a ton more productive than Betemit was there.

100 Valdez is a good IF glove man too.

Now *that's the Pierre... we know.

{cough}

Pierre F7 F7 F8

I can be factual too.

At least Pierre is getting the ball to the outfield.

104 - really kind of amazing how well he's working out in small samples.

105, 107 Sounds like it's just a bit of compare-n-contrast... as in, look how great he's performing up here!

106 I second that emotion.

109 - don't forget to turn your head.

115 Always do. Watching Pierre bat sort of feels like a hernia test anyway.

I know there is reason for optimism, but one 25 pitch inning would just about do for Willis and give more reason.

I've noticed that all the Marlins' TV Afflac trivia questions have been about the Dodgers this series. I guess when your franchise has only been around for a few years that's not super surprising.

[112] why are you so skeptical of laroche's performance, rob? is he not one of our top prospects? so he started the year out slowly in AAA... that doesn't necessarily mean his performance the past week is a total fluke.

Nice, Tomko's at 50 pitches through 4.

walking uggla makes me nervous, but he got Cabrera.

What. Did Tomato hit it off his foot.

These announcers reveal nothing about what is going on in the game.

the tomato goes SPLAT!

That one was really tomatoed.

Monday just notified: Randy Johnson struck out the first 6 batters and now has 9 through 5 1/3.

Olmedo Tornado!
Adios, amigos!

122 Yeah, he did. And then he hit the ball out of the park because it made him mad.

Alright Tomato. He went down and I thought he was hurt but these annoucers didn't mention him till he went very deep.

The Tomato

Minor League Report:
Jacksonville won today 4-1.

Hu went 3-5 and is now hitting .380
Paul went 2-4
Meloan pitched his second day in a row for his second save in a row.

Pitch count getting up there come on Wilson.

Andy showing that great batting eye.

3B probably leads all positions in getting walks this year.

patience, wilson...

...gah.

LaRoche has a .600 OBP.

58 pitches through 5.

very economical, brett. an 8-pitch inning.

135 - Too bad it has to go down at some point (or does it, mwahahaha). Some of the younger players that come up have had such hot starts recently (Andy, Kemp both this season and last, etc) that you wish that was the level of production they'd actually enjoy for their careers. :)

135 yeah but how many steals? :-)

137 Especially efficient considering it included two Ks.

Come on, Rick, you just told the story -- mention the blog!

7-pitch inning for Willis, including a hit.

Good ol' Slappy McLazyflyball.

In 4 ABs today, when Willis has given up 5 BBs and KO'd no one, Pierre has only seen 7 total pitches, never more than 2 in one at bat.

142 Hacktastic performance from the top of the order there.

144 Also, Pierre has four fly ball outs today, which is not the best for a speedy player with no power.

At the very least, Little should drop Pierre to the No. 8 spot in the batting order. Better yet, bench him for a couple of games. This is ridiculous.

Pierre's OPS is now a cool .600

144 and flied out four times.

Furcal's seen 10 pitches and he does have the RBI double, but grounding out on the first pitch there?

148 Same as LaRoche's OBP, as pointed out in 135

Brett's performance is now boring.

that's one of the cheapest hits i've ever seen.

Ah, and the game loses an interesting facet.

119

hes skeptical of every prospect.

Yeah the fly balls, whats with the flyballs? Is that a sign that someone like him is struggling? I admit I have never really watched the guy play before.

how hard was that ground ball to get to?

From the L.A. Daily News on May 1, and more appropriate now than ever:

Dodgers notes: Pierre needs grounding
BY BILLY WITZ, Staff Writer

"When Whitey Herzog managed the St. Louis Cardinals, he fined Ozzie Smith $1 every time he hit the ball in the air and paid Smith $1 each time he hit the ball on the ground, the point being that Smith was wasting his biggest offensive asset, his speed, if he hit fly balls.

"If Dodgers manager Grady Little had the same arrangement with Juan Pierre, the center fielder's wallet might be a little lighter these days.

"During Pierre's slump over the past week and a half - he is batting .220 since April 21 - he's made 13 outs in the air and eight on the ground. Prior to that, Pierre had made 13 outs in the air and 31 on the ground, a span in which he batted .305. . . . "

I want to be happy. The Dodgers lead Dontrelle Willis by four runs and Tomko's pitching well. But certain players doing certain things just drag me down. I hate to contribute to the bash-fest, but, geez, how long can they keep doing this to me???

Three runs.

Tomko is losing it really quickly.

[156] it was a dying quail between the mound and the 2nd baseman. kent was playing deep and by the time he got to it, ramirez had pretty much gotten to first already.

Tomko often loses it in a hurry. Let's hope he does not tonight.

150 I'm getting LaRoche with 8 times reached base (4 hits, 4 BB) in 13 PAs for .615, I don't know if D4P was rounding or if our numbers don't quite agree.

Maybe pitchers are intentionally keeping the ball up in the strike zone with Pierre. 'Twould be a good strategy.

Settle down Brett....you haven't made that many pitches, still sharp....

The dreaded 4-1 score.

That's been trouble recently.

163

he was HBP also.

[166] the dodgers are definitely better with 4+1 than 4-1.

163 The sac fly counts against his OBP.

167 + 167 makes 9 /15 = .600

Ryan Howard turned around the score in Arizona with a grand slam to put the Phillies up 4-3.

Boone has 3 career HR against Tomko.

171 Gotta love large ball.

Way for Tomko to show fortitude there. 80 pitches through 6.

The starting pitchers in Arizona were a combined 87 years old.

170 Ah. The sac fly and the HBP don't show up on the Yahoo stats page I was using. I should probably use better stats.

176 See Baseball Reference under the "Invaluable Resources" banner on the right.

Wow, did not think Willis would go 7 innings today.

The Big Unit can't be a happy man at this moment, after that slam.

doesn't it seem like there are an uncharacteristically large number of games which have started out "interesting" this year for several innings?

178 Down 4-0 and having made 99 pitches, most managers hit for the pitcher leading off the bottom of the 6th. Dontrelle's their horse though, I guess.

I think it was a bad mistake that we couldn't put Dontrelle away before seven.
Especially it the offense behaves like the 2005 offense, which apparently thought if they had a lead, the best thing to do was get out with as few pitches as possible to hasten the end.

Man, I was catching up on last night's Veronica Mars (which was excellent) and I come back to see Tomko is nursing a no no in the sixth and the very first thing I see is a terrible hit to break it up. Misery. I think I jinxed him by tuning into the game. Then I went and read all the comments before posting.

Through 6 1/2 in Baltimore:

Devil Rays 0
Orioles 0

That game is only of interest to fantasy players and members of the Eric Bedard Marching and Chowder Society however.

183
Veronica Mars was preempted in LA last night because of the Griffith Park Fire, so be careful.

184 - Bedard with 10 K's through 7 in that game

oh come on!

Monday just called Broxton "The Bull!" Has he been doing that all season? I always heard him call him "The Ox" and other nicknames... not DT's "The Bull."

are we going to blow yet another 4-1 lead?

We didn't put Willis away and we are done.

"The Dodger lead the league in utility players" - Marlins announcers on the insertion of Ramon at 1st.

I'll won't mind them so much when the game in on EI in HD tomorrow morning at 9am.

Ugh. It was a matter of time. Tomko is a decent 5th starter, but there are better options.

Lucille II at first is strictly a defensive move, yes? Olmedo's not hurt, right?

Do you think we could possibly score a few more runs?

We didn't put Willis away and we are done.

We're still winning.

Broxton? The man is texas sized. I thought I just saw a power fwd running onto the field.

Still a one-run lead. But putting in Lucille II there blocks the obvious double-switch with Olmedo if you have to go get Tomko.

What is going on? Gameday still says there is a coaching visit.

185 - Are they going to replay it or is everyone expected to download it or something? All I will say is that Paul Rudd guest stars and he is excellent as usual.

Broxton has always been the Bull.

Phew. Quality Start for Tomko.

Someone thinks its time to put Ethier int the ball game?

194

I mean no offense, but have you ever been optimistic about anything?

Sometimes Eeyore had a rosier view of life.

Everytime Broxton comes in I miss Mark Grace's commentary.

199
It will be shown on Saturday.

no walks jb no walks

Olmedo did foul one off his foot. Then he hit a home run. But it still probably hurt.

Gameday says we moved Valdez to second, is that true?

duck farts are golden

Gameday says we moved Valdez to second, is that true?

Yes. That's the kinda flexibility Ned loves.

okay...

[202] yahoo says he's in.

That was a good piece of hitting, that ball was way down but he golfed it, darn him.

208 Broxton in Kent's spot, Ethier to RF hitting 9th, Clark over to LF.

The Bull gives Martin a pop quiz on fielding an awful pitch out. Russ, of course, passes.

lets go john throw strikes.

No pitchout! Just blow Uggla away.

Thanks for the responses.

that was off broxton, not martin.

He could have been called out just as easily on that one. Oh well.

High throw, but it wasn't trailing to the first base side, like several of Martin's recent ones. Hanley got a good jump.

Don't care about the steal, just get Uggla!

220 Smoke gets in the ump's eyes?

I'm sure its in the comments from the last thread which I have'nt read but who was the late second baseman that Martin dressed down for being late to the bag. Hard to believe it would have Kent.

"Get Christie Uggla" was the original name of "Get Christie Love", but that didn't test well with focus groups.

Yes - no Cabrera, my heart is relieved.

225 LOL

Laroche is pretty awesome.

He's a walkin' fool!

JAWFAndy

JAWFL

haha, great minds think alike.

225- That's so weird. I heard a rumor that Uggla Love was the original title of the Supremes hit, Baby Love.

223 Or smoking, yes.

{in Floyd the barber voice:} Oooh, Andy. You walking and running fool.

Nice bunt by Valdez there.

LaRoche doesn't look 6-1

235

yeah.....he's not.

Messenger is hittable AND walks a lot of batters. Practice discipline Dodgers.

An insurance run or two would be nice, since I have to leave soon and don't want to be worrying any more than I will be.

235 He's listed that, but he looks 5'10" or 5'11".

230,231 - No entiendo.

Takes the bat out of Ethier's hands, I think.

BaseballCube and others have always had Andy at 5-11.

I don't think the Marlins have seen Pierre's bases loaded splits

walking furcal, thats a great move. great move. i dont think lefty lefty has a thing to do with it.

Walking Furcal intentionally.

Juan Pierre with the bases loaded.

I know we discussed this yesterday. I would love for Juan to do something more in line with his career average.

Too bad Andre didn't read your advice, Dave.

Smart move by the Marlins here.

Well, I am not expecting much from Pierre right now.

Oh boy. Another chance for Pierre to fail.

Now this is funny.

240
JAWF = Just Another Walk For

thanks juan.

jlsfklkslhgs[jghlisjlhsdajowreuiwaerhijko

honestly.../sigh

44 million.

Well, he gave that a ride. But showed zero patience, as usual. Sigh.

Pierre's OPS now = .595

Wow, how miserable do you have to for the announcers to mainly be worried about bunting for a hit with the bases loaded?

What 252 said.

how can they continue to let him bat 2nd, this happens EVERY SINGLE GAME.

Maybe Ned likes to sacrifice wins for the sake of comedy.

Well played by Fredi Gonzalez.

come on broxton, payback time. strike him out.

Juan is now on a pace to make 567 outs this season.

Five flyouts for Pierre today; that will not sit well.

Phew, we didn't get Miggyed that time

impressive that cabrera even got a bat on that.

Well, at least he caught that one.

{Whistling "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life"}

259 LOL, but I gotta call rule 6 on that!

Well, this has been fun. I think I'll go sit in traffic.

Is that really hyperbole?

I bet Willis is going to be really upset with your site tonight.

269 I gotta do the same and subject myself to the radio call.

Pierre with Bases Loaded: 000/000/000 in 9 ABs
Rest of Dodgers with BL: .107/.206/.214

Teams should just load the bases every inning because we sure aren't going to capitalize.

I gotta do the same, too, except on the bus, and don't get the game on the radio up here. :-(

273 I don't know about Pierre, but you gotta believe those numbers will improve a bit as the season goes on.

Sweet pitch on that K, from Broxton.

270 That may depend on exactly what "this" refers to, but if it means making out with the bases-loaded, then yes, "every single game" is hyperbolic.

That strikeout pitch on Willingham was disgusting. Was that the slider or split?

This plug for LuGo's, "In My Own Words," makes it uncomfortably clear just how well defined the veins in his arms were, back when he was a slugger.

I wonder if Pierre tied a record tonight for most fly outs (5) by a weak-hitting, overpaid centerfielder who frequently takes the wrong route on a flyball

Betemit on deck?

would you say Martin is the most untouchable player in the dodgers org?

Betemit looks sweet with the high socks.

That down and in pitch to Betemit was... lamentable for our boy Gregg.

First time I've ever seen Donnelly with a conservative move.

Betemit was so all over that he could have hit it twice.

Betemit has found his calling...

Ugh. Steiner just said that as I typed it.

-1 for me.

LaRoche is playing in his 4th game of the season, and he already has almost as many walks (5) as Pierre (6), who's playing in his 34th.

Just thought I'd throw that out there ...

Atlanta's helping out the cause while showing that The Cla is human after all, 3-2 Bravos after 7

281
Betemit "looks sweet" lining a double

LEt's go Roach!

Chant it with me! Fu-tility! Fu-tility! Fu-tility!

Martin should have gone in on the double, but will anyone but me criticize the the decision?

Well, we just got stuck with Valdez for another month. Hope we win this one.

Best. . . bunter . . . ever.

That was an awesome bunt. Let's drop the million-dollar Lucille II instead of Valdez

Man Valdez just made this board look foolish. At least for an afternoon.

Good job, Wilson Valdez. I'll remember that one forever when you're released. Hopefully.

Great bunt

Wait, but if Wilson Valdez is the best bunter and baserunner on the Dodgers, whats left for poor old Juan Pierre to do.

285 - The sad thing is that Betemit might actually get typecast as a result of 4 at bats. He could be an extremely serviceable starter in 3 infield positions.

299 Suck.

Ethier's going from babyface to boyband.

291 I agree, but the point is moot now.

Steiner was watching the wrong fielder... thought it was gone.

3.5 almost got that one.

Is last year's LOB record in jeopardy? What are we on pace for?

I can't help but think this hot hitting is just a coincidence for Betemit. Over the last two seasons (619 ABs), he hit 35 doubles and 22 HRs, while collecting 73 RBIs. He is only 26, so a slump over 50 some ABs shouldn't have sent him to the bench in my opinion. Going 3-4 with 2 HRs and a double as a pinch hitter doesn't mean that is his calling

Woops, 300 was meant for 298. Sorry, kids.

298

he can take the title of the best outmaker.

299 He could be a more servicable super-utility primary lefthanded pinch hitter.

291- I think he would have scored and would have slide home just because thats what type of player he is.

304 - Just short of 4 total bases on that one

299 That would be Hansenesque.

303 The Marlins booth crew were watching the wrong guy, as well. So were the guys in the truck.

Sammy's slider is nasty

Saito: 20 K / 1 BB

wow, saito hit 95

295 - How?

i really would like to see betemit with a couple games at shortstop just to see how he moves around there now that he carrying more weight then 2 years ago.

The Dodgers are on pace for 1220 LOB.

That would be 3 short of the LA team record. The franchise record is 1278 set in 1947.

20-14...how good would we be with Pierre on the bench and Kemp playing?

not a good play by valdez.

I think we've reached a quota of anti-Pierre comments for the moment. I don't see any new ground being broken.

How good would this board be without pointless and repetative specualtion.

[322] yeah, even i've had my fill.

So why are the Marlins keeping 24 pitchers on their roster? I know Dontrelle's a pretty good hitter and all, but is there a good reason for the excess pitching?

322 - lol i was just about to add another anti-pierre statement but it can wait till tomorrow's game when it probably will be warranted

295 I guess foolish is excessive but he did bring something to the table at the 7 spot today. I'm glad we got a win with this 'interesting' lineup Grady brought out tonight.

323 - It'd be better, but I do understand where it comes from. As I wrote about Pierre a month or so ago, many of the comments come in response to something - when someone says something you disagree with, it's hard to let it go. But sometimes it goes too far.

320 According to PECOTA, half a win. Replacing one guy in the short term means very little.

Lyons has got a mean hairdo

We won tonight, by they way.

Woohoo. I love winning...It's like, better than losing.

Thank God Sammy. But Ethier almost got that one. If the D's continue getting so many men on base eventually guys like Eth, Kemp, Martin and Loney are going to hit.

327 - I doubt anyone thinks Valdez is incapable of bringing something to the table, much less that he can't bunt. But being able to bring something to the table is not the be-all and end-all. The only question on people's minds is whether he belongs on the roster, or whether someone who's not on the roster should be promoted ahead of him, and I don't think anything he did today should change anyone's position.

Kevin Kennedy said LaRoche has an above average glove and arm and Betemit isn't a good defender. I've heard the opposite. What gives.

The 1947 Dodgers likely left so many runners on because they lead the NL in OBP at .361, but they were 6th in the league in homers with just 83.

The team also grounded into the fewest DPs of any Dodger team with just 87.

The best thing to come out of the Warriors' playoff run is that now people want to go to the bar at night to watch sports.

Have a good evening everyone.

328 I don't mind the criticisms as much as the unending barage of alternate lineup suggestions excluding him. Not only is it repetative and pointless, but all it does is rub salt in the wound because we know he's not going anywhere for a long time. People please have the strength to accept what you cannot change.

334

dodger propaganda? laroche has had a reputation of being a solid defensive 3b coming up through the minors. Betemit, a former shortstop is currently the better fielder though.

I've noticed in the last couple broadcasts they've been putting the badmouth on the 'mood in the clubhouse the last couple years'. Is that a reference to '05? And Milton Bradley specifically?

Little also indicated that going to 12 pitchers might lead to the return to the starting rotation of Chad Billingsley, who struck out each of the three batters he faced Tuesday night.

we (DTers) might win one battle soon!

333 I totally agree, but I hope he's still in the organization in September to be used as a pinch bunter. I've seriously never seen anyone better at that utterly minor piece of the game.

340- Who would he replace in the rotation?

337 - I don't think Pierre will be traded this year as some have suggested/wish, but I don't think it's beyond reason to think that if he continues at this rate and Kemp is mashing the ball, he could spend some time on the bench. At any rate, it's the repetition of the thought, not the thought itself, that's the problem.

I mean, if Nomar can be benched for slumping, anyone in this lineup can.

Everybody knows the divisive influence in the 2005 Dodgers clubhouse was Buddy Carlyle. Or possibly Mike Edwards.

342

doesnt say. im assuming tomko.

I have suffered an unspeakable loss. My DirecTV DVR glitched and I lost everything on it. Last two weeks of Sopranos and Entourage that I had yet to see along with 30 hours+ of sweet sweet programming. How am I supposed to just start over? Why do bad things happen to good people?

342- I wouldn't start Billingsley over Tomko right now.

347 - Those shows will be rerun by HBO at some point during the week (not to mention on demand) as for the other 30+ hours, some of them must be available online and other you will forget you missed. I have suffered such a fate before, and it proves to be less of a problem then you think.

347 - That happened to me a year or so ago. Sad.

345 - Bob just violated Rule 99 - the dissing Buddy Carlyle rule.

347
Courage.

You can rebuild.

But you bet I won't be waiting around long to watch "Lost" tonight.

343 At what rate? He's on pace for close to 200 hits and 60 steals, as usual. If Ned didn't think that was gangbusters he wouldn't have signed him. Although the defense may have come as a surprise. You're just causing yourself more pain by not fully resigning yourself to your fate.

Thanks for your kind words. Yeah, this weeks shows will get re-run but the two week olds will be lost. I'll see them some day. I vow to rebuild.

352 All I ask is that he gets dropped to the 8th spot. I don't care if it's Martin or Ethier that gets bumped up to the 2 spot, I'm just tired of Pierre not coming through in all these important situations.

352 - I'm fine, but thanks for worrying.

Catcher's interference alert in Los Angeles, err, Anaheim, err Los Angeles in Anaheim, ummm, in the Angels game. Chalk one up for Travis Hafner and the Indians.

333 Of course he won't change your mind, but then again, that doesn't mean that your prior position is correct. It isn't. He brings speed, which can't be taught. No one, repeat, no one on the team runs from first to third like he does. No one can bunt like he does either. We'd be better off retaining his unique skill set than we would adding someone who already has the same skill set as already possessed by more than a few on the club. We call bringing up the same skill set in exclusion of that which is unique, loss by superfluous accumulation. Oh, and Jon, Valdez is as much a player of the game today as anyone else. One might even say that we might well have lost three additional games this year without him.

351 If he is put on waivers, someone will pick him up. It's not everyone who can bunt for a hit, or even bunt, when needed. And if you'd like to have a guy with speed on the bases late in the game to score on that one hit, he's your man.

318 Betemit is too portly now to play shortstop. Unless, of course, you want a rose bush at 2nd and one at SS as well. Oh, and by the way, he is a poor fielder when it comes to charging the ball squibbed or bunted up the line [he's much too slow]. Not that they are "natural" 3rd baseman, as they aren't, but both Martinez and Valdez can make the described play much better than one Wilson Betemit.

Pierre's on track for 186 Hits and 57 SBs.

358
And 110 runs scored.

Slap doesn't slump.

I guess I will never understand the infatuation with slick fielding, slap hitting, scrappy players.

359
And 24 RBIs.

361 It would be a better, more nuanced, more strategic game if those things mattered more. I think people focus on them because they want them to matter.

at some point soon, the dodgers have to make a decision on valdez and martinez. Keep one or the other but not both. As a team already lacking in big time offensive players, we dont have the luxury to keep two utility players with the same skillset on the team.

Shawn Green shaved his head. He shouldn't have.

"Loss by superfluous accumulation" returns zero Google hits.

363

its also the less efficient way to win games and in the long run of a season, those small things they do well do not outweigh the limited offense they produce.

363. The game is about winning. People focus on whatever will achieve that. It makes no sense to focus on something else for it's beauty. What's "better" is what wins.

367 Yeah, efficiency is really fun to root for. Well actually it is for me, but you have to see why most fans don't see that.

368 The game is most definitely NOT about winning. The goal of each team is to win, the overall goal of the game is produciting an entertaining product. There will be just as much winning overall no matter what, but it won't matter if nobody in entertained by it.

Ned has shown willingness to correct mistakes. But will he come to think of JP as one? Even if Ned does see problems now, he's likely to wait, hoping a better JP shows up and saves him from having to do something.

Even if he were inclined to move now, seems like a newly signed free agent can't be traded before June or something like that.

Any move--however unlikely--probably would involve the Dodgers paying a lot of his salary. But that's not exactly unheard of.

By the way I'm talking about why announcers and fans are interested in the small ball aspects of the game. I agree that there is no excuse for a GM to look at anything other than winning. And maybe a little PR.

369. I think you are seriously confused. It is certainly not the job of any general manager to make the game more entertaining at the cost of winning. If you don't like the rules of baseball, write to the commisioners office. Until then, expect every team to do everything possible to win no matter how aesthetically pleaseing it may be to you. By the way, have you ever heard "chicks dig the sac bunt"?

356
Thanks. If you can leave those on the Griddle too, I would be much obliged.

357 - He was involved in winning 3 games, but he played in 21 other games, how many games did he cost with an .600 OPS in those games? That ninth inning steal or walkoff homerun is a memorable way to win, but most winning runs are scored before then. The extra run in the first when slappy players ground out would have made 9th innning heroics moot points anyway. Valdez has limited, specialized value, but there are other, more valuable tools sitting in Las Vegas.

373
Oh, and you did that too. Thanks.

371- Announcers? What fans want to see has nothing to do with the reality of building a roster which is all this discussion was about. And why do you think fans like to watch little ball when all conventional wisdom says the exact opposite?

376 What gives you the right to tell me what the discussion is all about when I just told you what I'm discussing?

Discuss away.

"Lost" is not to be missed tonight.

370 Ned has shown willingness to correct mistakes. But will he come to think of JP as one?

I doubt it. Ned signed Pierre for his ability to collect hits and stolen bases. Those are the only things anyone can point to and say Pierre is good at, so that must be the reasoning Ned used when signing him. And at the end of the year, Pierre will finish with close to 200 hits and 50 or so stolen bases, and Ned will sit back and consider himself vindicated.

Pierre will finish with close to 200 hits and 50 or so stolen bases

And 100 or so runs. And, as long as he doesn't make a ton of errors, Ned will consider him to be good on defense.

Bottom of the 1 st in Vegas. Kemp doubles, steals 3rd, scores on an out.

Let's create list of things that Pierre does better than Kemp, as a hitter and a centerfielder.

You go first.

383 - I say there is a fifty-fifty chance that he hits for a higher average, he will definitely steal more bases, and he can lay down a bunt better than Kemp. Maybe he has more range in the field too, though I would be surprised if that is the case.

Power, patience and arm are blow outs for Kemp though.

I think we will get what is best for the team. There really is no precedent for Grady/Ned sticking with the wrong situation over a long period of time. It this keeps up- Kemp will be a regular, maybe even in CF.

384 - He is faster from first to third, he strikes out less, he is "exciting" on the basepaths and a really nice guy.

384
he will definitely steal more bases

Do you think Pierre is faster and/or a better base stealer, or is this just a function of attempts?

374 There are only 8 field positions, excluding the pitcher. So having 100 guys who can homer doesn't mean as much as it would if we had 100 field positions. That's what some aren't seeing. I don't dispute that a nearly infinite number of humans are better than Valdez, however, their infinite talent will ride the bench and be duplicated 3-4x over by those others with infinite talent gathering splinters next to them. The purpose of having the roster size as it is, is so that some might find a place for the guy who can do the one small but sometimes essential thing extremely well and so bring victory.

To give you an imperfect example, back in my hockey playing days, we had one guy on the team for 4 years there who did nothing but kill penalties. Great defensive forward, but his offense was so poor that even slotting him in on the defensive-checking line was a no-go. I will never forget the night of the team banquet at the end of the 3rd year when our team's MVP called him up onto the stage and told all present that Mr. X was just as valuable to the team as he was, as a good many of his goals would have been reduced to the irrelevant without the superb penalty-killing skills of Mr. X. Killing penalties means more in hockey than Valdez' presence does to the success of our team, but the analogy will hopefully let you see the point.

And, no, I don't want to keep both Martinez and Valdez. I would prefer Valdez, since he fields more or less the same as Martinez, but runs far better, bunts far better, and by report, can play the outfield if need be as well. So know you know who I would drop if that is what we need to do.

Similar to 96, Pierre has also fallen behind Betemit in OPS (.595 v .638). I wonder if Betemit could patrol CF as well as Pierre (which is to say not very well), and he certainly has the better arm...

388 - "And, no, I don't want to keep both Martinez and Valdez."

And that's the heart of it for most people. It's nothing against Valdez per se. It's the Valdez-Martinez combo that others and I most object to.

I will admit, I could find ways to replace them both, but the big thing is to avoid the very duplication that you're against.

388
I would drop Martinez for a somewhat shorter reason.

He once played for the Giants.

389 - I was going to point that out, but I didn't want to pile on.

391
Good to know your appendix didn't burst or your gallbladder didn't attack you.

You probably had Dr. Cuddy examine you first and she probably messed up the diagnosis, but Dr. House saved the day at the last minute, but he was a real jerk about it.

393
I have no idea who those people are, but I would like to express my gratitude to my wife. The Midol worked great and I slept like a baby.

The purpose of having the roster size as it is, is so that some might find a place for the guy who can do the one small but sometimes essential thing extremely well and so bring victory.

No, this is the point of having infinite roster size. Roster size means just the opposite, you have limited resources so only the most valuable and essential players stay on the team. It would be nice to have a guy who was just good against Barry Bonds, just in case we have to face him late in a game, but that talent is too specialized to keep around without other talents. Wilson Valdez does somethings, but none of them are particularly essential. We don't need a designated bunter/pinch runner, which is the only role I see Valdez excelling in.

If you could have an infinite roster size, every team would be keeping an Eddie Gaedel around to pinch-hit with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th in a tie game.

If you could have an infinite roster size, there'd be room for Juan Pierre.

I apologize for getting off the topic of baseball, but this Utah-Golden State series has been pretty amazing thus far.

Derek Fisher just hit a huge 3. Jazz look to be in control in OT.

395 Sorry to have to split hairs, but that's not what infinite roster size is for. Infinite roster size would allow us to keep the speed guy and the 100 guys who could homer, even though there's only 8 fielding positions excluding the pitcher. The expanded but not greatly so roster size requires a mix. I didn't say that I wanted Valdez and 3-4 clones on the bench, but I do say that we can have your 3 mashers plus my 1 speed guy. Call it the Dodgers version of the blended malt. Lastly, call me crazy, some have, but if I were Grady and Valdez, I'd forget about swinging "normal" until someone proved that they could defense that bunt up the 3rd base line [it isn't sexy, and chics certainly don't dig the bunt for a hit up the 3rd base line, but until it can be defensed, it puts a guy on base]. After the opposition has finally gotten around to having their 3rd-baseman about three steps in on the grass, I'd have him bunt up the 1st base line. Then with both corners playing well in, he'd be allowed to swing away. But, again, some call me crazy.

Marlon Arias is 3 outs away from a no hitter...

Haven't been able to follow real closely lately, so apologies if these items from Kent's chat on dodgers.com have been posted==

Gododgers: After 16 years in baseball, I bet you have seen a lot of advances in baseball and technology. How often do you check the Dodgers fan blogs like www.sonsofstevegarvey.com or www.dodgerthoughts.com? Kent: I'm not much of a computer buff. If I had my druthers, I'd be talking on the phone or in person, not on the computer.

And Lasorda's probably not real happy with this next item, no matter if Kent may have been kidding--

pvblue: How involved is Tommy Lasorda with you guys? Kent: In between his naps, Tommy is more of a motivator of words for us. He's a story teller, an individual motivator, a clubhouse motivator and a guy who has a belly full of experience.

400
Egregious Rule 9 violation.

Valdez's career batting average while bunting is .211. He's two for four this year, but I'm not sure why anyone should fall in love with his bunting. Has he really gotten that much better at bunting since 2005 when he was two for thirteen?

403
Where does one find bunting stats?

I should say, it's possible that those numbers are from before today's game. If he's 3/5, now, then his career batting average while bunting is .250. Which is fine, but I'm not sure it'll be missed before rosters expand in September, even if he doesn't clear waivers.

And Arias has his no hitter. First no hitter in the Cal League in 4 years

404- http://www.fangraphs.com

It's really, really, really great. It's also where I go for Pitcher BABIP numbers, and L/F/G splits.

406
Maybe jinxing no-hitters is just superstition...

And to chime in on the Valdez/Lucille II debate. Ramon Martinez is by far less valuable as he has less speed and when we lose Martinez on waivers we still have Abreu and Tomas Perez in the minors.

407
Sounds like it has a lot of pretty, pretty numbers. We should go there together some time.

407 - That is the spot. I wonder if it is associated with hardballtimes in any way, since it seems like they get alot of their stats from them.

409 Ramon Martinez has the benefit of occasionally being able to hit the ball. Valdez has a sub .600 OPS on his career. Martinez can at least get close to .700 most years.

TICK WARNING!

I hate it when people post bogus warnings, and I have even done it myself a couple times, unintentionally...
But this one is real, and it's important. So please make note and tell your friends.

If someone comes to your front door saying they are checking for ticks due to the warm weather, and asks you to take your clothes off and dance around with your arms up.

DO NOT DO IT!! THIS IS A SCAM!!

I wish I'd gotten this yesterday. I feel so stupid.

I'd have to think that Ned feels more loyalty/obligation/something to Lucille than to Valdez, and since Ned seems to care about such things, I'd be pretty surprised if he chose Valdez over Lucille.

408 - I've explained the policy before. On any given day, certain people have the ability to jinx a no-hitter. The selected people change from day to day, and we have no way of knowing who they are in advance, so we all must avoid jinxing it in order to increase the chance of history happening. Broadcasters of the game in question are exempt.

So what happened tonight proves nothing except that Nate, as it turns out, did not have the power to jinx Arias' no-hitter tonight.

415
Nate, apparently, is not special. I could tell you who is special, but it's complicated.

416
Nate would rather talk Dodger prospects than go on dates. Maybe that's not "special", but it's something.

The only time I ever went to Summer camp, a tick burrowed into the back of my neck. I found it myself, and extracted it myself, learning later that I should have had a professional do it. But I didn't get Lyme disease, so, it all worked out fine.

NPUT

417 Or you could go on a date and talk Dodgers prospects.

I have actually done that once. But she was a Mets fan, so in return I had to listen to her talk about Scott Kazmir and Jose Reyes and whoever else was in the Mets system then.

I guess I'm the only guy here who works at home. Anyway, that game today was a sorry display. We made Sergio Mitre look like Greg Maddux circa 1994.

Betemit will never get to start at 3rd again.