Penny still money

>>> He's the rock on a staff beset by injuries and mediocrity, so everyone has shrugged and left him alone, even when he kicked an object in the dugout after being lifted with two on and one out in the seventh inning. <<<

http://tinyurl.com/23hzku

Does Ned trade LaRoche?....Betimit looks like he may become a 30-40 home run threat, and third base seems to be the only position he can truly play at his size.....so should Ned packade LaRoche, and maybe Delwyin Young, and see if he can land a good young arm....like Maholm in Pittsburgh for example...?

[2] maholm is like, 4th starter material. why do we need to get rid of laroche and young for that?

plus i still don't think the dodger brass sees betemit as our 3rd baseman going forward.

3- Maholm is only like 24 years old...and has a lot of promise....if they don't think Betimit is the guy(and a lot of other clubs do) you think Ned is just waiting to see if the offers for Wilson get stronger?

plus i still don't think the dodger brass sees betemit as our 3rd baseman going forward

I don't either. I mean, if they don't think he's good enough to start over Mr. 650 OPS, then they're never gonna think he's good enough to start.

It would be sad to see Betimit put up numbers elswhere while Nomar grounds out on the first pitch 3 times a game....

I'm kinda surprised that Betemit-Nomar hasn't garnered the breadth and depth of disdain that Choi-Phillips did. The gap between Betemit and Nomar seems much greater than that between Choi and Phillips.

6. I agree with you. When Betemit will become a free agent?

7- It has been more of a chasm that a gap lately....Betimit is now just as hot as Loney was when he forced Nomar off of firstbase....

7
Nomar has been very good in the past. Jason Phillips never was. So there is hope that Nomar can turn it around.

And why do we need to need have all that vituperation spread around again?

If DT turned into one long koffee klatch of complaints about Nomar, I'd go find myself doing something more productive. Like posting "Catcher Interference of the Day" on the Griddle.

7 - I was pondering that same paralel earlier and came to the conclussion that Nomar is afterall Nomar and can't be this bad. While Phillips was Jason Phillips and being Jason Phillips means you're pretty bad with no real reason(hope) to believe you will do better.

What were Phillips numbers compared to Nomars numbers? Would Phillips of 05 be a better option than Nomar 07.

parallel.

10- If Pierre who also has a nice track record can be the target of our venting then why can't Nomar be the object of our vituperation?...(looked it up)

Phillips 2005:
399 AB, 38 R, 55 RBI, 10 HR, .238/.287/.363 73 OPS+

Nomar 2007:
333 AB, 30 R, 45 RBI, 3 HR, .276/.322/.342 75 OPS+

2 Top 100 prospects rarely get traded at the deadline. Packing LaRoche with someone for a low ceiling guy like Maholm would be a terrible, terrible idea.

10 11 I agree. Nomar's abilities can't possibly fall off the cliff so suddenly, can they? If he gets playing time, there's reason to hope he reverts to form and helps us down the stretch.

Pierre is a cat fight compared to the Pier 6 brawls Ch-i incited.

my random Dodger Thoughts day, um, thoughts:
1: The thing I found most interesting from McCourt's talk? He's left handed.

2: I woke up this morning wondering what happened to all my fingernails. Then I clicked that photo link and saw half a dozen pictures of myself chewing on my hands and staring too intently.

3: I went from Dodger Stadium to Home Depot Center for David Beckham Day. It ended up asa very expensive day. The Galaxy are not very good. The only players who didn't look scared and confused were Joe Cannon and Kyle Martino.

If we trade Laroche to the Pirates I would want Ian Snell.

15. Ned traded Guzman last year and he was a Top 100 prospect but I don´t believe LaRoche will be traded.

19- That seems like it would work.....but if Ned is not high on Betimit, then I guess it's irrelevant....

Phillips though hit into 16 DPs compared to Nomar's 4, so that tilts thing more to Nomar's favor.

I was browsing baseball-reference.com today because I wanted to see just how similar Lou Brock and Juan Pierre really are. Answer: not too similar, and Brock might even be a tad overrated.

Anyway, while on Pierre's page, I noticed that his HOF Monitor score is 59.5, with 100 being a good bet for the Hall of Fame, according to Bill James. Which means that at age 29, Juan Pierre is already three-fifths of the way to Cooperstown.

Discuss.

20 Yes, and he was one of only 10 top 100 prospects to move in the last 14 years. If he traded LaRoche, only Ned and Sabean would have moved two top 100 prospects at the deadline over the same time period.

A. Russell Martin for MVP
B. Grady Little for Manager of the Year
C. Brad Penny for Cy Young

I'd vote C.

23 Brock was Pierre with 20 HR power. And played left field instead of center. Looking at his stats he looks like a pretty good player. The only real HOF case he has though is "3000 hits!" which of course is a lock for the hall.

23- Early in Pierre's career, he benifited from the Coors effect....but he did have some excellent seasons with the Marlins....I remember Pierre wreaking havoc for them when they won the WS....

18. I wouldn't take the Galaxy's performance yesterday as meaning much of anything. No one should be expecting them to compete with one of the best teams in the world.

Of course it didn't help that Chelsea refused to shoot. They looked like a cat playing with an injured mouse. :)

26 Pierre has 1360 hits midway through his 8th ML season. If he plays into his 40s, he could very well end up with 3,000 hits.

Juan Pierre, Hall of Famer. If that doesn't just send a shiver down your spine...

The Guzman trade was a good one in hindsight because of the draft picks and the fact that he faded pretty fast.

30 Guzman is only 22, so it's not like he's finished.

26- Just checked Pierre's numbers....I was wrong about Coors Field....

What a lucky week. Fox gave me the Dodgers yesterday
Today, through extradonairy electrical and electronic measures, that allow me to get local cable basic channels with a quality that rapidly deteriorates as you get above ch nine., I am getting the Mets NY channel.
It is no. 4!

Speaking of the HOF....I wonder what kind of numbers Jose Reyes will finish with....

29
Pierre won't play into his 40s as he doesn't have "old player" skills, namely the ability to take a walk.

Dear Pierre,

Thanks for trying to throw out Reyes at first. That was a hoot!

Sincerely,
Andrew Shimmin

31-He's young, but that OBP and K rate would concern me greatly if he was still here.

How does Reyes take 3rd on a hard hit through the left side? Gonzalez has to charge that ball and not let it come to him.

Dominicano!

pierre has actually been hitting the ball hard (hard for him) lately.

37 Oh, most definately, but those were huge problems when he was on the Dodgers but we just kept hearing about his potential. Unless he's lost his physical tools, you have to give him time.

34 Yesterday they showed that for age he is not up with Ricky Henderson but he's on a good pace.
All-right Furc. El D pitches look kinda big in daylight.

I´m still waiting for Pierre´s first HR as a dodger.

I'm watching the game on KCAL-HD...

is that Lindsay Lohan sitting behind homeplate? Or just another SoCal brunette babe with sunglasses? Can anyone tell?

44. Does she have a beer in hand?

At least he had free healthcare....

44 That same girl was there yesterday I think. And I don't believe it's her.

45 Ha!

Is she wearing a large ankle bracelet?

They showed Alyssa in the stands yesterday.

Nice pitch.

Stults looks real good.

Good job Stults, keep it up!

Stults has had pretty good command in the first 2 innings, which we haven't seen a lot of lately.

Yeah, he looks sharp. He's pinpointing his pitches.

Righties showing Duque that the change up belongs in left field.

Did anyone else catch the two guys behind home plate imitating Nomar's pre-batting ritual? I don't think I've ever seen that.

Does Milledge have as poor an arm as it looked right there? It seemed he could barely get the ball back to second.

56 I was too busy looking for Lindsey Lohan.

Loney's has some strange numbers in July thus far.

.308/.378/.338/.716

John Moores doesn't care about the fans.

58 Marty that Lindsay look-a-like is in the second row behind the little girl with the blue Dodger hat...

Yankees up 21-3 on the DRays going into the 9th. DRays need to score at TD, recover the onside kick and score again, then recover another onside kick and score again.

Unfortunately El D looks good to. I can't remember seeing this many 90mph pitchesor maybe ant in a while.

5 6 10

Betemit's OPS after his 1 for 2 with a double and two walks performance is .863. Nomar's is .666.

I just don't see why we can't continue to complain about Nomar, or, more to the point, Ned & Grady. Betemit will end up getting traded for a bag of balls, and we'll have a hole at 3B again. Of course, that is a longstanding Dodger tradition...

I'm not looking forward to the trading deadline.

64
As far as I'm concerned, Grady's refusal to play Betemit and Kemp everyday is significantly worse than Tracy's refusal to play Choi and Perez. And it's not even close.

Greetings from Brittania bar!

Greetings from Brittania bar!

How many throwing errors would Nomar have at 3B if Nomar was playing 1B? Five?

Tremendous play by Loney.

68. Considering he's not all that fast I would say significantly more.

Who needs Hendrickson? Stults is younger, cheaper and better.

A little late, I know, but...

Raffy's leadoff dinger raised the Dodgers' win expectancy from 59% to 70%.

71 the Dodger bullpen needs Mark Hendrickson.

73-That's where he should stay.

72 Are you playing the part of Xei Frank today, Mark? ;-)

Just tuning in a little late here but am disappointed the MLBTV broadcast is the Mets', not the Dodgers'. Ah well. At least I get to wat ch this one, unlike yesterday's.

Stults seems to have the Mets' number (so far! knock on wood, etc.)

Nice pictures, by the way, everyone!

el duque is having another impressive season. how does he do it?

Not to bring up this ol' bugaboo again, but I'm a little surprised Lieberthal didn't play at all this series, given Martin looks a little tired at the plate and all. But with Stults going today they may have wanted Martin, who knows him a bit better, to catch him.

Its great to see the defense working on these sqibbers (perhaps not because of Nomar), because thats Reye's(sp?) game,and giving infield hits infront of Beltran Wright and Del is just deadly, but thank god they don't have a bottom of line-up like ours.
Unfortunately, Kemp, Loney and even Ethier have recently been geared to seeing many hard throwing but one-dimensional pitchers. It can take a few years to adjust to guys who really pitch and don't just throw, Of which El D is one of the worst kind.

Btw, forgot to ask, but did any of you who chatted with McCourt and company yesterday slip in a plug for Jon Meloan? ;-)

65
Disagree bigtime. Tracy had a team whose offense was struggling mightily and yet he refused to play Choi and Perez. Offense isn't a problem right now and Jah people have the best record in the league. If you are ever going to continue to play someone in the hope that he breaks out of a slump, now seems as good a time as any.

Wow, 10 in a row retired by Stults. Awesome.

J.D. Durbin has become an unstoppable force of nature.

Nomar is lacking the chops for the head first slide.

OH yes...Loney!

Gotta love Lone dog.

Looks like a 2-game lead in the NL West standings.

Can Stults's hitting prowess continue?

I'd love to see Stults get a hit here. He's actually been hitting pretty well, right? Small sample size of course.

can I have some help with LA Dodger history, please?

What other Dodgers have worn the number 7 jersey?

Thanks.

I had a feeling Loney would figure it out and get an RBI. I admit my faith was weak after he went 0-2.

89
JD Drew wore #7 and a whole bunch of others.

89 Steve Yeager and I think Billy Ashley as well.

Other 7s
Tom Wilson
Mike Kinkade
Jeff Branson
Jose Vizcaino
Tripp Cromer
Paul Konerko
Greg Gagne
Billy Ashley
Alfredo Griffin
Tracy Woodson
Steve Yeager

The #7 always make me think of Steve Yeager.

91 Bob I was specifically thinking of the 70's...

Steve Yeager #7...?

Oh, and nice photos, everyone. It was a lot of fun looking at them. Thanks to Mr. Cannon for the great camera work.

93

Gracias Bob.

After all these years, Green is still helping us out. As it should be, isn't he still partly on the Dodger payroll?

It is great to put faces to names.

Well, fake names.

Stults has been terrific today. Command was a little off in the 5th, but otherwise very nice.

But which Dodger wore #42 AFTER Jackie Robinson retired?

(Quick get out your free media guides!)

http://tinyurl.com/2jxevo

Anyone catch this rather bizarre game story by Dylan Hernandez in today's Times? Almost zero mention of the actual game other than Broxton getting the save. I think Hernandez left the game in the 3rd or something.

Padres are falling apart. Must be the Milton Bradley cancer.

80 Does the value of an extra unit of offense really diminish when you already have a lot of offense?

Stults is our new LMOGY (Left-handed Mets Only GuY).

Why steal when Pierre can bunt you over...?

No Dodger has worn #20 since Darren Lewis did 10 years ago.

He broke it.

104- The marginal value does.

108 Why? By how much?

104
Some people believe there's no problems when you're in first place, and that being in first place is prima facie evidence that Management isn't doing anything wrong.

105

Eric Stults:Mets::Larry Jaster:Dodgers?

Peavy just saved his ERA for the day.

109- For the same reason the tenth run of the game is most often worth less than the fourth. How much is an interesting question I'm not equipped to answer.

It doesn't make playing Nomar a better decision, especially since this team has a legitimate shot at the post season, so the wins are worth more. But D4P's theory about this being worse than Ch-i/Phillips seems ill considered to me.

So--Everybody's wrong. Only I am right!

Either looked like he was lollygagging getting that triple.

Wow Eric Stultz tires fast.

114 I'm not sure I understand that point. Having more offense going into the game makes it more likely you'll score at least 4. It seems to me you want to fill you biggest hole on a positional basis, not on a run scoring vs. run prevention basis. I could be wrong though.

But I agree that playing Phillips at first was worse just because it was.

115 "You lollygag the ball around the infield. You lollygag your way down to first. You lollygag in and out of the dugout. You know what that makes you? Larry!"

Oh well, nice job by Stults - that's about as good as we could have hoped for. Be nice if the Dodgers could've scored another run or two.

108

Bill James once showed that each of the first five runs you score in a game has about the same marginal value, namely 14%. That is, a team wins about 14% of the games when they score one run, 28% when they score two, etc. (I don't remember what the league scoring average was when I read this; it would change as that average changes). So, increasing offense should increase winning percentage linearly up to the point where the team is scoring an average of five runs a game, after which the law of diminishing returns sets in. The Dodgers are scoring an average of 4.67 runs per game this year, so replacing Nomar with Betemit should help a lot.

115 I think he expected a hop off the wall and the ball got stuck under the padding.

117- Giving away runs is always stupid, I agree with that. But it's not always exactly the same amount of stupid. Depending on the construction of the team, it hurts some more than others. The Yankees have Doug Mientkiewicz at 1B. If the Angels tried pulling that, they wouldn't be in first place. But the Yankees can get away with it (to the extent that they can) because everybody else hits a ton. Doesn't make Mientkiewicz a good idea, as nothing could. But it means that it's not exactly as harmful as it would be for other teams.

Sigh. That wasn't a bad pitch at all, actually, but... sigh.

But D4P's theory about this being worse than Ch-i/Phillips seems ill considered to me

(Betemit + Kemp) - (Nomar + Pierre) >>> (Choi + Perez) - (Phillips et. al)

Eric Stults! Stults! There's no Z in Stults!

David Wright has stolen 22 out of 24 bases. I wonder how many "Baseball experts" (e.g. Joe Morgan) would think Juan Pierre is a better baserunner. I'm guessing most of them.

Eric Stoltz pitched well in Pulp Fiction. Eric Stults pitched well today.

Derek Lowe's in the bullpen.

BTW, Mets fans really hate Lo Duca now.

I believe that last AB was an example of it.

110
Some people may very well believe that; I am not one of them. I woud rather see Betemit playing. But winning with a potent offense gives of the luxury, for now, of hoping to get Nomar going--he was a big part of our success last year. How long a leash he continues to get remains to be seen. Grady in the Daily News:

"If I could foresee that, then I'd be better off than I probably am," Little said when asked if Friday was a sign Garciaparra's power stroke has returned. "I think it's certainly more of a step in that direction than not having hit one (Friday). That's all I can say."

Stults defying odds no longer.

123- Yeah, if you put your thumb on the scale by introducing Kemp/Pierre, then I agree.

The Astros announced that Oswalt will his start against the Dodgers with a chest injurty.

Nomar gives D4P the raspberry.

Hilarious!

Mmmm, delicious crow.

Andy LaRoche just hit his 9th homer of July.

129
He's a prophet! Stone him!

Nomar to D4P: What was all that stuff about Phillips?

funny, I was just thinking that Hernandez is hittable and tiring and wasn't all that worried, despite the last inning. Wouldn't have predicted that HR, however.

I think I'm going to go snowboarding in Hell this winter.

Ramon Arrapaicrag strikes again!

Oooh-oooh, baby.

Is Nomar re-discovering his power stroke?

Maybe they can just leave him here for home games, and let him take care of the Hamm twins while they're on the road?

132

Which Dodgers have a chest injury? ;-)

:)

Seanez lined up for his seventh win, knock on wood.

119- Thanks for posting this. I've decided that I was close enough not to feel too stupid.

Seanez now with a chance to go 7-1 on the season.

The Dodgers could have two pitchers with a combined record of 19-2 if things hold up.

seems to me like a home-road platoon for Nomar is almost justifiable....question is, can you actually do that and tell the media, or does it have to be done on the sly?

Roy Oswalt will miss next start against the Dodgers because he, to wit, Roy Oswalt, is suffering from a chest injury.

Rudy "The Scavenger" Seanez, you mean?

147 25-2 with Bilz.

145 Anybody else find it ironic that Seanez is only in line to win because he failed to strand the inherited runner?

148. I think you hide it as a platoon based on pitcher-hitter matchups.

152
Woah there. I hope you're not casting dispersion upon the "Win" statistic...

152 - No, because that's the way it so often goes for relief pitchers who get wins.

146

My pleasure. You know more than I do; I just remember certain specifics.

By the way, Betemit's OPS is almost 200 points higher than Nomar's--and 8 points higher than Russell Martin's!

Maybe Nomar should be "allowed" to stay home with the twins on road trips.

Phillies just scored another run, now 5-0, and young Mr. Durbin has effectively cut his ERA in half ptiching against the top 2 NL teams

J.D. Durbin's ERA has dropped down to San Gabriel Valley levels.

He was over 15 when he faced the Dodgers and now he's at 6.26.

Make that two more runs.

So why is Derek Lowe pitching in the bullpen?

Mr. Durbin has effectively cut his ERA in half ptiching against the top 2 NL teams

Well, the top 2 NL teams didn't get where they are primarily because of their offensive abilities...

This is like postseason bullpen deployment.

Because it's his day to throw on the side anyway, so why waste that when your bullpen is depleted? He can pitch for real instead. Plus he only pitched three innings the other night. I actually like this move.

"Eric Stults...Met-Killer"

Doesn't quite have a ring, but I'll take it...

Jeff Kent just pumped so much on that ground ball he could have filled up an air mattress.

164. Alright, I agree. My question wasn't so much in disbelief as confusion. Thanks for clearing it up, makes sense.

He still threw 81 pitches though. But I kinda like the idea also. Has a team ever had all or most of their starters make short relief appearances between starts?

It's starting to look like the Dodgers might run away with the NL West. Everyone else is either folding or already too far back to matter. If the Padres take the Wild Card, I guess we'd play the division winner with the worst record...?

Hey, maybe Grady is revolutionizing the management of pitching staffs, eliminating the starter/reliever label. I think he's factoring that "gut feel" thing with arm weariness to determine who pitches next.

Seanez's pitching would not be considered "brief and ineffective". It's been more clearly defined this year.

Rule 10.17(c) Comment: The official scorer generally should, but is not required to, consider the appearance of a relief pitcher to be ineffective and brief if such relief pitcher pitches less than one inning and allows two or more earned runs to score (even if such runs are charged to a previous pitcher).

Seanez only allowed one inherited runner to score.

169
Kids, don't whistle in graveyards or count chickens before they're hatched or any of that stuff.

169. Yeah, division winner with the worst record.

Let's not get to carried away with winning the division right now, but they do have a great chance to string together a lot of wins, especially with that upcoming schedule.

That's Rudy "the Vulture" to you, my friend:O)

156- Well, I am a subscriber to the Federal Reserve's quarterly report (it's possible I'm only a subscriber to the Kansas City branch of the Fed's quarterly report, or maybe that's just where they print the full Fed quarterly report; I don't really know), but it's been a long time since I last took an Econ course.

By the way, if you want to be the coolest parent/teacher/guardian/etc. of all time, you can get free comic books from the Federal Reserve. Show kids you love them--give them the gift of fiscal responsibility!

http://www.newyorkfed.org/publications/frame1.cfm?nav=picnic

174 is for 150

Oh... poop. Is that really Roberto Hernandez in the bullpen? Either Broxton or Saito must not be available today. Sigh. This game ain't over yet, folks.

Can Lowe go 3 innings? He only threw 10 pitches last inning. Don't know how many ptiches he was planning in the pen.

D4P needs to meet my good friend hubris. He was off at Carnoustie earlier today hanging out with Andres Romero.

161 I gotcha! :-) While we're at it, why not have Lowe come back out for one more inning rather than lose the game with Roberto "as old as a sequoia" Hernandez?

The future of the Dodger franchise is so bright right now that Ned Colletti has a chance to go down as one of the best GMs of all-time.

163 It does seem like a postseason bullpen philosophy. Lowe may have pitched only three innings on Friday night, but he did throw 81 pitches. I don't like Grady's all hands on deck use of pitchers right now. The Brewers, by the way, are now carrying 13 pitchers, said one of the Giants broadcasters during their game today.

179
Hey, Mr. Briss. Nice to meet you. Mind if I call you Hue...?

It's only hubris if you're wrong. If you're right it's visionary and bold. And indicitive of clubhouse chemistry.

Is DP4 pulling our legs?

What the heck is Grits doing?

please prove me wrong Roberto!

175
The Story of Inflation looks really fun. It has balloons!

Derek looked to be having so much fun, and threw so few pitches, I think it is a mistake to not give him another inning. Not in a class with Grady's we are going to win so I will save the bullpen fiascos, but overcatious and ultimetly dangerous.

171 Do you know when the last time the "brief and ineffective" rule was applied? I can't recall it in a Dodgers game for a long time.

and it starts!

Roberto Hernandez=DFA bait

Is this deja vu? Didn't the Dodgers bring in a mediocre reliever last year who went on to blow a game against the Mets?

This could be a battle of vultures.

Roberto? Seriously? That would seem to indicate that Saito's out for today's game as well and that Broxton is being saved for the 9th.

190 My wife cited that rule on me the other night.

169 I'll just assume the sarcasm of this statement because of how ridiculous it would be if made seriously on July 22.

uggh, Roberto Hernandez.......

190
I think it only comes up a handful of times each season.

Just bring up Meloan and be done with it.

Roberto Hernandez is Spanish for "(Rule 1 violation)".

Oh well. The Dodgers are playing so well that Grittle has the luxury of putting in Hernandez in high-leverage situations to give him a chance to get back on track. He's been good in the past, so maybe he can recapture his old form.

I guess if you have a pitcher on the roster, you can't just not use him. But, it makes you wonder why he's there in the first place.

196
Zing!

Who's hurt...?

Obviously either Broxton or Saito is not available or we wouldn't be in this predicament. Nice stab there by Hernandez, on that liner at least. Now, go take a seat to rest that hand.

Doesn't it make perfect sense to use the Dodgers shakiest reliever against the heart of the Mets lineup?

196 !

Kool Aid might actually get a hold. David Wright though.

Oh Jeez for a moment I thought Beltran hit a homer on GameDay...

{Sweat}

MeloanMeloanMeloanMeloanMeloanMeloanMeloan. Repeat until blue in the face.

206 OH YEAH!!!!

Funny how the same Baseball Experts who consider HRs to be "rally-killers" considers sac flies to be "good pieces of hitting"

I totally agree with bringing up Meloan. Normally I support keeping guys in the minors until they are close to as good as they can get so you don't use up service time. But with a relief pitcher you have to catch that lightning in a bottle. You're just wasting his arm otherwise.

Hang up an H for Roberto!

204 And he got the job done, suprisingly.

Nice play by Nomar there on that shot. Hernandez, you scare me too much. Please retire. Thanks.

Is Saito available? I guess we'll find out soon enough.

Is Durbin going to throw a complete game shutout against the Padres?

That's even sadder than how the Dodgers fared against him.

..."Kool Aid"?

Probably we'd be better off if Roberto goes to 'H'

I think Hernandez is only here till Wolf comes back. Meloan would only be up for a week.

Uh-oh. Somethings wrong with Saito!

Popup warning track.

Probably we'd be better off if Roberto goes to 'H'

In an H-basket

So obviously it's Saito who's not available - again (Broxton's warming up). I guess they're giving him one more day of rest before the road trip. An insurance run sure would help my nerves. That or a margarita.

looks like 'Lindsay' came back...2nd row...

It changes my critism of Grady-he knows something I don't. Boy I wish we could get some offense late, though.

Broxton FTS!!

220 Something's been wrong with Saito for days.

Hopefully this is just more rest for his shoulder and nothing more serious. Then I'd be worried and then we'd really need to call up someone like Meloan.

Is Hielman that good? It felt like six outs on 9 pitches.

UD We both need something for our nerves, but I am afraid we are on to something.

The bottom of the Mets' lineup makes a giant sucking sound. What's up with Delgado?

i'm not surprised to see a 9-0 game when it's jake peavy vs. jd durbin in san diego, but...

224 G'bye Lindsay, drive home carefully.

One thing, Broxton is the guy in this role, so he better get used to it and just trust his stuff.

San Diego's ridiculous bullpen has seemed a bit less spectacular lately. Has the shine finally worn off on them?

E-3

230 - It's actually pretty much the whole Mets lineup this year, sans Reyes and Wright.

236
It's true. Beltran hasn't been very good, though I've never been a Beltran believer so that doesn't really surprise me much. I guess Delgado is really the only surprise.

235 that might be ruled a hit, it was clobbered.

oh' brother.

In defense of Loney's... defense, there, that ball took a bad hop - and he still almost made an amazing play to get him at first. Still, that would've been a nice one to grab.

{sweat}

Can someone please describe the infield single?

Broxton looking like a guy who is worn out.

Broxton's seventh appearance in 10 games since the All-Star break.

241 Scalding one hopper right at Loney.

Looked a bit ugly, but that was definitely a strike, stop whining H&S

Dodgers get a break on that strike call, was clearly a ball.

[196] i hope for your sake she was talking about baseball :)

245 H&S ?

Furcal saves the game!

I don't think I can take it. I'm gonna go put my laundry away or something.

The internal conflict in LAT's household must be great now.

248 Heart & Soul

[248] heart & soul? lo duca?

I bet the Mets don't score here.

That wasn't fun.

E-9

oh' brother.

WHY

WHY

WHY

Ugh

245, 246. Will you take the over or under?

Drat!

wha happen'?

Jonathon Meloan, come on down!

Not to take away from the current misery, but recollecting a more pleasant game, from ... yesterday.

http://www.doubledogmusic.com/baseball/2007-07-21_Mets@Dodgers/

Arrrrgh, Bison!

"Matt Kemp, who has been dreadful all weekend on fly balls..." sayeth the Mets announcers. That was terrible. And Pierre's throw was awful to 2nd.

No W for Rudy.

Go on and git'cha some cheap sunglasses!

What did Kemp do, or not do?

Did that look as bad as it read on Gameday?

Kemp lost that ball in the sun - at first it looked like he was trying make a running throw but then he misjudged how shallow it was. Poor Bull.

Kemp misjuged a pop fly, started back, and then couldn't catch up to it.

268 just looked like he couldn't see the ball off the bat.

Whether it's true or not, Broxton now has a reputation for choking. He's dropped the ball too many times in the ninth. Is gagne still available?

Was he going to have a play at the plate, or was it going to be tied anyway?

Then Pierre picked up the ball and threw a high, slow ball to second to miss the out.

No W for Rudy

If only we had this Rudy...

http://tinyurl.com/2l86g5

No matter what you think of the bullpen, they cannot keep having to come in the 6th inning or earlier no matter if Meloan or the second coming of Gagne is in the bullpen, starters have to pitch longer and better.

[272] and how many is too many exactly?

I think our battery is exhausted.

And here I thought we were running away with our division. rats....

gotta be kidding me

242 now Broxton and Martin both look tired.

This oughta teach D4P to get excited.

268 Probably worse. He got a glove on it, barely and dropped it. Matt, Matt, Matt. No dessert for you.

And Broxton makes his second wild pitch. This is a hilariously bad inning, except for the hilarious part.

And you can't really blame Broxton at all. Both baserunners reached on errors. Even if Delgado is credited with a hit.

Meloan just made his Triple-A debut: 0.2 IP, 1 K.

He can't even blow a bubble today.

Kemp winneth some games, Kemp giveth some games away.

And then you have Broxton imploding again in the 9th.

The only bright side is, Dodgers in 1st no matter what.

Since that run was "earned", why doesn't Green get a sac fly...?

275 - because the Dodgers need to tackle Carlos Beltran?

He may have gotten him at the plate if he had caught it ,yes. I love Kemp but there is no real excuse for that play at all. It is a killer.

who will Grady PH for the #9 spot in the bottom of the 9th?

Lieberthal?

288 Official scorer judged that he wouldn't have scored on the fly ball

Don't give up yet, fellas. Dodgers will probably score in the bottom of the 9th anyway.

Nice work, Broxton to keep it a tie.

What makes me sad is if we don't score in the bottom of the 9th, Tomko was the guy warming up in the bullpen...

broxton got 5 outs.

I doubt the runner would have even gone if Kemp had caught it. He was close to the infield.

Broxton doesn't fit the chocker profile.

292 To add to that, it will be an unearned run

Official scorer judged that he wouldn't have scored on the fly ball

But that makes me think the run shouldn't be "earned"...

So we really did need that .333 run after all. I take it all back.

WHEW, is all I can say. Okay, the Dodgers have to win it here or forget it. Not with that depleted backend of the bullpen. It's now or never.

288
The official scorer must have felt that Hernandez would not have been able to tag up and score from third on the fly ball.

291 the Killer Tomato

Tomato on deck?

Is that 3 blown saves since the All Star Break?

290 Its part of the process, I know folks distain this type of comment but kids will make mistakes and vets do to but for kids, they have to learn how important the little things like remembering to bring your sunglasses out to field with you.

Sorry, the browser here doesn't refresh correctly, so I always appear to be 5 minutes late on everything.

We score here, Broxton gets the win ("brief and ineffective" not being applicable), Little doesn't have to go to the bullpen again and torture us with Tomko, and everyone happily turns off his or her computer.

Tacoma Bottom 6th

Jeff Clement singles on a soft fly ball to right fielder Delwyn Young.
Nick Green strikes out swinging.
Coaching visit to mound.
Pitcher Change: Jonathan Meloan replaces Spike Lundberg.
Rob Johnson flies out to left fielder Wilkin Ruan.
Ronnie Prettyman strikes out swinging.

so I always appear to be 5 minutes late on everything

You might want to advise 196...

276- What's the alternative?

303 - What about the subsequent wild pitch that moved Green to 3rd? Had Kemp caught the ball, and the runner held, that WP would've scored the runner, which would've been earned.

what a waste of a swing there from Olmedo.

I wish we could face Jose Feliciano instead. I'd like those odds better.

overtime.

how 'bout 18 innings today Vinnie?

315
Or Pedro Feliz.

I'm not in the mood for extra innings. I wanna take a nice lazy Sunday nap. But nooooooooo.

That was the most pathetic inning I have ever seen.

Nuts to this.

308 - that's okay, I'm years behind on tech. I still think Palm Pilots are cool. I was told the other day only old fuddy-duddies use them, just like e-mail.

Broxton has three blown saves this year. The loss in San Diego was not a blown save.

The stage is set for a Juan Pierre walk-off.

I'm not saying he choked, but that will be the perception a lot of people will have. Given a choice between Saito and Broxton, I'd take Broxton every time. Saito has been doing it on smoke and mirrors and he can't have much left. Broxton..., he's a...well...an OX. he'll be around a long time.

321
I'm using IE!

324:

You mean a bull?

Jon Meloan:

1.2 IP, 0 ER, 0 hits, 2 Ks

321- I have an eight year old cell phone. It doesn't play mp3s or have a camera or anything.

324 - Given a choice between Saito and Broxton, I'd take Broxton every time.

Maybe for the long term, but not up to this point would I have chosen Broxton over Saito.

324 I don't know what you have been watching for the last year and a half, Takashi Saito dominates hitters.

and I don't really care what people think about Jonathan Broxton, I care what HE thinks of himself. as long as he doesn't go B.Lidge and implode, I have tremendous faith in both him and Saito (if he's healthy).

"I am D.J., I am what I play/ Can't turn around no, can't turn around, no, oh, ooh I am D.J."

323 - You mean an addition to this prestigious list?

Jose Lima
Brian Lawrence
John Patterson
Salmon Torres
Craig Dingman
John Thompson
Adam Eaton
Jamey Wright
Victor Santos
Dave Bush
Ian Snell
John Lieber

Broxton was fine. It should have been a 1-2-3 inning. Kemp has been the worst defensive outfielder on the team. Much worse than Pierre at tracking fly balls. Yet, Little still uses him as a late inning, defensive replacement.

That is why Kemp is not an option in CF. I cannot see many Dodger games to judge them very well. But, the Met announcer said that he played poorly on defense the entire series.

Vin: "the pesky Jose Reyes"

Sometimes Vin really captures it.

316 - I fell asleep during the marathon NLDS Game 5 game in 2005 between Houston and Atlanta, and fell asleep in the 15th when Clemens batted for himself, and woke up for Clemens' 18th-inning strikeout and Chris Burke's walkoff homer.

182 Correction of myself: Lowe pitched Thursday night, not Friday night.

313 You're right, that explains why the run is earned but Green still didn't get the sac fly

324 Smoke and mirrors don't get you this career record:

118.0 IP 72H 26ER 7HR 28BB 154K and 49 saves in 53 or 54 opportunities.

Pierre actually held someone to a single? How bizarre.

331 - you gotta know when to Houlton/know when to fold 'em.

I want to hear "I Love LA", DJ!

Betemit for Veteran Middle Reliever.

Book it.

New nickname for Honneycut, "Big Rick"

Ground ball ground ball ground ball...

The Dodgers are very fortunate to be winning games this month because outside of Chad's game 3 weeks ago and Brad's game last Monday, the starting pitching has been pretty erratic to say the least.

Russ Springer is supposedly available.

343 Bullpen would be fine if starters could stretch their games out a few outs more.

Then: Hershiser, Hillegas and Holton
Now: Hendrickson, Hernandez and Houlton

Russ Springer is supposedly available

And the Cardinals could use a third baseman...

Book it.

what will you do if you are wrong?

346
Well, one commenter did dub the team the Los Angeles Mediocrities.

Does anyone else really hate the smirky smiles on the faces of Jose Reyes and David Wright?

343

Yup :-( Dotel?

Looks like I'm the only one on D4P's side since the much appreciated, unexpected, and spookily timed Nomar homer.

351- How about he has to drink a gallon of milk in one hour, and post the video online?

Do you walk Ambres and force the Mets to use their last pinch hitter?

Pasta diving Nomar.

Sigh

chip ambres huh? awesome.

Why was Nomar playing so far in with two outs?

I'm sorry, how can you let Chip Ambergris beat you? Feh.

Or just give up a single to Ambres and force the Mets to use their last pinch hitter?

[361] chip who?

exactly.

360 See Hanley Ramirez's bunt.

Pierre will hit a HR!

353 Well, I hate the Mets in general, so I'd say unequivocally, yes, I hate their smirky smiles.

So Pierre will hit a game-tying homer now off of Billy Wagner?

All I need is for Pierre to get on base to set-up a Russ walk-off.

Pierre triples, Martin walks and steals second. Both score on consecutive balks.

364 Chip Ambres is not Hanley Ramirez

353 - Regarding Reyes, I think that's what subconsciously inspired the adjective "pesky" from Vin.

I personally like the smirk. It sort of scares me in a good way. Like he's got something up his sleeve that he could kill you with at anytime...like mega talent.

Kemp didn't blow this game; Kool-Aid did.

367. Yes, Bob. He was just practicing with those fly balls for this moment.

It's benefited the Dodgers once or twice, but I have to say that this ump has been abysmal at calling balls and strikes today.

372 OH YEAH!!!!!!

No matter what happens, thanks Billy.

everyone do the Grabowski!

Walk is good...especially for JP

I got it backwards. Pierre Walks, Martin triples, scores on a balk.

372 It's hard to ever pin a game on one guy, I'd give them both equal billing for goat status if we end up losing

Juan, if you get thrown out trying to steal I'll never speak to you again.

Grabowski Principle?

351

What will you do if he's right?

crap, it looked like he had that stolen.

369

Winner of the prize for "most unlikely scenario of the year" award. But we'll take the walk...

Good ol' Green.

Thanks Shawn.

The Dodgers are 0-4 in games in which Pierre has a walk but no hits.

Thank you Shawn. Thanks much!

383

absolutely nothing. I'm not the one making endless claims in hopes one sticks on the wall and is right.

Was that a steal on a pickoff attempt?

Shawn saved you, Juan. Big time!

Pierre has now walked 17 times this season.

I guess it's only fair we get a break, after the Mets got several before this.

This is the time for Pierre not to run. Keep dancing around, distract the pitcher, and see if the hitters can take advantage.

Moyer was worried with Pierre and we remember what happened. Go Dodgers!

Well, that was the about the longest 1-2 count in the history of mankind, and all for naught. Russell's had a tough series, no other way to put it.

Interesting move, I mean Kemp is hard to double up, Kent still has to get a hit to score Pierre.

So they will risk Kemp for a double play ball?

Kemp with a shot at redemption!

Walking the go-ahead run?

Russell needs a rest.

400. Yes! Matt "Killer" Kemp!

396 So if we lose this game, does it mean having Juan Pierre on base does nothing?

It's a very thin correlation you're working with.

Whoops, Meloan gave up a solo shot. Oh well.

Make-them pay Kemp

The phrase "atone for one's sins" comes to mind here.

Thank you, Willie Randolph.

I think they walked Kent, expecting Kemp to get a hit, and expecting Donnelly to get Pierre and Kent thrown out at the plate. Randolph is a very clever manager. Crafty, even.

No mater the ending, at least we get some good drama t the end here.

Look for Kent to give Reyes some feedback on his "style" by knocking him into left field if there's a DP grounder...

Well see just how good Nomar is at home.

Sigh!! Pierre steals 3rd, but Kemp fouls it off.

So where's your Messiah now? Huh?

Can't catch up to Wagner's heat.

Nomar with a chance to hammer the final nail in Betemit's coffin

411

And with two out and RISP.

gameday placed that pitch inside nomar's cranium.

Oh please oh please!

Holy, was it close to beaning him? looked like it on gameday

On Retro Gameday, the wild pitch is targeted at Nomar's head.

413 - funny way to spell "Nomar".

If only someone would have let Pierre steal third.

At least we're getting a full count.

sigh

This was a really painful loss, for some reason.

I hate it when a game ends on a called strike.

booo.

I hate baseball sometimes.

Okay, see you all to sweat here tomorrow.

He could at least swing at the slow motion strike. Poor showing Nomar, and I like you.

I don't think I'm going to hang out in Downtown Mudville tonight. I hear it's not a fun place tonight.

Thank you, youngsters Kemp and Broxton.

Was the pitch close? Seems like Nomar is taking a lot of two-strike pitches this year.

called strike 3 to Nomar to end the game.

Betemit just might stick around.

Dodgers' last 20 games: 7-10 at home, 3-0 (in San Francisco) on the road. For a total of 10-10.

425 Or a lot of reasons. Can't say the Dodgers really deserved to win that one, though they also did have quite a few chances to do so.

I feel kind of queasy.

At least San Diego lost.

[426] i only hate it when there's a dodger at the plate.

425 Maybe because we totally gave that game away?

This was painful... Lots of "what ifs" in this game. Like what if Lowe had pitched another inning?

Although I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Houlton instead of Tomko out there in the 10th, now I can't help but wonder if Brett could've pitched a scoreless inning.

432 It was a borderline outside pitch, just caught the edge of the plate (or didn't), but too close to take. He should have swung defensively and ticked it off foul. Instead it is we who are ticked off. Of course, he also did give the team a lead with a 2r homer. I wouldn't pin this loss on him, exactly.

Another memorable performance by our braindead manager

Thank you, youngsters Kemp and Broxton.

i do agree they both had tough games but what do you propose we do? Sit them? option them? trade them? When they play, they give us the best chance to win ballgames. Today's game is just one of those games.

431 -- Your act is getting pretty damn tired.

With that error then strikeout Kemp bought himself a ticket to the bench.

440 Russel needs a few days in Tahiti.

444 - Not that it's right.

What is it with bad fielding when Broxton pitches the 9th?

Young players make mistakes. Kemp and Loney have both been terrific for the club.

Grady bringing in Hernandez, on the other hand, was both inexcusable and completely predictable.

With that error then strikeout Kemp bought himself a ticket to the bench

3-run jacks buy Kemp tickets to the bench.

Sometimes, here victory has one father, but defeat has about 25-30 daddies.

Given enough time, someone will blame Ramon Martinez for the loss.

I still consider this a moral victory. With everything going against us we still could have got a split with the Mets. Putting Hernandez in to face the exact hitters who bombed him a few nights ago was the end(IMO).

440 Thanks
Garciaparra, through today's game, 24 walks and 34 strikeouts in 338 at bats. All of last year: 42 walks and 30 strikeouts in 469 at bats.

... An extremely tough series -- the type of series that leads me to believe that the Dodgers aren't quite as good as I think they are.

Las Vegas
Player IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
Lundberg (W, 6-4) 5.1 8 1 1 1 4 0 5.75
Meloan 2.1 1 1 1 1 2 1 3.86
Hoorelbeke 1.1 1 0 0 0 0 0 5.19

http://tinyurl.com/22jv8s

452. Well said.

Even with winning games, every aspect of the team has holes. Starters don't last as long as they should be, relievers aren't consistent as they should be, and the lineup isn't potent enough to get a run when they absolutely need it. They're unfortunate that its all happening now, and they fortunate enough that everyone else in the NL West is faltering.

449 Or, as Tolstoy wrote at the start of "Anna Karenina":
"Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."

450 Who else was left? Saito is out, Broxton can't keep pitching 2 inning relief outings, Beimel can't pitch everyday, Houlton was probably the multi inning guy left in case the game goes extra innings for some reason. You pitched Lowe already, you really don't want to throw Hendrickson out there, so there you have it, Hernandez is left.

Now you can blame Ned for this roster but you can't blame Grady because he can't manage today's game as if its the last game of the season.

Someone on this staff has to step up and throw a good game, seven innings plus and it would be nice to have a nice size lead so we could have a nice easy close. Actually, it would be nice to get a couple of those games this week.

Remember when we all thought the Dodgers' pitching was the team's strength, and our offense was the problem?

Weird how things play out during the course of a season. I'm very glad that Ned didn't listen to me last offseason when I told him to trade Penny for Adam Dunn.

Hernandez shouldn't be on the team at all. But the bullpen's completely shot, due to injuries and, as others here have mentioned, the lack of quality pitching from the starters as of late. None of that is Grady's fault. I do agree that he should have had Lowe go one more inning though. Hernandez should be more of a desperation pitcher at this point. All the more reason to just DFA him and bring in someone stronger. Anyway, I agree with Bob in 449 completely.

Gotta go. See y'all later.

452 - Yeh because Derek Lowe is known to get shelled for 9 runs every start.

The offense looked good this series, pitching killed the series mainly bullpen. Bullpen is tired = bullpen gets shelled although 2 losses can both be pinned on newly acquired Roberto.

Don't blamerookies for making a mistake or two, when one of two possibilities is musch more important. Either we are having an awful string of coincidental pitching injuries, or our bullpen is being miss managed. But our offense and youngsters are doing above and beyond.
I pray we make no drastic moves when I see the next several years.

452 I guess when the Mets got swept here last month, they were not as bad as they seem to be?

461
Then when we sweep the Astros next, we'll seem good again.

I agree with bh completely, too. Though I think Stults gave the Dodgers as much, or more, than we could have expected or asked for. Then he just lost steam. At this point, if they don't want to bring up Meloan yet, bring up Hull for Hernandez.

Okay, enough outta me, really. No, really.

D4P I love you, but that was not the time to say 86 w/o a "knock on wood" :o). At least SD got their just desserts.

Sorry to be so BB superstitious.

I went to sleep while we were winning and I fully expected to see a win when I got up.

Sigh.

456 I think Lowe should have pitched another inning, but I am also yapping way too much--and must say goodnight.

456 You are so right. If ever we could use a few nice easy games it is this week. And I hope that is my last word.

I must say that a lot of the game ending comments are disappointing. Even good teams lose tough games. This is a good developing team that has been hit with a lot of sudden pitching injuries. As opposed to a team that just flat out needed pitching to be good. Right now they are short on pitching. But ironically it was a defensive error that cost them this game.
For the Mets, walking Kent to pitch to Kemp made a lot of sense. 408 Kemp still has a lot of holes in his swing. Kent is a proven hitter and much tougher to get out.

431-Where were the "thank you's" for all the games they helped win?

Oh, and if Billingsley struggles tomorrow, we may as well send him to Triple-A, right?

470 -- He's a troll. His behavior is logicallly consistent with his purpose.

And now the official scorer has changed Broxton's run from earned to unearned. Is there something about not assuming a wild pitch would have scored a runner from third?

I must say that a lot of the game ending comments are disappointing

Looks like a "sky is not falling" NPUT from Jon is in order.

472. Don't know about you, but Dodgers losing puts me in a bad mood. Unlike you, where everything is fine and dandy no matter what happens. My purpose is to vent frustration at the team and I do not direct anything personal at any posters, whereas your purpose is to play holier than thou, attaching labels to posters as you go along.

Flight of the Conchords is on tonight so we can turn those frowns upside down!

Atleast, if you have HBO.

Could Lowe have pitched 3 innings today?

Bullpen is shot. Derek only pitched 3 innings on Thursday. They could throw Bills tomorrow, Hendrickson on Tuesday, Tomko on Wednesday and Penny on Thursday. Was that even a possibility?

I just felt today's game was important enough to try that. I felt it was a genius move to bring Lowe in for the 7th. Why not let the bullpen get the much needed rest and use Lowe?

Am I completely crazy here?

473
Run scoring from third on wild pitch isn't earned is it? Someone call 911-GRIDDLE.

475 You just contradicted yourself in your same post. You don't direct anything personal at any posters, except twice in that post. Huh.

But I'm sure we all share your frustration with losing today.

I have faith the team will turn it around a bit in Houston.

I'm also cranky because I have to work today, as punishment for camping. Bye again.

476 just cheered me up greatly.

I blame Ramon Martinez.

Since the great MLB package did not offer this game today I could only suffer by watching on Game Trax and following on this site as I often do.

While just about everyone agrees on this site about the folly of bringing up Hernandez, who was DFAD by Cleveland! A team desparate for pitching.... (whether they can trade or not)
I think the move to make before the 31st is to bring up the best possible starter they have in the minors and use that person to fill the role that Billingsly had earlier in the year.

I would still like to see Melon come up now, but if he can only pitch one inning at a time, I am not sure he can be the difference maker we all want him to be. Hence why the starter or someone who can be a true swing man is what we need.

475 -- You NEVER "vent frustration at the team" in general. Pretty well all of your posts are specifically shots at the young players everybody here likes. I call you a troll because I don't believe you are stupid enough to believe that our young players have been anything but a huge plus for the Dodgers. No, you just want to stir up crap, and if everybody here hated the youngsters you'd be singing their praises, because THAT would be the way to bother people. That is what a troll does.

I guess the Lowe question really was a dumb one, huh?

I really did think it would have been a smart option, fixing more holes then it would have created.

Figured someone else would have had an opinion though.

479. I don't want to get into the juvenile game and rationalize by saying, he did it first. On the other, this Canuck guy has done this to me before, and I shouldn't be expected to be passive about it.

If I am out of line, Jon is welcomed to step in.

Again, I do not get personal in my post and I don't label anybody. I just want the same courtesy extended to me.

"We" didn't think pitching was a necessary
strength of this team (very fragile, Schmidt to Saito) and have been saying so since February. But "we" don't think the pitching has been a serious, collective problem, either. A solid, dependable defense would have seen this team five or six better in the win column; more judicious tactics from management (resting guys is good - and should be maximized when they are struggling; sitting guys when they are in good offensive grooves only makes sense on overwhelmingly talented teams, which this team yet ain't) might have been worth a couple/three more. More lively bench players getting the at-bats which a declining Olmedo and puzzling-presence Ramon have gotten on the basis of work in other seasons maybe another couple.
More pleasant (or less unpleasant) contemplations: if Shawn Green was born in Aruba or surrounds, would he have been on second with Matt's muff?
Why did Juan pierre cut in front of Andre late in game on a play requiring an arm - hasn't anyone told him yet?
For those unfans of "small" ball, and its components, didja note that the fear of a Hanley Ramirez-like bunt by Ambres had Nomar even with the bag, which turned an ordinary third out into a game-winning hit? Picking and choosing small-ball stratagems, and mis-aligning the Bad Guys' defense, sometimes wins ball games.
Where, when all is said and done, will Matt look comfortable when the D's are defending?
Just how (McCarver praised his fundamentals
the pitch after he let a ball through his legs) did Russell get that "great defensive young catcher" rep? Every time I see him, he's borderline at best (receiving and throwing), and so, liking the rest of his game so much, especially his wheels, I look for the front office to stay alert and look for a genuinely special "d" guy, and make a Biggio/Torre move with Russ.
Chris Wheeler, generally a knowledgeable baseball guy, and announcer for the Phils, had Juan (who's been vital in some wins the last month - shades of 2003) as "probably the best base-stealer in the contemporary game" and "one of the best at bunting." I have no comment. I have no comment. I will not comment...
For those who'd like to see the hot youngsters promoted in the lineup, I share the temptation, but think the brass, collectively, has done an impressive job letting them learn to crawl, then walk, then take off at this difficult level. James "400" Loney may have been James "240" Loney if asked to stand the pressure that comes at three and four, and even five and six, that diminishes at seven and eight in the order. What I don't understand, knowing for most players good offensive performances tend to be bunched - having to do with confidence and rhythm - is why youngsters like Wilson and Matt and James and Andre have been in the dugout after big performances, often removing any chance for those special three-run jobs. Does management have charts showing poor games tend to follow very good ones?
I see very nice signs from the kids they're taking to their hitting instructors.
Thought the series against the Braves/Marlins, then these last two, would be a decent gauge of progress, and the 6-8
result is no surprise, even though none of those Bad Guy Outfits were playing anything near their best brand comin' to town. This continues a generally mediocre-to-decent team, in a mediocre division, in a mediocre
league. They aren't likely to get a whole lot better, but neither are the other guys.
Remember The Cardinals!

484
I think it's possible that 81 pitches in 3 innings could be tougher on a the arm than 7 innings of a shut-out. Specifically as to Lowe, whether he could have gone longer without jeopardizing his next start, who knows? Probably Lowe himself couldn't say for sure.

484 I can't keep shut up. I advocating keeping Lowe in at least twice directly and once indirectly. Startwith post 189.

487 That's fair. I wasn't second guessing there. Just asking, given the circumstances with the bullpen and all.

Thanks for responding! I had been told that Dodger thoughts was a good place to discuss and ask questions. I do realize most are probably gone now that the game is over though.

Is that girl really Greg Brock's girlfriend or is that a joke?

Sorry about the semi-illiterate typingin 488.

490 It's a joke, or he's a lucky man.

488 Sorry then. I had thought about it, and came over here to ask the question. I wasn't on Dodger Thoughts the whole time. Guess I should have looked closer before asking. I did look...a little though.

490 Joke, not that Brock isn't a lady-killer and couldn't land a prize like that.

493 No problem, I think you have the crux of the game. Once you make Lowe throw under game conditions, a few mor innings matters not.

I was hoping Lowe would have gone two innings considering he only threw 10 innings in the one he did pitch. Normally that wouldn't be a problem with Broxton and Saito ready to shut it down, but since Grady knew that Saito was out it seems peculiar that he would go to Roberto Hernandez instead of letting Lowe go one more.

496 I agree. We all knew the bullpen was shot. Even going to Broxton in the 9th was pushing it given his performance yesterday. Lowe looked in control in his only inning. And, as you say only threw 9 or 10 pitches.

Let me ask the other question I am wondering of other Dodger fans. Would any of you actually have been upset were Lowe left in and the Mets won any way? Given the bullpen situation, I would have been more willing to take the chances with Lowe, then to have done it the way they did. Maybe the better choice of words is, I would have been more confident with Lowe.

496 I agree. We all knew the bullpen was shot. Even going to Broxton in the 9th was pushing it given his performance yesterday. Lowe looked in control in his only inning. And, as you say only threw 9 or 10 pitches.

Let me ask the other question I am wondering of other Dodger fans. Would any of you actually have been upset were Lowe left in and the Mets won any way? Given the bullpen situation, I would have been more willing to take the chances with Lowe, then to have done it the way they did. Maybe the better choice of words is, I would have been more confident with Lowe.

496 I agree. We all knew the bullpen was shot. Even going to Broxton in the 9th was pushing it given his performance yesterday. Lowe looked in control in his only inning. And, as you say only threw 9 or 10 pitches.

Let me ask the other question I am wondering of other Dodger fans. Would any of you actually have been upset were Lowe left in and the Mets won any way? Given the bullpen situation, I would have been more willing to take the chances with Lowe, then to have done it the way they did. Maybe the better choice of words is, I would have been more confident with Lowe.

I apologize for the 3 posts! Don't know what happened.

486

to your point on Martin, I don't know if the stats justify it, but I do think Martin needs some more rest, and I do believe something McCarver actually mentioned that perhaps some of the recent past balls/wild pitches maybe attributed to being tired.

How much do you think the rule that once a player is called up, the club's ability to control him is decreased is influencing the current Dodger leadership in calling up or not calling up Meleon.

If Bonds doesn't hit 3 home runs in the upcoming 7 game Giant homestand. He will probably face Lowe on July 31, Penny on August 1 .

More pleasant (or less unpleasant) contemplations: if Shawn Green was born in Aruba or surrounds, would he have been on second with Matt's muff?

What in the world does that mean?

503 Ask again later.

Someone is going to blame Mike Lieberthal soon for today's outcome, right?

Hey, whaddya want from me? I already took on the Ramon Martinez end of things.

I'll blame Lieberthal when he plays. He's obviously too rested.

506
You were doing the Lord's work there, Marty.

I just don't understand why everybody got so angry.

There's another game tomorrow. Such is the nature of baseball.

I blame Timmermann for his lack of frustrations was clearly the deciding factor on Nomar taking that third strike. D4P let it all out and we got a 2 run jack. Come on Bob, pick it up. There is no I in team.

A confirmed DT and Griddle addict, Bob you know I am often here trying to keep my mouth shut. Amen to 508 and tommorrow.

Just blogged by Diamond Leung:
"

Takashi Saito is scheduled to undergo an MRI on his right shoulder on Monday in Los Angeles. Saito will try to rejoin the club tomorrow in Houston after the MRI, but the news does not appear to be good and he could be headed for the DL with the tightness that has bothered him of late.

Interesting to note that Jonathan Meloan is a Houston native. Just sayin'."

And re 511 I'd hate to see Meloan's debut come because of an injury to Saito, when it should ideally be because they are replacing another less effective reliever or filler like Hernandez, but it sure would be cool to see him. I also think Hull deserves a shot.

Saito should have been on the DL days ago. For crying out loud, we basically played the series against the Mets with a 24-man roster. That was never a story that was going to end well.

Aww crud. Injuries are like a disease with this team.

514 Seems that way right now, though I'm sure if you compare to most other teams in the league it's probably not any worse. Though it really does seem like the pitching staff specifically has been hard-hit the past month or two.

513 In hindsight, yeah, but I seriously doubt the Dodgers thought he would be out more than a day or two when his "stiffness" or "irritation" first came to light. But by day 3, yeah, I would've DL'd him at that point.

Basically I'd DL him, DFA Hernandez, and call up Hull and Meloan and be done with it.

Wait, what am I doing here, Flight of the Conchords is on!

1. Posted by twerp
512 They brought Hull up very briefly a while back, but he never appeared in a game. Can't say he did badly, can they?

Hull has a 3.18 ERA in Vegas' launching pad, a 1.39 WHIP, averages more than a K per inning, and has 9 saves and 4 holds. He appears to be the closest thing the 51s now have to a closer.

If the Dodgers think a 51s closer with decent numbers in that park shouldn't even get a shot at helping a frazzled Dodger bullpen, maybe they need to clear him out of Vegas like they have some others.

Hernandez is an example of the "bring in the grizzled veteran with tons of experience and
great career numbers" school of thought. I hope the move works out.

But so far Hernandez has been been fizz, not grizz...

Now, here's something I can get angry about! The dryers in my apartment building have a broken coin box. So I have to go off to the laundromat with all my wet clothes.

Now this is something I truly can get angry about.

517 No comfort to you Bob, but I love my new front-loader washing machine. It's amazing.

518 -- Does it being a front-loader have anything to do with why it's amazing?

519. It does if you have a lovely young neighbour whom you have offered to do the laundry for. Marty you sly devil.

514 I regret to inform you that injury complaints are a registered trademark of Fans of the Oakland Athletics Baseball Company. Any whining, complaining, or use of metaphors comparing injuries to contagious diseases without the expressed written consent of Fans of the Oakland Athletics Baseball Company is strictly prohibited.

521
If I am a fan of the A's as well, can I complain about the Dodgers problems?

522 If that's the case, we might need to put you in quarantine.

One problem with the Hernandez situation is he hadn't pitched for a while when the Dodgers signed him and told him to get his arm in shape and they would call him up as soon as possible. Then he only pitched ONE inning in Las Vegas when they apparently felt they had to call him up. So he's basically getting his arm in shape in Los Angeles. Apparently, we were pretty desperate.

I think at the end of this year we will look upon this past week as the turning point of the 2007 season.

Welcome to the Jungle...

a couple of months of Gagne...after a couple of minutes talking with Saito to have him say he's OK with Gagne closing...

Welcome to the Jungle...

Texas ain't using him and he's gone in the off season...

That was a pretty ugly exchange in the late 400s. I'd delete the comments if I had the energy. Major rule violations on both sides.

In general, I'd like to remind people that if you're angry, shout at your TV, but keep it civil in here. I know it's tough when your team has lost one in a row, but try. Thanks.

New post up top.

Robothal is saying the Royals want Abreu or Hu for Dotel..

"The Dodgers are the front-runners for Royals closer Octavio Dotel — and the team's urgency could be increasing due to the uncertainty over closer Takashi Saito, who has missed the past four games with shoulder discomfort.

In return for Dotel, the Royals want a position player who is close to the majors. Dodgers Class AAA second baseman Tony Abreu likely is out of reach, but Class AAA shortstop Chin-Lung Hu could be a possibility."