It's also worth noting that San Diego is constructed very differently from our own team. They bring in and jettison the Morgan Ensbergs, Jerry Hairston, and Jose Cruz Junior's of the world, because they HAVE to. They don't have a worthwhile farm system, meaning that they have nothing worth trading to another team that doesn't effect the core of their team (their pitching), and they don't have the money to be spending on the high-priced free agents. I think their strategy is actually quite sound, bring in undervalued players like Cruz Jr., ride out their hot streaks, and then dump them for the next similar player when the hot streak is over with, hoping that the next guy you bring in is able to get hot.

I once saw an old Bill Buckner get an assisted inside the park home run when an outfielder tumbled over the wall trying to catch his fly ball. The outfielder was hurt in the stands, and the ball stayed in the park. By the time the center fielder got over, an old and slow Buckner had come all the way around!

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/COL/COL200009100.shtml

Stand down.

That really hurts.

Batting averages:
281
281
296
304
300
279
321
328

Just to follow up, OPS numbers for our players who get significant playing time:

Furcal .714
Juan Pierre .652
Russell Martin .831
Jeff Kent .891 (!)
Luis Gonzalez .789
Nomar Garciaparra .691
James Loney .858
Andre Ethier .825
Matt Kemp .883

That's actually not bad, if you discount the black holes at 3rd and CF.

Betemit is at .834.

I was sitting in the Dickson Auditorium waiting for class to start when someone told me. That was 1/29/1986.

Hmm. Winter quarter of my junior year. I wonder what class that was.

At the same time, Voyager II (I think) was passing Neptune (I think) and sending back the most detailed pictures of the planet to date. That was the story I'd been following.

So when a kid passed me in the hall and said, "Did you hear? The space shuttle blew up just after launch," I, confused, said, "No, it didn't. I just read about it in the paper this morning." He ignored me.

Me too! English class.

I stand by my origninal point though.. not giving Maddux a two year deal whereas giving Nomar a two year deal did not have anything to do with their ages. Also, I don't agree with the implication that you can't compare the fitness/health (I think) of a 34 year old IF against a 41 year old SP because the 34 year old IF is a better health risk.

Once again, sorry for the A word.

Former Brewer Greg Brock, an area high school baseball coach, was a pregame guest of the team.

BTW - Nomar plays like a 42 year old hitter (not named Bonds).

Where's my receipt?

Moments.

That's the only time my "name" and Vin's will be in the same sentence.

Talk about a team hitting rock bottom offensively!!
I actually feel real pity for any pitcher taking the mound in Dodger blue right now. He has no chance!!

(That is not meant as a compliment.)

Are we going to go like 3-25 in August, sure looks that way the way they "are not hitting".

yea, he is still throwing the cutter, mixing in some 2 seamers and change ups as well.

Or a really awesome cut fastball.

McCourt should hire Jack Bauer to come talk to the team and find out what is wrong with everybody.

don't even joke about that.

97 degrees, and he's thrown 82 pitches through 4ip.

C'mon Bison! Your moment to shine!

Of course, batting Kemp 8th and Pierre 1st is just um. Well. Yeah.

But that strike three to Bison was clearly outside.

I really do think all fo these calls are getting to Kemp. He hasnt had a thing go his way in the last 3 weeks. When you cant get a fair shake of it from the umps, and you are struggling, have lost your timing by not playing everyday, there is no question in my mind that he is pressing.

I disagree. That ball 4 to Dunn was better than the strike 3 to Kemp.

It was a nice catch, though.

- Rick Monday

How does moving Greg Miller from starter to reliever to starter to reliever to closer to reliever to starter and back to reliever help him develop consistancy?

I was just referring to the fact that I've seen him make two of those catches this season.

Sorry for offending you.

- E. Enders

So, does Chad come out to pitch the sixth? He's at 98 pitches right now. A quick, easy inning would be nice, for once. (And if I were the Reds I wouldn't swing at anything).

Okay, it looked like you thought I really meant that or something, which made no sense to me. No worries.

I guess 127 consecutive scoreless innings has put me on edge.

Pierre infield single
Pierre nearly picked off first, but safe at second
Pierre advances to third on a Martin groundout
Pierre scores on a Kent sac fly

Reds announcer Jeff Brantley has a big-time mancrush on Kemp, especially considering that Kemp has struck out in every at-bat he's had against the Reds in his career.

He won't even have to jump that way.

That moment ended when Kuo and Wolf went down.

- Cosmo Kramer

Today - watching the whole time (0 runs)
Yesterday - watched the whole thing (0 runs)
Sunday - out of town (didn't score anyway)
Saturday - out of town (scored 7, but I wasn't watching)
Friday - watched the whole thing when I wasn't taking a nap (0 runs)

Okay, now that I go back and look, it was obviously Thursday's game where I last saw them score considering I was at the game.

Are you suggesting that they are not scoring on purpose?

Their next game was against the Cardinals and Bob Gibson was starting.

The Dodgers scored four times in the first inning.

They're waiting until they get a ring

cursed!

sulk.

well, lining a ball is different then "grounding" a ball. You make the call.

Scotty "Boom Boom" Proctor.

The title of it is not ironic.

Hatteberg saw 9 his first plate appearance (IIRC).

But it's that sort of game (again).

"City folk just don't get it."

So I'm shooting for the 1940's.

They finished in third place that year.

is that a gag? is it a club downtown, or something?

http://www.farmersonly.com/

No, I think it's legit...and hilarious. They were running a list of recently married couples who met through the service last inning.

As good a threat as the Dodgers've got right now.

Will do. Won't happen. But thanks.

I should have known this offense (and team) was a house of cards.

I can't believe I once thought this was a good offensive team.

The future doesn't look bright, either, because as good as the young guys sometimes are, Arizona has about twice as many good young players. ... For one thing, we're not developing any pitchers, besides Billingsley and Broxton.

OK, I'm done venting. Sorry.

One player, outside perhaps of the 1921 version of Babe Ruth, would be unlikely to have made any difference over the last three games.

Losing margins during the streak:
3 1-run losses
1 2-run loss (the 3-time left bases loaded game)
1 3-run loss
1 4 run loss

This period just brings back the Jim Tracy years for some reason.

Scroll up, and search for "McDonald."

However, if anybody mentions any other pitcher, do not listen to that person. Such a pitcher does not exist.

278 As much as it pains me to admit it it's the Colletti guys (Nomar/Pierre/Furcal) that have provided whatever tiny attack we can muster. I can't see how this terrible streak is his fault.

291 You are more versed in statistical analysis than I am, so tell me that a 3 for 55 stretch in anything in baseball is a function of luck as much as anything. Even the worse team in baseball would get lucky and have a lot more hits than that.

OK, I gotta go home. Bye all.

Friday would be Hendrickson's next start assuming he pitches on Sunday.

Considering how Tomko reacted in his last start in LA, I think that would be a good place also, outside of Carlos Lee, the Astros are not a great offensive team, but that would mean McDonald would be in line to pitch against the Rockies and then in Shea.

I'm saying 18-31 the rest of the way.

The wheels have come off the cart.

294 In general, yes, but I was referring only to this useless streak. Blaming the Dodgers going 3 for 50 with RISP on Ned is just wrong.

Well, make that one downside. He's currently pitching in Tampa Bay.

If you had told me last week that the Dodgers would have a streak of 6 games where they gave up a 3.5 runs a game, I would have figured they would have won 4 if not more of them.

I'm pretty sure that the Dodgers have not had streak like that since May.

Unless Wilson Betemit really was the glue holding this team together.

The only scoring he's given up in his seven wins was the homer with two outs in the bottom of the 9th at Houston.

He won 38 times and lost 26.

What Icaros said in 281

I'm glad I missed most of this one. Frustrated enough without actually watching it.

But not to be the voice of reason or anything, but I seem to recall the Dodgers had a ridiculous losing streak last year of epic proportions in which they couldn't hit, score or pitch all that well. So these 18-31 projections and (as Max Fischer would say) whatnot, are fairly ludicrous. But I understand where it comes from, borne of the frustration from this futility.

Anyway, with all the talk of bringing Meloan and McDonald up (not that I'd be adverse to that - I'd love to see Meloan soon), and with our starting pitching worries, the pitching's been pretty decent as of late. Hitting's been absolutely putrid. But it can't go anywhere but up. Tomorrow we may have T omko going but they have a guy who the Dodgers should be able to hit. So we'll see. If they can't, then they've really, really hit bottom.

Still, I wouldn't mind if Grady mixed it up yet again - don't start Pierre for once, start Lieberthal for once, put in Delwyn, whatever. Shake it up.

See you all - or some of you - tomorrow.

Anyhow, that mlb library (at mlb.com under "audio/video" and then "baseball's best") is cool. I recommend it.

And hes pitching really well lately, as well. ERA under 4 for the last 4 weeks or so, and in his 8 starts against the 5 best teams in the AL has a 4.2 ERA.

So on the sidebar, I have a link that says "Schedule meeting with George Mitchell for August 15."

eh, I'd rather make the playoffs. That said, if there is a Justin Upton in next years draft, then I guess it wouldn't be so bad.

Chris Withrow
8IP 5H 4bb 12k 0HR 5.63 era (era doesn't match the peripherals)

Michael Watt
9.2IP 4H 1bb 10k 0hr 1.86 era

Danny Danielson
9.2IP 2H 5bb 12k 0HR 2.79 era

Look, I'm not a johnny-come-lately-and-oh-by-the-by-I'll-start-cheering-when -the-team-does-better guy. I'm an optimist. But this... this is annoying. This has gotta stop.

Hey, I used to WORK at Staples. "That Was Easy" contributed to my dang paycheck. I'm not saying this is easy. But I'm sick of the shutouts. I'm sick to death of no offense. I'm an optimist... but I'm an optimist who's getting dang tired of seeing the goose eggs. I mean, c'mon! I thought starting was the problem. It ain't that big of a deal these days. What's hurting us is the lumber, or lack thereof.

I blame myself.

This all started when I agreed to fill in for summer school. Since then, I've been off the comment boards, not keeping up with the team other than the scores, haven't been watching the games nearly enough... it's nice to know I have this control. So saying that, I'd like to write in the sky, with big, white, streaming smoke that can be seen for miles...

NO MORE SHUTOUTS. PLEASE.

Thank you. That is all.

Yeah, proofreading is an issue with my students, too.

Not really a Carpenter fan, but that's pretty good.

There were delivery concerns with Morris though before the draft.

Is this a direct threat to Pierre or just LuGo?

best baseball name so far in the 2008 draft: Cutter Dykstra

Joba reminds me of Broxton.

we picked the worlds best LOOGY at 39 though!

Just cause you've worked so hard for it.

The 1992 Cubs are the last team to be shut out four straight times. They were shut out in five of six games. Then they won a game with 10 runs. Then they lost two more where they scored just one run.