I got 1st post last night and we won so lets try it again.

Excellent plan. Let's hope Grady doesn't mess it up.

To pick up the conversation in the last thread, if/when Ned leaves the Dodgers, I'm hoping that either White or Ng get the job. I'd even be happy with them splitting responsibilities as co-GMs or some such.

Honestly, I'm not sure I trust Ned on his own, given some of the moves he has made. Hopefully it will turn out that he was simply pressing in his first year on or so on the job.

(to a round of boos) With Maddux pitching, all we need is Eric Karros on offense!

3 Honestly, I can say with 100% confidence that I don't trust Ned on his own.

Eek. I don't trust Colletti NOW, when he has all the help anyone should need.

The Patriots have been punished. 500k fine for Belichick, a 250k fine for the organization, and if they make the playoffs they will lose their first round pick.

6 I don't think he can do any damage right now, given that the trading deadlines have passed.

maybe I am uninformed, and maybe I am saying something previously said, but it seems to me Logan White is a shrewd judge of talent especially in re: the draft, but how would any of us know how he would be in a managerial position overseeing all players in the organization as well as the managerial staff??

7 They should have just simply forfeited the game to the Jets. $750,000 dollars in exchange for the defensive playbook is a bargin deal.

9 I think there were some sorta responses to that in previous thread...

Upshot is, we don't know, but we can guess some things about him. He'd be more likely to favor young players over grizzled veterans, if I had to guess. I think Ng would be most qualified of all their in house options, but maybe that LogNg combo would be even better.

10. I agree. Forfeit the game in which they were caught cheating. I wonder if there's any provision for ex post forfeits in the NFL. With only 16 games per season, it's a pretty severe penalty, although it wouldn't really matter to NE, who might not lose this year.

8 - Don't jinx it.

Why isn't there more talk about making Lasorda the GM? I think I remember him being the interim GM some time ago. Lasorda is a legend, and just look at what he did with that Olympic team some years ago.

Good to see Abreu back in there again. I wouldn't be upset if I never saw Nomar in a Dodger game again. Nothing personal, he just seems to personify the stigma of PVL over talent.

14 is being facetious, right?

16

If it isn't, I don't want to know.

The Yankees knew what they were doing in the 2006 draft.

Joba + Kennedy >>>>Kershaw/Morris/Mattingly

14
On top of the colorful anecdotes, he's got a great eye for talent. Taking Piazza with the last pick in the draft was a steal.

18 ok

Tommy's got a pretty sweet gig, as is. He gets an office, probably a secretary, the right of first refusal on all office pastry... I can't imagine he'd be willing to take a job that interfered with his nap schedule.

I thought 750K looked a bit steep, but it looks like McLaren got hit a little harder for their spying indiscretions.

Soo, Gonzo in the 5th spot and kemp in the 7th.

Makes perfect sense.

And Goodell has a reputation for being tough.

18 Joba's great but you're judging that one waaay too early. Personally I think the Minotaur alone will make the Dodgers draft outclass the Yanks, but hard to see that right this minute. Morris could turn out great, too, and Mattingly is super talented but has a lot to learn. So I wouldn't be so sure in the long term.

Through 7 1/2, the Orioles have shut out the Angels. The Orioles.

22 750K per game would be $12 mil per season, about the salary of a star player. I think what the Patriots did gave them more of an advantage than a single star player. Plus you have to consider that there is a decent chance of getting away with the cameras. So the NFL is making cheating worth taking the risk. The punishment should fit the crime. A forfeit of the gaame in which a team was caught, I believe would be the right call.

25 Are you saying it's possible that Joba and Kennedy aren't going to finish 1-2 in Cy Young voting for the next ten years? Yankee fans have mislead me!

Commentary: Wake up, Dodgers fans, it's a pennant race

>> It's the biggest homestand of the season, and this team is playing in front of a lot of empty seats. <<

## Listen, excuses are worthless. It's borderline embarrassing the size of Wednesday's crowd. It's the biggest series of the year and all the Dodgers get is a lukewarm fan response. ##

http://www.dailybreeze.com/sports/articles/9755907.html

27 And the whole team was in on the cheating. The offense was setting up its plays based on the stolen signals. This isn't like a corked bat or a spitball in which one individual acts on there own. They had to conspire. The whole team should be punished as a result.

11

Like I've said in the past I like Ned BUT his PVL leanings just leaves a bad taste in my mouth, the Dodger organization is in such a great place right now (with the fruits of the farm already riping in the ML) Ned simply has to cleanse him self from the Sabean (sp) form of thought & we're in good shape.

19 He only picked Piazza because he was his godson

If this guy really is joking around then I feel dumb for falling for it.

29
The Dodger crowds are still very good compared to most stadiums I see.

30
As you said, taking away a game from the Pats will not hurt them that much, because they are still going to win the division. Taking away a first round pick hurts them long term.

30 You did see that they'll lose their 1st round pick right?

18 -- No, they just paid off at the major league level much quicker, as they would have been expected to, given they were three years older. You show over and over again that that is all you care about, the quick payoff, so you are being consistent. Like me, the Dodgers are interested in the long-run, and getting the most in the long-run. I think it is going on two years now since you pronounced Oakland's 2002 Moneyball draft MUCH better than our 2002 draft, on the evidence of Swisher, Blanton, and Teahen being in the majors, while no Dodger draft pick from 2002 was in the majors. Yet now, the quintet of Martin, Loney, Broxton, Stults, and Young alone beats what Oakland got out of their 2002, and we STILL have McDonald, Miller, Hammes, and Megrew waiting in the wings with chances at major league careers.

43,699 on a Wednesday is pretty dang good. Just because the Dodgers have a big stadium shouldn't be held against them.

LuGo vs. Maddux, career:

119 PAs .315/.368/.648/1.016, 6 2B, 10 HR
(1-4, 2BB this year)

As these things go, that's a large sample size. Grady trusts this and Loney's left-handedness - he's never faced Maddux either - more than Kemp, thus Kemp #7.

Kent vs. Maddux, career:
85 PAs .321/.356/.568/.924, 5 2B, 5 HR
(5-6, 1 2B, 1 HR this year)

23

Here are Gonzalez #'s against Mr. Maddux.

At Bats - 108
Hits - 34
OB% - 648
SLG - 361
Batting Average - 315

_____________________________________

To by fair to Grady Kemp has NEVER faced Maddux so we don't know how well or how bad he'll do against him, it actually looks like Grady put some thought into this lineup for a change. :o)

Rats, my soccer game tonight is at 9(!) so I'm gonna have to leave before the game is over. Wish it was on regular TV here. I'll see if I can pause MLBTV and watch when I come back. Assuming it looks like the outcome will be in doubt before I leave.

Yeah, I saw they'll lose the first round pick. It just doesn't seem right to me. Like having to give up a cow for stealing a horse. But whatever. I'm not Paul Taliabue.

From Tony Jackson's blog:

Derek Lowe is going through pregame stretching wearing a red jersey, the way football quarterbacks to do avoid being hit in practice. What would a long, monotonous baseball season be without funny gags?

41

or Roger Goodell

42 Sometimes I question if Tony Jackson even likes baseball.

38,39 - Yeh, perfect sense.

Kennedy is at best a #3 starter in the majors, but he was always a safe choice. Limited potential, but not much chance of failing to meet it. Chamberlain was a legit top 10 talent who fell in the draft because of medical concerns. The Yankees took a gamble on him at #41 and they were rewarded. I have no problem saying I wish we took him instead of Mattingly, but JoeyP said something a lot different than that. So the Yankees got one pitcher with ace potential, and one with #3 potential. Kershaw and Morris both have ace potential so that alone beats the combination of Chamberlain/Kennedy for LONG-TERM value, and Mattingly has the tools to be great if he doesn't go bust.

29 et al...might I remind you it is a jewish holiday...there just might be a couple of jewish season ticket holders...

I think I read somewhere that Gonzo has 10 HR against Maddux lifetime. But then, so do I.

37. 43,699 on a Wednesday is pretty dang good. Just because the Dodgers have a big stadium shouldn't be held against them.

But that figure represents tickets sold. From all reports there were considerably less than that in the park.

...aaaand J-Werth takes one on his 2 from Ramon Ortiz, forcing in a run and making it a 10-4 lead for the Phils. And the crowd should start falling asleep from all those dollar dogs any moment now...

49 again, I refer you to my comment 47

44

He makes a good point on the Tomko mural though, I picture good 'ol Ned blushing every time he sees that.

52 - Probably with manlust, considering how often he trotted Tomko out there.

On White as a GM: I don't want to lose him, I just want to keep him where he is. We all know Ned's tendencies to favor veterans and White's to favor prospects; If White became GM and wanted to trade our home raised and much loved 'veterans' (Martin, Loney, Kemp, etc) for other teams AAA prospects, how would we feel? Obviously being too much in either direction would not please us.

Grady little takes a lot of heat for his constant (and often curious) tinkering of his lineup. I ran some quick (and oversimplified) numbers, and if little has to choose 4 players to play infield, one to play catcher, and 3 more for the outfield, then he has roughly 400 million possible lineups to fill out (assuming the pitcher bats 9th). With so many possibilities, who can blame the man for experimenting a bit?

There's an update on ItD regarding Schmidt & La Roche.

just out of curiosity, does anyone ever use the chat feature on Gameday? Just noticed it, but don't really feel like registering for it.

Bah, and Jimmy Rollins is robbed of one of those oh-so-important triples, and about 42,000 Phils phans now are proponents of instant replay. Oh well. 11-4 Phils, bottom 6th.

56 - anyone else slightly concerned that Schmidt hasn't thrown yet? I know there's a long way to spring training, but hearing that he hasn't thrown yet has me a bit disconcerted.

57 - I figure it'll be like the ItD comments, only less coherent.

Has anyone noticed that Brandon Phillips is on the verge of a 30/30 season? That's got to be rare for a second baseman.

61
Didn't Delino DeShields hit 30/30 for the Dodgers a few times?

no offense to logan white, i would love to see kim ng as gm. but that's just me.

It looks like Chris Young is also close to 30/30. If a D'Backs rookie can pull that off, maybe the accomplishment has lost some of its luster.

64
Along those lines, it looks like Juan Pierre needs another 30 or so home runs in the final 2 weeks to make it into the 30/30 club.

62 Had I been drinking anything, you'd owe me a keyboard for that one. Classic.

56

No. Labrum surgery takes forever. I had it last year and wasnt able to do anything really physical with my arm for 3 months or so. Schmidt wont be throwing for a while, and it will take over a year for him to get back to how he was pre-surgery (if he does)

67
I meant 59, not 56. Carry on.

63

ah, what the heck why not, seriously I wouldn't mind at all.

63 Not just you. Me too.

I'd like to see White promoted to "Vice President, Baseball Operations" (that title does not currently exist in the Dodgers front office), if both Ng and Colletti are still here, mainly in attempt to keep him happy and here.

Seems to me it's a bit of risk to hire White as a GM, but not precedented, because I perceive it as more of a business job than a talent job.

67 i thought i had read that schmidt would be ready for spring training. based on what you're saying, he may not be ready until the allstar break. is that right?

67

do you play ball UclaDodger? or did your labrum just tear off? I have a friend that had arthroscopic surgery on both shoulders & it wasn't baseball related his tore off because of the hard work he does for a leaving.

And what exactly makes Ng more qualified to be a GM than White? She certainly doesn't have White's eye for talent. She is just a bean counter.

From Tony Jackson:
Little also said Chad Billingsley and David Wells will be the starters for Tuesday's doubleheader at Colorado and that Wells then will start on Sept. 22 at Arizona on short rest. "Wells has gone on three days' rest a lot in the past, so he should be fine," Little said.

Wells is an old man now though, not much younger than me! How about, "Billingsley is a young stud whose innings were artificially depressed by starting the year in the bullpen, so he should be fine" ?

73 there are two beans she can't count in the shower. that's why i like her. sorry.

Hey, they're playing like the Dodgers.

73 I'd rather have the bean counter negotiating with Scott Boras.

Nice inning by Wells, but you can't help & think it's just a matter of time before the Pads figure him out, with Maddux you gotta hope that A)The Dodger hitters take him the other way & B) there patient against him.

ps I really hope we rock 'em!!

75 LOL

7 pitches, just what the old man needs.

74

I hear you Dave, I don't like the sound of that either.

We need to get Maddux to his 75th pitch and he is done, this can happen by the 5th or the 8th, depending how sharp Maddux is.

safe!

the Dodger runners are gonna run wild tonight IF they get on base, Barrett or who ever is catching made a laughable throw.

Hey, just noticed that Maddux is wearing stirips, that's kind of cool, don't see a lot of ballplayers wearing those anymore.

Sure looked safe to me on the replay, not even close. Poor Pierre.

There is no reason for Pierre to bunt there, he rolls out 4-3 as effectively as anyone.

LONEY! (kinda)

Yay Loney!

86 - See, close plays against the Dodgers seem to always go in the pads favor.

though he did nearly beat it out.

While I'm of the point of view that says a guy should be allowed to play as long as he wants to (and as long as a team will take a flyer on him), I have to say, it's still hard to see guys like Maddux and Wells in that point in their careers where they bounce from team to team.

James Loney, still my hero.

I wonder what XeiFrank machine odds are today specially with the 1 run lead we have.

Loney career vs. Maddux:

1.000 / 1.000 / 2.000 / 3.000

Loney again, naturally.

If Maddux comes out, can we pinch hit Ethier for Gonzo?

Seriously though, David Wells just doesn't inspire confidence for me today, I really hope we score plentiful today.

If Maddux comes out, can we pinch hit Ethier for Gonzo?

Is Mad Dog hurt?

Kent, before that, this season:
.297/.370/.504/.874

Not bad for a 39-year old.

95/97 - sorry, connection went slow.

98 - His left hand doesn't seem great, but he's staying in.

101 Well if he is hurting, the Dodger bats better show it.

98 - took a shot off his glove hand from Kent. But since he took a nice shot from Gonzo and turned it into a double play, I'll say, no, not really hurt, they just wanted to check on him... bones get brittle at his age.

Perfect sense.

And when you try for one run, that's all you're gonna get.

Maddux will be fine; he uses the right hand to whizz on his teammates in the shower anyway.

Looking at the replay, I wouldn't call Gonzo's grounder a "shot" Maddox's surprise that it went in his glove made it look like a better play.

Sheesshh..golden oppty. to put up more runs and drive up Maddux's pitch count..

Gonzales 5th career GIDP against Maddux, but that was also his 120th career PA against him.

I like it when Wayne Brady plays third for us.

If the Dodgers can get Greene and Cosmonaut out today they should win. They haven't the first two games, and they can't get the latter out yet today.

Kouzmanoff (sp) is a singles machine

I don't think I've ever seen a strip club advertised during a baseball game like that. Not good. I went to The Spearmint Rhino once and the woman slammed her platform shoe against my throat and kept it there. I didn't even ask her to be mean. I thought that was a bit out of line.

Maddux will be fine; he uses the right hand to whizz on his teammates in the shower anyway

Golden...

WHERE was that pitch, ump?

Oh, it's Angel Hernandez. No wonder.

Ummm is the strike zone shrinking or is it just me?

Sure it's been mentioned, but the Gameday ticker said the Astros met with their Assistant GM Bennett and old friend Dan Evans to see who wants their GM job.

112 - sounds like an, um, interesting night...

113 - heh

Russell Martin, your Golden.

Wells is getting squeezed like crazy.

Great throw by russ

Russell Martin: Golden GOD!

Martin says Uh, in yo face!

So when do they estimate that home plate umps will be replaced by machines again? I look forward to that day.

Martin says, call THIS one Angel!

Good pick-off because the plate umpire was going to squeeze Well for at least one run for showing him up. I actually thought Wells was right the first time.

Whoo-hoo! Russell Martin and James Loney are simply just about exactly perfect.

When things are going bad...who you gonna call? The Golden God, Russell Martin

the Padres runner got caught dozing off more then anything, that's pretty embarrassing I bet.

112 Usually lots of dollar bills, takes care of those little nuances.

(and they seem to be a nice fit with David Wells, for what it's worth)

Whether or not the first disputed pitch was a strike, the ump took away a call or two from Wells, as as plain as the nose on my face. Which is rather plain.

seriously man, this Angel Hernandez guy umps like the world is against him. Not cool!!

Well, that sucked.

I wonder how many times Wells and Maddux had to pitch to each other.

Add 74 : Billingsley will also have an extra days rest for the doubleheader since Monday is an off day. Start him in game 1 and then start him on the short rest 9/22.

I really thought at least one run would score on that, thank god for Russell.

61 The list of second baseman in the 30/30 club is a short one. It consists of one man (Alfonso Soriano) and three seasons (2002, 2003, 2005).

http://www.bb-ref.com/pi/shareit/7JrK

Brandon Phillips is currently sitting on 29 HR and 30 SB.

Raul Mondesi remains the only 30/30 Dodger in history (1997 & 1999), but a have a feeling a Bison may roam in that territory before its all said and done.

135 - and the Bison may be joined by a Golden God.

I don't like Gonzo. Didn't like him when the Dodgers signed him,didn't even like him when he was playing alright and no I have no rational reason other then he looks like an alligator man.

I really hope Kemp figures out how to destroy pitches like the ones he saw in his last at-bat. 3 straight mistakes from Maddux, all of them fastballs left out over the plate, and Kemp didn't even get the bat off his shoulder.

When doing a google search of worst umpires "angel hernandez" you get 510 hits

For a fly ball how exactly do you call off a guy, "No no me me me! Not you, you suck, me me me!"

Seriously do you just yell louder than the first guy who called it, or is there a standard phrase you use?

taking 'em deep wells!

133 The flip side is this, playing devil's advocate:

1) Billingsley on short rest could be turning a 6/7 inning guy into a 5 inning guy, whereas Wells pretty much has 5 shaky innings in him no matter what (yes, I know he pitched 7 great IP last Saturday)
2) Moving Chad from 9/23 to 9/22 doesn't get him an extra start anyway, as the season ends 9/30 (the only way to capitalize would be to start Chad on 3 days rest 4 straight times, which wouldn't necessarily be capitalizing)

138 He already knows how to destroy pitches like that, and does, with regularity. What he needs to figure out is which ones to swing at and which ones to take.

Haha that was funny.

oh man, I don't know I kind of don't want BOOMER running at all.

He can pitch, bunt and hit! That made my night.

I love David Wells, don't care if he is 56 years old.

On a related note, *"worst manager" "grady little" gets you 429 hits

Wells has performed much better as a Dodger than I was expecting.

oops, messed up the bold on that one

That's OK, Furcal will steal his way into scoring position anyway.

Argh.

148
"best manager" "grady little" get you 689

140 - you yell, "I got it!" Outfielder always has right of way against an infielder. Centerfielder generally has right of way against other outfielders. Second baseman and shortstop have right of way over third baseman and first baseman. Pitcher is always to get out of the way.

David Wells joins Rudy Seanez on the list of Dodgers doing superficially well, yet I have no confidence in at all.

Every Wells start feels like a game of Keno.

Well , the best thing to do is try to make Maddux throw some pitches, steal a base or two, and let Wells recover from that exertion. Poor Boomer did great, but any young players would have had a triple, and I'm afraid that could do Wells in.

154 Thanks KG16.

Pierre better not swing 3-1

...and look who's coming up!

158 - nevermind

Something good is about to happen!

Perfect time for some Loney power!

I have my toes crossed

When Odalis blew that 6 run lead right before being demoted to the pen, shortly before he had to score from first on a Kenny Lofton triple.

Nice hit for Pierre.

So that was, what, the third time this year the Furcal-Pierre combo has worked the way it was supposed to?

If Pierre runs here, I suspect that Loney gets walked.

seeing eye for Loney, we'll take it.

Ok, I'm going to stop predicting stuff now.

A baller and lucky...i love it!

His name is James Loney.

I call him El Don.

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!! I knew it!!

The Machine™ raises his OPS to .905, and his RBI total to 51.

163

hahaha, that was a good one.

James Loney, career .905 OPS. (414 plate appearances)

153 Then it's settled!

Loney taking over Golden God duties from Russ during September.

161 Molly, that prediction was out of the Suffering Bruin on DT Day mold! :)

175 - of course, half of those "best manager" and "Grady Little" links also include the phrases "is not"; "how could any think that"' and "looks like, but is not"

I would really like to see the bases loaded for Martin and Kemp.

Poor Vin, he's getting senile. Loney hit a "singing eye grind ball." Which I kinda like actually.

Gonzo again...

C'mon LuGo, time for the knock-out!

180 - You blaspheme!

I'd take a senile Vin over a lucid Steiner any day.

177- Loney makes predicting greatness so easy! Let's get a walk, Gonzo! Yah!!

183 Especially since the latter does not exist.

170 "El Don" for Loney is to short and abrupt, how about The Lone Don.

Wow, Maddux really looks off his game tonight.

Not that I'm complaining

Watching Wells and Kent run the bases tonight has made my day.

Even throws to the infield find a hole!

some one posted earlier what Greg Maddux we were gonna get, I guess we got the bad Maddux, the 5 inning Maddux if you will.

That works, too!

I'm rather surprised that Kent didn't end up in a heap at third, the way he sort of stopped there.

I like this game so far.

So far!

He just needs to walk someone to break that pesky streak of his. I'd be happy if he got hammered for 7 more runs to Hernandez-proof the game, but didn't walk anyone.

Jeff Kent with another rookie mistake on the bases. When is he going to learn?

Gameday says Gonzo got a hit on a ball in the other batter's box

what the....

except for that. That was worse than anything Kemp has done. I wonder if it will be talked about tomorrow in the papers.

Did The Windmill™ send Kent, or was Kent just being veterany right there?

Does that play make the game story or notes? Nope!

183 Oh, don't get my wrong. Even when Vin, er, malaprops, I still love him more than any other option.

Oh good canny baserunning Kent! Sigh, those veterans and their baserunning goofs.

I'm glad I already posted 195 so I don't have to repeat it.

I mean, the guy essentially runs us out of the inning twice within a 30-second span. I think Matt Kemp needs to sit him down and give him some baserunning pointers.

Was Cameron, like 20 steps behind 2nd base when he caught the ball??

Give Kent a break he made the jump from AA. He's learning on the job.

195

that was just plain & flat out bad to watch.

198 Naw, Tony Jackson will still be too busy talking about Chad Billingsley's wildness, and another will wonder if Andy LaRoche's career might be over. No time, no space.

While I generally favor taking a chance on the basepaths, there are several things I did not like about Kent trying to score there:

1. he's lost a step
2. he waited a little too long to go
3. he slid head first into home plate
4. it was the third out of the inning

203 - Give Kent a break he made the jump from AA.

AA . . . RP.

Veterans will be veterans.

Too bad Kent is as fast as algae.

I've seen the commercial for "Dragon Wars" a couple of times, and I'm amazed that a movie not worthy of the Sci-Fi Channel is released to anything other than straight to DVD.

198 You've got that right. Kents hair-brained base running all year has made Kemp look like a vet. Not to even mention the 1 plus 1 out at the plate game last year.
Kouzmanoff is worth having in the field no matter haow long his on base streak lasts.

That Kent play reminded me of when Karros tried to sneak a straight steal of home off of, I believe, Joey Hamilton.

Karros was not safe.

Please see update to this post above.

Those flyballs are going to come back to bite Wells in his ample, aged butt.

211 - for some reason (likely a very good one), I do not remember Karros ever trying to steal a base, let alone home

Okay, gotta go play soccer now. My fingers will be crossed!

209 It's the most expensive Korean movie ever made. I guess they want their money back (I don't think the Korean public was able to make it profitable, though I could be wrong).

180.

Maybe I'm too old, but that seems like it should be some sort of rule violation. It's Vin's language; the rest of us just use it. :-)

180-Vin is the best there ever was. Give him a pass. Even Van Gogh smudged once in awhile.

Wells probably doesn't have more than an inning left.

209. Dragon Wars is actually a Korean movie made in English. That's why it looks the way it does.

209/216 - It was perhaps one of the most expensive flops. It's a horrible, horrible movie that no one should be subject to.

David Wells: Cy Young winner, 2008??

214 Karros stole a lot of bases for a guy as slow as he was. He was pretty good at catching people by surprise. Except, I guess, for Joey Hamilton.

Only 45 pitches through four innings for Wells.

Another classic Kemp line-drivey non line drive.

214 Karros had 15 stolen bases in '97! And 59 in his career. Still not very good at it though, got caught 30 times.

Is Kemp gonna run here?

nice veteran savvy by Kemp, not getting greedy and trying to stretch that...

I'm sure will go for second. Unfortunately even the Pads are do to catch someone.

That was merely a hard-hit ground ball by Kemp. Therefore, according to the know-it-all metrics, it was only luck.

Run, Matt, Run!!

Kemp loves running through stop signs

Well Kemp looked up finally.

Let Wells swing the bat..

Quick, somebody check the dugout for lead paint!

I think Kemp read your post on his blackberry, Jon.

227 Unless Kemp aged 10 years over night, that wasn't veteran savvy, just plain laziness. We want guys that hustle all the time, as a team of hustlers is far superior to a team of lazy good-for-nothings with actual ability.

heh, Donnolley actually tries to stop a runner and Kemp was looking down. Have to wonder if he was thinking, "Eh, he always waves us in, might as well just go".

He woulda been safe. Oh well.

Jon, I only have Loney's career OPS at .904.

.316/.367/.537
120 for 380
23-8-15 2B-3B-HR
30 BB
2 HBP
2 SF

Only a sign that Kemp has a great amount of native intelligence. (ignoring Donelly that is)

231 Ever been to Yellowstone? Bison don't don't care about stop signs.

I dig it! the Dodger hitters hit Maddux out of the game, & the icing on the cake is that it was Boomer who gave him the K.O.!

We got 4 1/3 Maddux tonite ;-))

239 Gameday agrees with you.

Make that 3 1/3

239 - Rats!

Not going for 2nd on that hit was not laziness, it was smart. Cameron in centerfield. Why test his him trying to get to the base closest to him?

Before the season started, "David Wells gets two hits for Dodgers, knocks Maddux out of game" would not have been a headline I would have expected to see in 2007.

Suicide squeeze.

Opposing infielders should wear football pads when Kemp is up.

I looked up Karros's ill-fated home SB attempt. It was Andy Ashby, not Joey Hamilton. 3rd inning of July 5, 1997.

http://tinyurl.com/2otuct

I really hope Boomer gets the boys in Thief River Falls stirring.

I really wish these guys were playing like this all year.

235 - And yet if he pulled out his Blackberry on the bases to read Dodger Thoughts, I bet the press would criticize him for it!

This game is such a joy to watch (thus far).

Loney has a .905 OPS on the year though.

Rafi going nuts

Fundamentally, Kouzmanoff made the right play by throwing to second. But if I were the Padres, I think I'd rather have Wells on second than Furcal on first. Especially since, with the Padres' catching, Furcal on first equals Furcal on second.

Furcal trying to make up for a whole season of not running tonight.

wow.....this game could be very easily turned into some kind of instructional video: "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Learn Baserunning with Your LA Dodgers!"

I say let Furcal keep going

I actually liked Kemps wreckless abandon on the the paths right there. As long as he is never out, of course. Odd Fact: And if Wells beats the pods tonight, does that make him a father killer?

Bob T. & his scorebook are busy today, I'm sure Bob is liking this game plenty.

Is it no longer gauche to steal bases when the team is up by five?

LONEY!

Finally, Gameday updates the run..was starting to get curious on what happened?

Loney is a god.

Crank up that OPS James!

Loney OPS:

2007: .909
Career: .907

That Kouz is slow!

Holy cow---Pierre walked.

This is partly luck. I wish it was the ninth.

.907!

263.
Running with a 5-run lead has never been looked at as running up the score. Maybe if the lead was 15 it would be frowned upon.

Loney is a monster. Glad Grady put him in the 3-hole.

263 Nothing is gauche in the 4th inning

what's going on tonight?! am I really watching the Dodgers?

So good!

it was also clear that Kent should be trying to go from first to third

Jon, I think you mean "should not be trying".

Bard is having a terrible night behind the plate. Not only with the steals, but he's cost his pitchers a number of strikes by failing to frame the pitch properly.

by the way this is a perfect game to see Jonathan Meloan pitch, I hope so anyway.

Loney is quickly joining Martin in the pantheon of Golden Gods.

Count Down is down to 4 more games!!! Lets go blue!!! whooo!!

276 also, update two got the inning wrong. It's the fourth inning.

Just as many on this site have said the general press has been unfair to Kemp with some of his base running errors and plain mistakes, I think while Kent was wrong to make the out at the plate, I think it was a decent calculated risk given the way Cameron played the ball and also the fact that Bard is not the Padre's best catcher...Jon's update on the base running issues of both vets and youngsters is right on point. Either Donnolley has no credibility or everyone runs with their head down. I think it is also possible since San Diego gives up so many stolen bases the Dodgers have expanded on this fault by running with abandon, at times to their peril.

LA Dodgers that have hit .330 or better in a single season (min 200 PA):

1) Piazza .362 (1997)
2) Piazza .346 (1995)
3) T.Davis .346 (1962)
4) Guerrero .338 (1987)
5) Piazza .336 (1996)
6) Beltre .334 (2004)
7) Kemp .333 (2007)
8) Sax .332 (1986)
9) Murray .330 (1990)
10) Loney .330 (2007)

How many at-bats before Loney can finally earn the JoeyP Seal of Approval?

277 Have Bard's throws been bad? The Padres pitchers generally don't hold runners on, and I wouldn't be surprised if in this situation Cameron is told to concentrate 100% on pitching and forget about the runner.

278 Wells had thrown 45 pitches through 4. He could go 8 tonight. Ok, prolly 7. Then sure, why not Meloan.

285 - Yeah. High, for the most part.

276 - Rats!

281 - Rats!

283 - Kemp is batting .336. So there!

Time for D-con.

288 Rats!

What is this, Angels of Anaheim Thoughts? :)

Btw, did Gameday lose the strike zone outline?

289 At this very moment, he's at .333! I'm up to the minute, baby!

293 I stand corrected. I forgot Kemp's single. My bad.

I hate to be a jerk, especially because I have interviewed him multiple times and he's always been kind, but where would the Dodgers be this year if management hadn't put Tomko out there start after start? I hate to point the finger at one player, but I can't help but wonder....

Kouzmanout. Finally.

285

in my opinion it's a combination of both, KingHobo the Pads catchers feet are slow & his ball transfer from glove to hand is bad as well not to mention he whines (sp) up when he's gonna throw the ball.

I'm utterly shocked and flabbergasted at the Dodger success of David Wells. If I were wearing a cap, I'd tip it to him right now.

296 Kouzman...Kouzman...Kouzman-not gonna work here anymore!

283 - wow, that Piazza guy must have been really good, he play when they were in Brooklyn or something?

Wow, missed all the excitement. My dad came in the room and wanted to talk "serious". Had to put the game on mute and pretend to listen to him. He's not the kind of guy to care about or or even understand, "But dad... Dodgers...bases loaded!"

I can't believe the Padres released this guy.

297 correction

it should be LOADS UP when he's gonna throw the ball.

Don't look now but David Wells is pitching a shutout, I'm telling you I'd bring in Meloan today.

301 The best part is that Tomko is now the scheduled starter on Saturday and will probably be their fifth starter for the rest of the year

has abreu done a thing in the games hes started recently?

295 Looking at all of Tomko's starts, there are 4-5 where a much better pitcher would have allowed the Dodgers to win. No scientific method here, I just counted about 4 where a quality start would have allowed the Dodgers' a legitimate chance to win, and a few more where a slightly better performance might have won it.

This game is simply strange on some nights.

First, the Dodgers score six runs and the only extra base hit is by a 44 year old pitcher (who is promptly thrown out at third on the next AB)

Second, after putting up 28 runs in the previous two games, the Angels get shut out by the Orioles.

Ok Wells, has been magical the last couple of starts, hope this is his last inning, especially if his sked is gonna be shorten up.

morgan ensberg...hes not very good.

if wells is going to be pitching on short rest maybe he should come out?

307 - ok, sorry, forgot that Loney hit a double. My point still stands.

305 No. Abreu is 1-13 with a walk in his 4 starts (including tonight) since July.

305 At least he's fielded the position, which is more than you can say for those other two stiffs.

great I'm a jinx

Hope the BP is warming up..!!

playing manager here, You gotta let Wells try & finish this inning right, then bring in the pen for the 7th.

Not to be a wet blanket but Loney and Kemps grounders have eyes lately and we have to expect a little regression.
Beyond that, for the ops. we have had tonight, we havent been very efficien about scoring, and we better have darn good management to preserve what could or should be a win. But I don't wee it being easy.

287 297 Thanks. Bard may not be very good at throwing runners out (though his stats before San Diego say he was at least average if not above average at catching baserunners), but the San Diego pitchers provide him no favors. They generally use a strategy of letting the runner run unless the extra base would have a huge effect on winning percentage. For example, Chris Young barely pays any attention at all (hence the fact that runners are something like 36 for 36 against him).

with all these fly-balls, should wells really be starting in colorado next week

316 - yes, I'd let Wells try and finish the inning, but two guys get on and he's done. Mainly because as it stands right now, you'd have to do a double switch with the third baseman or with Kemp...

Ummm, I think this should be Wells's last inning

I think the wheels are falling off.

Home run or no, I trust Wells more than whoever would pitch the seventh. (Except Meloan, but he's not a candidate.) His pitch count seems very low still.

Wells was at the warning track in the 1st inning, and it is weel past time for a change.

And of course Cameron makes me look foolish.

Was that the first home run hit by a bald batter off a bald pitcher this year?

He's been giving those fly balls up since the 4th. I sure hope Grady only stayed with him because the lead was 6 runs.

Ok, so Wells gets his QS. Expect to see Beimel, Brox, and Sammy

Sorry for the typos.

323 He's first up in the bottom of the 6th, so unless you want Jon's head to explode I think they should pinch-hit for him here

On the bright side, Sammy could get a save.

Three righties due up in the 7th, I'm guessing we'll get a dose of Rudy

Nevermind, I thought Proctor had pitched two days in a row, we'll probably get him instead

insert hustle joke here.

"A dose of Rudy" Sounds like some bad tasting medicine.

327 Beimel in the game with five consecutive right-handed batters due up? Sounds like the stuff nightmares are made of.

When was the last time Tomato got a hit?

If the Dodgers go 1-2-3 can we put Ethier in the 9 hole and the pitcher in Pierre's spot?

this has to be the old tomatos swan song

I forgot to report this bit of blasphemy from Padres' announcer Steve Quis after Loney's last AB. Here is the exact quote describing Loney:

"The makings of another Eric Karros."

337 Is this where we're supposed to make the snide remark about how a pitcher is already batting in Pierre's spot?

340 - no, because our pitchers are capable of hitting doubles.

335 Roberto would be the makings of a nightmare.

339 The horror, the horror

If Roberto Hernandez pitches in this game I will do a swan dive into the East River tonight.

Ok, so Wells gets his QS. Expect to see Beimel, Brox, and Sammy

I like that as well, but it looks like Proctor, Broxton & Saito to finish it.

336 Last Wednesday, a double in Wrigley.

Nice to see Lofton is having a swell year. BA 297, OBP 372. Not sure if his fielding has improved. A good guy.

I'm surprised, but I can't help liking Wells.
I just looked up and I couldn't believe someone could get thrown out on that play--I'm guessing its Tomato.(think I saw 8)
It feels like the D's don't understand that this opponent is desperate to get to the playoffs, and when we had a good lead, not much was done to protect it. I'm sorry to be the pessimist, but with the current situation and attitudes, this is not looking like a good result.

So will Loney get any Rookie of the Year votes this year? His OPS+ among rookies is second only to the guy who will win it, Ryan Braun.

344 I'd love to see Roberto in there because it would mean we're up by a gagillion runs

342

Dude, don't even say it jokingly bro!

Scott Proctor makes me very nervous.

What a guy!!

Proctors been giving tummy aches of late..

That was nice by Pierre. Good timing. Gotta give him credit.

Dear Dodger pitching staff,

Enough with the flyballs already.

Sincerely,
DL's ulcer

Vin tends to throw the "takes a home run away" bouquet out a lot in situations where it doesn't apply.

Nice play, though.

Vin always says the ball would have cleared the wall when it obviously would not have.

357 ,358 Jinx!

are you guys as shocked as I am that Pierre is 6 feet tall? I swear I didn't know that, I thought he was more in the mold of Eckstein.

Icaros: Always .003 of a second too slow.

357 358

What the heck? Our comments have the exact same timestamp, down to the second. Does it go by alphabet in case of a tie?

358- That's got to sting. A fraction of a second late.

Or the hundreth of a second. Or whatever. Math...

Someone tell Gonzo that you're supposed to attempt to catch fly balls that come to your area

349 Braun should win it easily, and Tulowitzki will probably be second, but I would assume that Loney will at least get a few third place votes.

This game has been filled with weird plays.

Where are you guys seeing .003? My screen shows us both at 21:01:01.

Pitchers I think are on Grady Littles dog house (but don't take my word for it)

Hendy
R. Hernandez
Jonathan Meloan

369 - R. Hernandez

One can only hope...

Loney is hitting .435 in August after the strikeout (20 for 46). The best part is that that's not even his best month this year! In June he hit .440 (22 for 50).

371 August = September

Angel Hernandez has a magicians strike call, nothing on this hand, nothing on this hand.

I hope the D's offense shows a bit of grit in the Seventh.

Thatcher is pretty nasty.

I hope Broxton proves to be his old self in the 8th...

Last year, Loney hit .346 in September and .500 (4 for 8) in October.

They need to drag the warning track after this inning.

375 And of the 3 players that the Padres acquired for Linebrink, Thatcher was the throw-in.

Above all else, Towers and his staff know exactly how to build a bullpen. Too bad Ned can't figure it out.

378 Which is appropriate, since two of the three outfielders were last seen in drag.

(exhales)

379 It seems Kevin Towers does more with less than any other GM in baseball.

Which Dodger will finish highest in the postseason award voting?

A) James Loney in ROY voting
B) Brad Penny in Cy Young voting
C) Takashi Saito in Cy Young voting
D) Russell Martin in MVP voting

383 B

As of right now, 2007 OPS:

Pierre .6802
Nomar .6798

I have to agree with Ausmus.

Damn.

385 - LOL. And sob.

What happened to that line drive stroke Abreu was sporting earlier in the year?

383 Penny. However, Martin could easily sneak in considering the points for MVP are quite a bit different than Cy Young/RoY.

383 Highest to lowest, B-A-D-C

I was just looking at Saitos #'s his ERA is even SICKER this year than last.

'06 2.07
'07 1.73

383 In Jayson Stark's latest column he has Brad Penny as his #3 in Cy Young voting with Saito as an honorable mention. I'd guess Martin and Loney will make top 10 but definitely not top 5.

Is there any way that a pitcher is not charged with a run if a runner he allowed on base scores (in an earned fashion)?

The Padre announcer is going on about how Maddux, and not Cameron, is saddled with Furcal's run on the squeeze "because it was scored a sacrifice and not a fielder's choice". Does that make any sense?

386 What did Ausmus say? Is it something Vin brought up?

392 '07 is a lot better than that.

394 I don't think he knows what he is talking about. Whatever pitcher allowed the scoring runner (or his substitute pinch runner) to reach base gets the run charged to him.

What kind of ROY stats are out there?

oops

it should be 1.26, he's just awesome.

397 I thought so. I know you are listening to the SD broadcast, did I hear him right?

1½ I can smell it, yay!

Looks like Sammy has his A+ stuff tonight.

You can't see it, but I'm doing the happy dance.

394 You can't penalize the relief pitcher for letting a runner on base by a fielder's choice so the run goes to Maddux

Oh, that Saito is something indeed.

Huge, huge win.

392 Opponents batting:

Saito 2007: .155/.203/.235
Gagne 2003: .133/.199/.176

Since the 2006 AS break, Saito's ERA is 1.53.

Saito always looks awkward when he gets the final out on a groundout. He looks like he's not quite certain whom to celebrate with since he's so used to ending it via strikeout.

And Adrian Garcia just killed it.

great closers just seem to fall out of the sky for us, I swear the Dodgers have been very very blessed.

398 Guys that are likely to finish ahead of Loney in the ROY voting:

Braun
Tulowitzki
Lincecum
Pence
C. Young

though I'm not sure if he'll get any votes at all considering the sportswriters only get to vote for 3 ROY candidates

It worked! I can't believe it worked!! Boy I take a hiatus from Dodger Baseball and they win 2 of 3 from the Pads in convincing fashion.

I was busy actually, watching Office S3 on DVD and compiling a list of Free Agent Pitchers with appropriate stats.

but WHAT A GREAT SERIES THIS TURNED OUT TO BE... even if I didn't see it. How'd Loney do?

404 I get it. Furcal actually faced Cameron and reached on a FC which one of Maddux's runners drew the play.

I learned something that I had never thought about before. Thanks.

400 I rewound the broadcast to hear it, and Quis said Furcal's run got charged to Maddux because Furcal sacrificed (off Cameron; Wells was out at second).

Without looking at the rules, that can't be right. Furcal's run should be charged to Cameron. I'll look it up though.

Oh, and Hamilton will probably get more votes than Loney as well

414 I consider myself second only to Timmermann when it comes to scorekeeping, I've been doing it for a long time :)

414 No, the Furcal run is definitely charged to Maddux. It's simple -- Wells reached base off Maddux. Furcal grounded into a fielder's choice, but Cameron did not allow that baserunner -- Maddux's original runner (Wells) was simply swapped out for another one (Furcal).

The fielder's choice is the key. The sacrifice has absolutely nothing to do with it. But the run belongs to Maddux.

400 ,404 ,413 ,414 I found it...Rule 10.17(g):

(g) When pitchers are changed during an inning, the official scorer shall not charge the relief pitcher with any run (earned or unearned) scored by a runner who was on base at the time such relief pitcher entered the game, nor for runs scored by any runner who reaches base on a fielder's choice that puts out a runner left on base by any preceding pitcher.

Furcal's sacrifice forced Wells (who was Maddux's responsibility).

411 Thanx. I know something about the pitchers but I better look at the pos. players. At this rate, Loneys rbi's/ab are going to be pretty wild. If he keeps that up, he is going to mess up the Players Assc. scales to the Max. Getting paid almost nothing and outperforming the vets must be discomforting.

The rule in question is Rule 10.16(g), which states: "When pitchers are changed during an inning, the official scorer shall not charge the relief pitcher with any run (earned or unearned) scored by a runner who was on base at the time such relief pitcher entered the game, nor for runs scored by any runner who reaches base on a fielder's choice that puts out a runner left on base by any preceding pitcher."

Or, what he said.

I had the rule right, but typed 17 instead of 16.

So, they lost to the likely Cy Young winner, and took the other two. That was exactly what could realistically be expected.

Trevor Hoffman was never a factor. That's one way to make sure you beat SD.

Now we're done with the Padres. Hopefully Jim Tracy will look at the Pirate series as a chance to save his job.

I am happy to report that I am eating crow for dinner and humble pie for dessert regarding Loney. I had doubts when he came up this season, but he has turned into a key player in the stretch run.

Kemp? I would defrost the crow, then I put it back into the freezer. Over and over.

From mlb.com

The Dodgers jumped all over Greg Maddux, riding the curtails of James Loney, who drove in four runs, as they moved to within a game and a half of the Padres with a 6-3 victory on Thursday night at Dodger Stadium.

I didn't know you could ride curtails.

Crow tastes OK if you are a D's fan. I'm dissapointed by Laroche, feeling the right young sports Dr. could keep ahead of his troubles.

409

That dude is terrible. He doesnt know anything about the game and asks the stupidest questions. loney just looked disgusted talking to him yesterday. I dont think Garcia has ever uttered a sentence that isnt a cliche.

Wow, that sounds great, curtails or no. I feel like I just crawled out from a cave.

425 As Doctor Maturin remarked at dinner. Why are the dog watches so short? Because they are curtailed. nough said.

Gen Blue, you're still up? I do not believe it... sleep and enjoy!

427

wow, you feel very strongly about it don't you. ah cliche smiche all I know is we're 1½ back, & tomorrow Brad Penny, you gotta feel good about that.

427 - I'm surprised he didn't speak to Furcal in Spanish. Adrian Garcia is a buzz-kill and a royal dunce.

-- in English, Spanish, or both?

[probably both]

Quite a bit earlier this season, when rumors where flying about possible trades, I opined that trading Loney would rank with our trading of Pedro and of Piazza. I would like to thank James for making me sound somewhat intelligent. (I am usually humble).

Tonight's game had a 12.9% swing in the Dodgers probability of making the playoffs. With the win, the Dodgers now have approximately a 20% chance of making the playoffs, as opposed to a ~7% chance.
Nice win!
vr, Xei

435 Xeifrank, did you figure that out on your own?

Bed time! See you in the morning!

I just paid my postseason invoice. Due tomorrow if it concerns anyone else.

BTW, I have two passes for the Stadium tour. The passes are good through the 20th. I think they do tours on Tuesdays and Thursdays (check dodgers.com)

I won't be using them. If you want them and can pick them up in Anaheim this weekend, post a way to contact you and they are yours. I will be at Disneyland for three days.

Or you can pick them up in Palmdale on Monday.

Now that Loney went 9 for 13, does Grady sit him tomorrow against the lefty and get Nomar a start at first?

Let's hope not.

I think Nomar will get the nod at third tomorrow. Eithier's turn in left. Kemp back in the 3 slot but I think Loney moves up from 7th to 5th.

Let's go Giants! Hard to even type that.

the pitching matchups over the weekend look good for the dodgers. not only do they not face webb, the giants throw zito, cain and lincecum.

440 The Giants pen is what scares me. Also, we need D. Lowe to pitch, I don't want to go to war with Stults at this point of the season with Loaiza already going on Sunday.

Penny gives us a good chance to take the first game.

I hope Grady has a plan B and doesn't let Loaiza get down by 6 runs before he yanks him. We NEED two of three minimum this weekend. We need the Giants to get at least one in SD. Would be great if they could knock them off twice. Peavy on Sunday, so I sure hope the Giants get the win tomorrow.

436. Sports Club Stats dot com slash. They figured out the hard part. I just did some simple addition and subtraction. Go to the site, click on the Dodgers. Each day they tell you how the results of each game (of playoff contending teams) affects the Dodgers chances of making the playoffs. Tonight's game was huge, I don't care what Jeff Kent says.
vr, Xei

I think the best thing about the game is that I can tell people I saw a 4-5 FC!

I have a new man crush, and his name is James Loney. Seriously, I can fully understand now if James was shocked and royally pissed off for being sent down after Spring Training. He is on fire!

443 - someone was commenting earlier that you must have really been enjoying this game

444 Where might we be if Loney was at first all year and Nomar played third out of spring training?

Also, what if Maddux was signed rather than Schmidt?

Just wondering...

443 As always, pleasant to see both ToyCannon at the game and then have the opportunity to hear Bob T. getting ready to storm the Bastille on Furcal's "sacrifice."

We were all wearing our DT shirts, I in the white long-sleeve version while Bob and ToyCannon in blue.

David Wells had two hits and was thrown out advancing to the next base on the very next play. However those hits allowed Furcal to each time eventually score a run that he would not have done without those hits.

The biggest play of the night, Hairston getting picked off by Martin in the second inning.

429 'Twas the most brilliant witticism Aubrey ever heard, true enough.

Although choosing the least of two weevils is also good.

Nutting claims the Pirates GM seach will remain "probably closer" than the close-to-the-vest President search. Nonetheless, both the Post-Gazette and Tribune-Review decided to name some potential candidates. White's and Ng's names did not appear in either (LaCava and Amaro were the only ones mentioned in both).

And I found this interesting. Coonelly was responsible for creating MLB's draft slotting system. Now that he no longer works for Selig?
"We are going to take the best player on the basis of talent," Coonelly said. "We're not going to make decisions on the basis of signability. If we believe it's in the best interests of the Pirates, we will (pay) over slot."

441 I'll be at Disneyland on Sunday, hopefully it will be the second happiest place in the world this weekend.

427 What did he say that has everyone so mad, for those of us on EST who don't get to see such things?

450 If it is warm, I can usually convince my wife that I should have our six month old son in the air conditioned safety of ESPN Zone.

If we win Fri and Sat, that is my plan.

Well, my soccer team may have lost a heartbreaker, 1-0 with a goal in the final seconds, but I had faith my Dodgers were hanging on. Came back to watch the condensed game on MLB. Nice effort by Wells, save for a couple of long balls. Loney rules. The Dodgers rode his curtails for a sweet victory. What else can you say?

Except I'm glad I never have to see this Adrian Garcia guy up here.

I really hope Lowe can go on Saturday, too. Is that a national Fox game? Those always make me nervous.

439 No way. Loney's not sitting at all. Not unless he hurts something, God forbid.

Yep, just looked it up (to answer my own question). Fox Saturday at 12:55.

454 Sweet. Now that I'm back at school, I don't get FSNPT, s it'll be one of the few games I get to see from here on out. And hey, a clean sweep puts us only 2.5 back in the division.

449 Nice. Even Bud's boy thinks the slot signing guidelines are to be ignored.

Ned Colletti is a "little person" in a world of Leona Helmsleys.

Upcoming Schedule

San Diego
San Francisco @ San Diego 9/14-9/16 (3)
Pittsburgh @ San Diego 9/17-9/20 (4)
Colorado @ San Diego 9/21-9/23 (3)

Los Angeles
Arizona @ Los Angeles 9/14-9/16 (3)
Los Angeles @ Colorado 9/18(2)-9/20 (4)
Los Angeles @ Arizona 9/21-9/23 (3)

Philadelphia
Philadelphia @ New York 9/14-9/16 (3)
Philadelphia @ St. Louis 9/17-9/19 (3)
Philadelphia @ Washington 9/20-9/23 (4)

Colorado
Florida @ Colorado 9/14-9/16 (3)
Los Angeles @ Colorado 9/18(2)-9/20 (4)
Colorado @ San Diego 9/21-9/23 (3)

Wish San Diego didn't have the easiest schedule. That is brutally easy for them. Go Cain and Lincecum!! Would be awesome if they can shut the Pads down. I'm hoping the D'backs go on a nice ten game losing streak right now to fall to 3rd in the division. I would be super ok with that.

If only we can figure out the magician who calls himself Doug Davis!

I mostly lurk here, but I thought you'd all be interested to know that Plaschke reports this morning that Ned has confirmed that Grady Little is returning to manage the Dodgers next season: "Yes, he's back." Go read the column for an example of faulty logic and horrible writing.

459
Ned on Grittle:
"He has put these kids in a position to succeed more times than not, he has been patient with everything, that has been the key to it"

He has put these kids in a position to succeed more times than not

The irony of this statement is that it seems to imply that the number of times Grittle has not put the kids in a Position To Succeed™ is greater than zero.

The Dodgers odds of making the playoffs skyrocketed to 20.1% after last nights win. If the Dodgers can defeat the DBacks tonight, those odds will jump another 6.2% (or drop a similiar amount if we lose). If the Padres lose, that tacks on another 3.1% (or subtracts something similiar).
vr, Xei

Last night was Maddux's next to worst start of the year. Change is in the wind. I think Wednesday night was the start of things going our way. Balls we hit found holes, theirs didn't. Pierre looked good in the OF and he and Furcal were great on the bases. Except for Kent on the bases (and that was ugly) we looked like a playoff team. Broxton pitched well. If Lowe is OK I like our chances. And I have some rose colored glasses I can sell you right after the baseball season ends.

463
I'd be more surprised if the Dodgers didn't make the playoffs than if they did. It just "feels" like they're gonna make it.

If we make the playoffs and Wells pitches well (I like the sound of that) Colletti will be hailed as a genius.

457 One thing to be tested in these next sets of home and away series (home with AZ, away with Colo. & AZ and then home with Colo.) is the test the theory of playing teams with experience during this time of the year.

Both teams will be playing for something and while they should loose and care free, we'll see if the reality of what is at stake has any impact on the youth on these 3 clubs.

Padres finish with 4 in Milwaukee. I hope those games mean something to the Brewers.

tomko is starting saturday

I'm sorry if this has been asked numerous times in the past, but has a date been set for the next opportunity to purchase a DT shirt?

The Prospectus Odds now contain a column for 1 day change and 7 day change.

Arizona's chances have gone up 27% over the past week. The Yankees are the next biggest gainers at 17%.

The biggest losers are the Padres at -16% and the Cardinals at -12%.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/statistics/ps_odds.php

I feel like I'm studying stock charts.

468 - I was afraid Tomko would be unhittable when he became a Padre (for some inexplicable reason). I don't think that'll be the case.

Cards have become a penny stock.

Reading the The Times it looks like Grady Little will be back & it also sounds like Jason Schmidt is on track as far as his rehab is concerned. I don't wanna sounds like a jerk but I really hope they let go of some of the coaches I really REALLY feel they need to start fresh with some of them.JMHO.

Things are looking up. Of course I went through an overblown rant when Wells finally blew up, but pulled through.
I go through a tough period every September if we have a chance of making it, or truth be told even if we don't. For example, with all the home and west coast games I'm up till 1:00 or 2:00 five or six nights a week, and I'm sure that effects my mood.
I find myself liking Wells, perhaps regardless of the good things he has done the last 2 games. I think the midseason rest
may have done the trick at his age and thats something to keep in mind.

425 - When you're cutting curtails, you could be doing this. Also from MLB.com.

"I've got to help these guys out now, it's my job," Wells said. "I've cut the chord."

473 I sure agree with you on some of the coaches.
Jason Schmidt is an interesting case. There was a time when a Tommy John elbow or a torn rotator cuff was the end of the line, at least for a pitcher. A badly damaged labrum meant the end also, but perhaps we are at the time when modern medicine finds the key; I sure hope so with Schmidt.

Before the Padres series I was speculating that a 13-6 finish to the season would give the Dodgers 88 wins and put the team in the playoffs. After winning the Padres series, we now need an 11-5 close to the season. That basically allows for taking 2 out of 3 games in each of the remaining five series, leaving open the possibility of one series loss or a split of the next week's 4-game set in Colorado.

The Phillies could match the Dodgers with an 11-5 finish, and we all know they have an easier schedule. The Padres could force a tie with a 10-7 finish.

Bottom line: We need help, or we need to get red-hot. Simple as that.

476--
Makes me wonder more generally about the state of medical technology. I know that both hitters and pitchers benefit, but I'm wondering whether anyone knows (probably Will Carroll or something) a way to quantify/analyze the changes that certain advances in medical technology (like TJ surgery) have had on the game. Ostensibly, one would think that better pitchers can pitch longer and stronger than before said advances, hitters can stay stronger, recover faster, etc.
No idea how it all shakes out (too many variables obviously) but it'd make for interesting water-cooler talk.

478 Good questions-in general both offense and pitching benefit. But I have to think pitching is such a specialized thing, pushing one extremity to the max, that high tech medicine has much more effect here.(not that hitting isn't a pretty specialized movement)

I'm pretty sure the Brewers' last four games will be important. Their division race with the Cubs is still very tight. Only half a game separates the two.

LReader--That has got to be the div. race with the most twists down to the wire.

One thing to watch for is the Brew Crew's series against the Reds. From my experience, the Brewers own the Reds and a sweep would not be inconceivable. Such a sweep could put some distance between Milwaukee and Chicago.

474-As a resident of Manhattan, I too, am up until 1 or 2 am to watch these games until the bitter end. I learned my lesson about falling asleep when I passed out in the top of the ninth during the 4+1 game.

I have a great feeling about the Dodgers chances right now. Save for when facing Peavy, it seems like they are either going to win every game or do something to blow it (error by Furcal, three-run shot off Broxton in the 8th, etc).

I would very much like to see them play the Mets again this year, and not get swept!!

Kent's base running gaffe last night reminded me of that play during Game 1 of the NLDS last year where we had two guys get thrown out at home. I was there, and it was the most humiliating moment in my twenty-five years of being a Dodger fan.

482 Reds have won 7 of 12 this year.

483 What concerned me most about Kent's baserunning last night was that he made 2 gaffe's. He got away with the first one because of a bad throw. I don't know what he was thinking.

New post coming up top.

How much of Wells´ success can be credited to Russell Martin? Russ is a very smart catcher and I believe he has a lot to do with it.