Today's game
A quick update on Eric Gagne for you all. He did have some discomfort in his elbow last night after the game, so we got a precautionary MRI on him today and it showed no structural damage. There was some swelling though, which they hope they can control in 2-3 days. He won’t pitch tonight and will be reevaluated on Friday.
Today’s lineup:
Furcal, SS
Lofton, CF
Nomar, 1B
Kemp, RF
Guzman, 3B
Cruz, LF
Martinez, 2B
Martin, C
Perez, P
Inside the Dodgers 
this is just getting disapointing, time after time… and if he knew he was hurt, and didnt tell anyone again, that just makes it worst. hopefully nothing is wrong..
BELIEVE IN GAGNE
I guess Ethier’s out of the loop. Do they plan on releasing him or trading him? Or are they just going to sit him while he wastes away. I’m also glad to see Martinez in again. The more he plays, the quicker the team will realize that he is just no good.
Ethier I think is still in the team’s plans but they have 4 good outfielders now in Drew, Lofton, Kemp and Ethier. Wanting to keep some veterans in the lineup and with Kemp on a tear, Ethier has been the one with the bench time. Would rather see him than Cruz but Cruz is hitting well against left handers so that must be the answer.
Is Gagné’s discomfort something that had been predicted or expected? From what I’ve read to day, it sounds as if everyone is taking it with precautionary alarm. I want to know what to make of the situation. I have faith in Gagné and I know how much he wants to be back and that’s why I refuse to beleive that he would have gone out onto the mound if he knew he was in pain again.
I don’t understand why Ethier has been getting less playing time recently. Cruz hasn’t been doing well recently and it seems strange to be sitting Ethier with as much playing time as he was getting and for how long he has been with the club in comparision to the younger players. I hope this is just a matter of having too much talent and not enough positions.
Have a question about the draft. Do all fifty get signed if they will sign and is there room in the system for all of them? Nine catchers were drafted. Is it possible to place all of them?
Cruz is batting .375 vs LHP’s, whereas Ethier is hitting .273. Ethier vs LHP’s is not chopped liver however vs a craft LHP like Glavine I believe Grady prefers the veteran. Also Glavine is yielding a .194 BA vs lefthanded hitters. Cruz’s struggles have come vs RHP’s where he is hitting a meager .189.
I would like to see Saenz at 3rd, he hit’s lefties very well. However we might as well find out if Guzman can get some solid wood on the ball( not just in bp), if not he should be gone soon, replaced by Cesar. Andre is ridin pine already, what about when Repko comes back??
I agree with a previious post, we now have 5 solid ooutfielders and only 3 can start. Tonite I think Grady is playing two scenarions. First Kemp is hot so play him, Cruz needs time and he probably wants to keep Andre’s confidence up and spare him some at bats against a crafty vet like Glavine. Ethier will get his at bats, I know Coletti likes his attitude he ain’t going anywhere, It’s Repko and Ledee that will more than likely be the odd men out.
Odalis Perez back as a starter, he didn’t do that well in relief! This guy doesn’t take any responsibility for any of his bad outings, maybe if he did he’d work on his mechanics a little. He’s got an excuse for everything – feeling ill, his ailing mother (may she recover well), etc… Time to bring up Billingsly.
Ok. The future of the Dodgers in the outfield is…Strong. Infield…Strong. Pitching staff….not so much. We’re missing that one extra top tier pitcher to get us to the World Series. My suggestion…
Odalis Perez, Russel Martin/Navarro(either will work, i personally like Navarro more), and Jose Cruz Jr. for-
Gustavo Chacin. I think he could be lights out for us. A pitching staff of Penny, Lowe,
Billingsly, Chacin, and Tomko or MIller..watch out.
Blue Jays not interested. Chacin better than Perez right now but certainly not lights out(ERA 5.59 and WHIP about 1.50). Inconsistent this year. They have Molina and Zahn as catchers. They have Wells, Rios, Johnson and Catalanotto as outfielders. Had Cruz when he was younger and gave up on him. Not sure why you like Navarro more. Martin has superior catching skills and is a better hitter.Also Miller not ready for starting duties yet. He is being protected and walking too many. Ten in seven innings at Las Vegas. I’m guessing Odalis with all his quirks will come around. Not very playable or tradeable unless he does. I think Dodgers will trade for a starter but will cost prospects. Don’t like that. Don’t think they have to get to WS in one year.
5 Point Play
1) Gagne said he was fine when he wasn’t a few too many times not to be kept on a short leash.
2) Ethier will likely see more time. Kemp has been phenomenal, though, and he and Martin are probably the Dodgers leading ROY contenders, although we get a new one every couple of weeks, it seems.
3) Drew got his customary break, but Lofton stays in. I guess playing in the World Series against Glavine as well as on the same team in ’97 gives him good experience.
4) Odalis has been getting much better in relief, and struck out two to get out of a jam in his last appearance.
5) It would be nice to see a CG from the Dodger starters, as they’re one of 4 NL clubs still without one.
ok, having watched odalis in the first inning, I have a trade idea. Odalis Perez for Charles Mathews. Oh, for those of you who don’t know, he was the 1502 and last pick in today’s ameteur draft by the Cardinals in the 50th round.
like i have been saying for months, the dodgers need to get rid of mr. soul glow, he simply *****!.. what is it about pitchers named perez?.. pascual, oliver, carlos.. and now odalis.. for some reason they are missing something in there head… mr. soul glow *****! its about time the dodgers eat his contract, and join other illustrious players who where given ridicluous contracts, i.e. carlos perez, darren dreifort, devon white, darryl strawberry, and dave goltz..
BELIEVE IN BILLINGSLEY!
Fasten your seatbelts and getout the hardhats its Game on top of the third! Go Blue!!!
You’re not allowed to trade draft picks for a year anyway.
It seems like the 2-out situation is what’s getting him. If he gets into trouble earlier he does ok.
I think it’s time to give him the Runnelvys Hernandez treatment and put him on the DL until he can touch his toes. You do not hit RBI singles to the pitcher!
Grady belives in Guzman. That’s why he didn’t double switch and put Aybar in with Seo; it’s very un-Grady like for a reliever to actually bat the inning after he comes in. I hope Joel starts destroying the Mets soon.
maybe we should have let perez pitch all nine tognight, the dodgers keep giving him runs to work with we might have won 25 to 24.
draft bits. I see that cory van allen, who the dodgers failed to sign in the third round allowed us to pay La roche the millon bucks did not go high this year.
also the dodgers took kyle orr in the fourth round, even though he wants first round money to sign, and in the fourteeth round alex white who was projected to go in the lower first to third rounds. can the dodgers offer them more than slot money for those rounds, or will the comm. not allow them to be offered more.?
Saw that fly from Furcal on Gameday. Did Beltran rob him of #3?
naw was on the track.ya think the angels wiould take Perez and Alomar for weaver?
Of course, Odalis’ personal catcher. But Moreno would insist on the Dodgers refering to the Angels as LAA instead of ANA on the Dodger scoreboard, or that we pay some of Odalis’ salary.
But seriously, why not the Red Sox? Odalis has said he wanted to play there apparently. Besides, they still owe us for Dave Roberts. Matt Clement is a similar situation for them this year, except they haven’t sent him to the bullpen because their rotation doesn’t have the depth, especially after the Arroyo trade and with Wells being a 42 year old fat man.
Just a thought.
My thoughts after returning from the game tonight… Being a season ticket holder and going to every game, I’d have to put Mets fans as the most annoying! Odalis is absolutely horrible, and Jae Seo isn’t any better. I’d like to trade both of them for 3 buckets of baseballs and a pack of gum to be named later. Jose Guzman is not ready for big league pitching yet. He needs to head back to the Sin City 51’s for more seasoning. We need a starter ASAP. I would love to see the “D-train”, Dontrelle Willis, in a Dodger uniform. All that kid needs is some offense.
not sure what to make of the whole odalis perez thing. i know he hasn’t started in over a month, but he was getting hit around like bp – and that walk to glavine was a killer! he reminds me of russ ortiz of the d-backs who is a 30 million guy with nothing left. now we have a 24 mil guy with very little left. what was depodesta thinking – or did perez just fall apart so fast?
what really concerns me is the whole gagne rehab thing. why did they rush him to the big club after only TWO innings of work at las vegas?!? he hasn’t pitched since spring training and they rushed him and now, of course, he is hurting with swelling and fluid…yikes! why couldn’t he have just stayed in the minors for another week or two and come up feeling STRONG.
and if dontrelle is really, really gonna get traded, the dodgers have to get him. HAVE TO! esp to keep him from the d-backs. they want OF, C and P – so why not guzman, navarro and miller (or repko, navarro and another pitcher). this guy will be fantastic esp in dodger stadium with a contending team and he is only 24. i know guzman could be the next daryl strawberry (w/out the baggage) but we need d-train badly.
if that doesn’t work, the maddux trade would make sense, but i wouldn’t mortgage the farm for a 40 yr old, pitcher we would rent for probably half a season.
finally, what’s up with the rumors of the dodgers pursuing carl crawford of the d-rays? like we need ANOTHER of?!?
not sure what to make of the whole odalis perez thing. i know he hasn’t started in over a month, but he was getting hit around like bp – and that walk to glavine was a killer! he reminds me of russ ortiz of the d-backs who is a 30 million guy with nothing left. now we have a 24 mil guy with very little left. what was depodesta thinking – or did perez just fall apart so fast?
what really concerns me is the whole gagne rehab thing. why did they rush him to the big club after only TWO innings of work at las vegas?!? he hasn’t pitched since spring training and they rushed him and now, of course, he is hurting with swelling and fluid…yikes! why couldn’t he have just stayed in the minors for another week or two and come up feeling STRONG.
and if dontrelle is really, really gonna get traded, the dodgers have to get him. HAVE TO! esp to keep him from the d-backs. they want OF, C and P – so why not guzman, navarro and miller (or repko, navarro and another pitcher). this guy will be fantastic esp in dodger stadium with a contending team and he is only 24. i know guzman could be the next daryl strawberry (w/out the baggage) but we need d-train badly.
if that doesn’t work, the maddux trade would make sense, but i wouldn’t mortgage the farm for a 40 yr old, pitcher we would rent for probably half a season.
finally, what’s up with the rumors of the dodgers pursuing carl crawford of the d-rays? like we need ANOTHER of?!?
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I’m still quite concerned with the way that Grady Little has been using his left handed relievers. He simply doesn’t believe in the concept of a spot lefty it appears. I also think that it has altered the mechanics of Hamulack, Beimel and Kuo. Can anyone tell me: Does Grady believe in the concept of a spot lefty?
As far as starting pitching goes, I think that with one more strong starter we win the West. But, yes, it will cost us a prospect and possibly a good one.
First of all, the concept of a spot lefty is incredibly stupid. Basically, it’s a waste of a reliever. Secondly, it’s generally a sign that your left handed reliever isn’t very good and should only pitch to lefties. If you want to see a different pitcher face each batter, go to Pittsburgh and watch Jim Tracy.
One thing on Odalis Perez. All three of his good starts this year have come at home with Dioner Navarro catching him. He’s been good with Alomar as a reliever, but it’s like he and Martin don’t speak the same language. I think that he might be best served with Dioner Navarro as his personal catcher.
Might be a good idea for someone else to catch Perez although it seems to me that being the veteran he should be able to work it out with Martin. Some pitchers, such as Wakefield, do have their own catcher. Would give Martin a rest every fifth day which is not bad either. Also not sure a situational LHP is a bad idea. Seemed to work well for Orosco and others to get a lefty out. Often 2-3 lefties follow each other in the lineup. Even with about 7 relievers right now we have to get more innings from our starters. They too often leave the game up to the relievers.
I too have been very disappointed in the performance of Odalis. Last night he came out very weak, but then seemed to get it together. It does not seem appropriate to leave him in the pen except for long releif, but then again if it takes time for him to settle in maybe that is not the place. It looks like the number 4 starter spot is the black hole for now.
What’s this personal catchers nonsense? Pitchers with personal catchers are usually good. You guys are missing the point here. He is horrible! He should not be pitching in the rotation, and less from the bullpen. He needs to go.