Day game today
We’ll have thousands of kids out here today as Field Trip Day. If you start coughing now, your boss might let you get out of work and head down here. The game starts in an hour.
Here’s the lineup:
Furcal, SS
Pierre, CF
Nomar, 1B
Kent, 2B
Martin, C
Betemit, 3B
Ethier, RF
Clark, LF
Hendrickson, P
Inside the Dodgers 
Under the circumstances, I like the batting order. I’m curious why Gonzo is not in there, but protecting Betemit just might get him started. Obviously, we’re going to need more production from that position and this might do it.
How many chances are we going to give him? I hope this is one, if not the last. His swing is so long he has a horrible shot at hitting the ball. He needs to shorten his swing or his days are numbered.
It’s hard watching RBI chances get ruined by Betemit’s strikeouts. Oh well at least its not Pierre grounding out to second or popping it up.
wow…i just realized something. Has awful as Betemit has been his OBP is only 4 points less then Juan Pierre’s.
As*
Fortunately we’re still in first place even with several cylinders not working for us, so management probably feels like they have more time to defer some ultimate decisions, like 3rd base for instance. If Abreu continues his stellar performance at Vegas and Betemit doesn’t pick things up, I still would like Abreu being given the chance to try the 3rd base spot.
Is martin going to get a day off? let’s not wear him out
Wow… Pierre has 120 Plate appearances to Betemit’s 65… Do you think if Betemit had that many plate appearances his OBP would be where it is?>??? Come on man….
Betemit has 13 walks compared to Pierre’s 5.
Martin got the day off two days ago…Grady is spreading the days off out now. I bet Kent gets on in a couple of days.
kool kool
Knouff Gonzo is not in there because Grady wants to give him a day to rest his fragile bones and muscles. I guess Grady didnt want to hear it from all of us on the boards because he is not giving Kent the day off … think hes scared to sit more than 1 of his top performers so far? Now Betemit hitting in the 6 spot kind of puzzles me i know that this may give him a better chance to look at some pitches but this has been tried before and it hasnt gotten him his swing back i agree with kirby he needs to shorten up his swing and make contact sooner or later that ball will get its eyes and find its way through the infield or even over the fence. I unfortunately have tickets for today’s game but cant make the trip because i have a ball and chain attached here at work. GO DODGERS!!!!!
LOL… I live in San Diego, I not only have the ball and chain of work, but also 150 miles of traffic if i want to go see my home team…
max,
JP has 21 runs scored to Betemit’s 4. Who cares if the OBP isn’t that far off.
Runs scored don’t reflect the player. It reflects the people batting behind the player. If Betemit had 120 plate appearances he’d have 24 walks.
I’m not trying to defend Betemit I’m just saying Juan Pierre isn’t all that great.
OBP only matters if they people behind you are hitting or if you know how to do something once you’re on base. I’d rather see Betemit, #8 hole usually, knocking in Ethier and Martin rather than walking in front of the pitcher. JP has a knack for getting into scoring position and getting home.
I like Hendy’s pitching thus far – 25 pitches, 2 innings. Maybe this is the game that the bullpen gets a breather. (Knock on wood)
i left my XM on my other car only watching the stats am i missing anything good?
And max, runs scored do not ENTIRELY reflect the player, but they definitely do in some part. Pierre gets further on base hits behind him than the majority of players, including scoring from first. That’s why, as I’ve argued before, we need a stat that accurately quantifies baserunning IN COMPARISON to the league average baserunners.
Kent and Ethier, first-pitch swinging again. I swear, our lineup makes every starter we face look like an ace.
Day off tomorrow, can’t wait for everyone to get a day to relax and re-energize.
one soft tossing lefty against another…and no one’s scoring yet. odd.
Why didn’t Pierre steal second? I don’t think he has one stolen base against a lefty yet.
It may be just my imagination, but I think that Pierre has better success when he leads off an inning as compared to when he follows Raffy, whether Raffy is on base or not.
Hey just pencil me in but you’ll have to send your private jet to pick me up!
North of the border
I think Grady should try swapping Pierre & Furcal in the batting order. Pierre’s at least getting on base. He can cause havoc with his speed. Also, maybe it’ll get Furcal going by giving him better pitches to look/swing at. Since Grady is playing with the batting order with Betemit, why not try this?
I’m following the game via Gameday…. Looks like Hendrickson is on today. That bodes well for the team. I see that we’ve made another error – by Kent. Too many errors by this team. Thankfully, the Snakes didn’t cash-in, but we’re giving teams too many chances with these errors… may come back to bite us later in the season if it’s not nipped in the bud.
GO DODGERS!!!
Pierre only gets on base once a game. At least with Furcal the outfielders are playing in the outfield and not right behind the infielders. He actually might hit the ball deep.
Jeez, striking out the side swinging on the 5th inning, Hendrickson has really come around.
Who is this guy pitching for us today? Hendy really looks like a different pitcher this year. I guess this is the guy Ned traded for.
Woo Hoo! Pierre knocked Furcal in!
what the heck..Pierre wasn’t even running on the 3-2 pitch!! He’s too scared to run on lefties.
i kinda like pierre leading off too. I just hate when he comes up in rbi situations. I’m glad he knocked in furcal today though.
I hope hendricksen and the bullpen get the shutout today!
Is it easier or harder to steal against left-handed pitchers than right-handers? Wondering….
In my humble opinion… it’s harder to steal against lefties because of their natural move to first.
Hendrickson really looked sharp today. He was pitching…
I think perhaps we should move Furcal down a slot for a few games to light his fire again. The same thing happened last May 2nd, 3rd & 4th where Grady batted Furcal behind Lofton for the three days and it appeared to get Raffy started up again. Maybe it’s not such a bad idea for a few days…
The guys job is to steal bases. He can’t play defense, he can barely hit. If he gets on base he needs to steal. Lefty or righty, regardless. If he can only steal bases against righties he’s basically useless 1/3 of the time.
Another bases loaded opporuntity for Pierre. What’s going to happen?
Wondering…..
Pierre has been on base 8 times this year with the bases loaded.
How many RBIs? …… ONE! a Sac Fly.
Kirbs… I was simply answering the question from above. Pierre’s good at reading both left and right handed pitchers. Having good career numbers with the bases loaded, this year Pierre is 0 for 11 with a sac fly and one RBI.
Pierre has been batting 8 times this year with the bases loaded. etc etc…. so mad I can barely type.
kssparkuhl…i think you are looking at Pierre’s number of stolen bases with out looking at his number of caught stealing numbers…in his Career he has 337 SB but has been caught 119 times. That means he’s throw out 35% of the time. That is way too high. With his speed he should be stealing basese at 80% which is what every speedster tries to achieve.
Pierre doesn’t read pitchers all that well. For example, today he was on first and the batter had a 3-2 count with two outs. He didnt even attempt to run because he was afraid of getting picked off. That shows he isn’t getting a good read of the pitcher. With Pierre’s speed he should be stealing 80 bases a year.
Ethier has a perfect swing for hitting lefties.
there’s no one i want to see less with the bases loaded then pierre…at least betemit might take a walk.
That was a nailbiter, but what a clutch performance by Hendrickson and the relief guys. I’m liking Tsao more all the time. We got a little breathing room now between us and the Snakes. Let’s enjoy the day off and keep going at it on Friday.
Yes a definate nailbiter at the end there! Sammy gave some base hits and let them score 1 but then comes back and strikes out the next 2 batters gotta love um! I think thats 8 for him now right?! Well all i can say is can we get some bats going with runners in scoring position? What is our percentage now? … do i even want to know! Another 14 LOB today i am beginning to worry about our bats in the clutch. Although Andre came up with a clutch one at the end there and Olmedo last night there hasnt been anything when the oppo gives us some good chances to score… makes me kind of mad but i know we will turn it around soon here! Go DODGERS!!! 1st place baby!
Its fair to say that, other than the pitcher, Pierre is the LAST guy a reasonable person would want to hit at a pivotal moment with RISP. The reason, he is the WORST hitter in the lineup.
No amount of harping on about his hits and speed will make up for the fact that there is no batter that opposing teams would face at critical moments. He leads the league in official AB’s and has 5 RBI!!! Wow.
On defense, he’s an absolute mess. Again, who cares about his speed when there is no outfielder (on our entire roster) opposing teams would rather hit the ball to because of his terrible reads and noodle arm. There is nothing positive to say about his defense other than that his speed makes up for his otherwise Triple-A level skills.
I know we have to live with him for the next few years. I just hope he moves way down in the order and over to left field ASAP.
I would stand by these statements even if he had a 5 hit/5 steal/5 RBI game. The fact is that on balance, he is one of the produces a below-average level. Certainly not at a level deserving of the 2 slot in the lineup and CF on defense.
That said. He’s wears the Dodger Blue so I’ll always cheer for him. I just pray he doesn’t do some serious damage to our chances to win.
“Shut it off shut it off Buddy now I shut you Down.”
Beach Boys Shut you Down
Just another though for Saito’s song.
Its California and moves fairly well with the message clear and clean.
What do you you Guys think?
Don’t try to change the subject Fish. We’re here to rag on Juan for Five Pierre and his poor performance thus far. It’s out right poor. Nothing else can be said for it. He is leading the NL in ABs (116 and tied with Rollins) and has 4 RBIs. Not counting today.
74 men left on base in the last three games….pitiful. Let’s all take a moment to think about how James Loney is feeling right now……
17-11……1.5 lead in the NL west and you are still whining about pierre who had half of our rbi’s today? Pitiful indeed…..
I’ll bet if you played the lottery and Won you would whine about how much Money you lost to taxes……
You guys are so sad (not all of you obviously), we have the most wins in baseball and all you can do is complain about Juan Pierre. 17 wins with a lack of clutch hitting in the past few games, not just Juan Pierre, but several others, it’s just been poor luck Pierre has been in the bases loaded situations he’s been in and hasn’t delivered…yet. Also he had a key base hit earlier in the game that scored Furcal. But even when he does it won’t matter to you people cause the second he misjudges a ball again like all outfielders do you’ll be all over him. Our pitching has saved us the past few games, but throughout a season the really good teams win these hard fought struggles. Really tough games coming up in Atlanta with Smoltz and Hudson, I think that would be a great place for Betemit to break out.
Go Dodgers!
Scoring four runs in two games against two of the worst pitchers in the NL is a pretty poor performance if I do say so myself. Livan Hernandez? ******* Doug Davis? Gimme a break.
Miserable little trolls they are….
I’m ecstatic about our record and the performance of our pitching! Believe me, on the days this team loses there is no one who mopes around more than I do.
I can’t speak for nkirby, but the reason I complain so much about Pierre is because I truly believe he hurts our team. Put another way, I think our team would be better off replacing him. I really wish JP would prove me wrong, but he consistently performs the way I, and many people who know baseball, expect him to; which is to say, at a below-average level in almost every respect.
I don’t want to cast a dark shadow over a winning day. Although its a little unfair to call us “miserable little trolls,” I do agree that we should maybe save our complaining for the L days.
GO BIG BLUE!!!
Aww yes there will always be you few who will pick apart a team wether it be a home team that you love or a team that you have hated since you fell in love with the game! (THE GIANTS!!! ohhhh and JOE MORGAN!!!!) well all i can say is im glad we have Pierre he is scoring runs like Furcal did last year and is getting those steals slowly but surely. Is he worth the amount we gave him? In my opinion no but hey as long as he is on track for 100+ runs 50+ steals im glad hes on our side. We can pick on every ball player in the league and all it comes down to is wins and hey we are winning and in first so im a happy camper!
Dodger its tough to see things other peoples opinions on players when you are so adimit about your own i think we all lose sight of it once in a while. Its getting back to routing for our team and celebrating in our wins and keeping each others heads up when we lose thats what makes a fan. But hey if it werent for opinions there would be no Blogs and sports wouldnt be a big deal to any of us! I respect and look forward to reading everyones opinion on our team and players even when its not the way i see it. Thanks for making things interesting everyone!
Hendy’s been really great for us so far
I completely agree that everything on here is extremely interesting to read regardless of what your opinion is on each individual player. Also, we (for the most part) all share a common desire: This team to succeed and win a world championship.
Having a good record is a great but does that mean as fans we should just turn a blind eye to potential (and real) problems on with team that might adversely affect future success? Thats what fans do.
I just got back from the game and have read all the comments. Now, here are mine.1) We’re winning the close ones.2) The pitching is phenomonal (Sammy strikes out the last two, and the last batter LOOKED at strikes two and three, and they brought him in to “All Right Now”, which appears to be perfect for him).3) I’ve been to four games on my road trip, and we’ve won each one by one run, too bad it’s come to a close. 4)We’re exciting.5) We don’t give up.6) We stink with the bases loaded.7) Pierre is scary in the outfield, but seems to come up big when we need him.8) Furcal is starting to come around.9) Kent and Gonzo need the rest.10) Betemit looked ok today and needs our support, not our criticism. 11) Stop ragging on Charlie Steiner, he’s far better than the homers in Phoenix, San Francisco, and San Diego and he shouldn’t be a Vinny clone.
I’m telling you folks, this team is on a misssion, and they are all pulling together, which is exactly what we should be doing. Stats are fine, but the ones that matter most are the W’s and L’s, and we seem to have them under control at this point. Now let’s go to Hotlanta and have some fun!
GO BLUE
I wasn’t refering to you Dodgerdude as a miserable little troll. You said your peace and stated that you would still root for him as long as he is a Dodger and i respect that.It’s people P’ing on my thoughts and mistating stats Juan for 5 pierre actually he Was Tuan for 4 Pierre today that ticks me off. People with an agenda against 1 player no matter what.Am I upset that he isn’t a clutch hitter sure I am but I don’t expect him to be.I played LL for 7 years and have been a Natural born and rasied Dodger fan all my life.I know a little about baseball and follow the stats as well as the farm teams.This team is in an extended funk at the moment but is still pulling it out and winning and that in itself is something to be positive about and reason to give the team as a Whole an ‘Atta a Boy!’
All I was trying to do is make a simple suggestion and get some feedback on it rather then Write a couple paraghraphs on ‘Why I think the Dodgers are great’….
Go Blue 2007!!!
Well put ebbetsfld!!!
All the Pierre stuff is ruining this blog and its starting to take away from what looks like a fun year. Seriously, what is wrong with you guys? This isn’t what being a Dodger fan, or baseball fan is about. Not sure what you’re trying to prove, but I personally am totally disgusted with all the Pierre complaints and the folks posting them.
I heard Can’t drive 55 for Martin. 55 is topical but #55 can drive and usually does atleast once a game.’All Right now for a closer as Good as Sammy is I think is still a little weak. But definatly a good Doobie Bros song.
You fellas think I’m ruining the blog, eh? Well that’s quite a shame. What is the most disturbing is the blind love fest that goes on here.
I’ve been a fan for this long…..I’ve been to this many games this year…. I do this and I do that. The deficiencies that a team has need to be addressed sooner rather than later. Anyone who thinks Pierre is performing at an appropriate level is blind. Watch his reactions on the field, even he is disappointed in himself, which is one thing I’m glad about. He knows he’s playing poorly and needs to step it up.
The only beef I have with this blog is the blind love. Criticism has it’s place and this is one of them.
Troll^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
ebbetsfld has a lot of good points. We’re winning close games–but we shouldn’t even be in these close games. We had so many chances Wednesday that it was silly, and we’re awful with the bases loaded, which makes no sense at all.
Pierre is better than he is getting credit for here, but has not come up big in the clutch. He is 0 for a bunch (someone said 8) with the bases loaded, and is swinging at a lot fo first pitches right after Furcal walks. That really needs to change. The whole team needs to work the count, but that is critical for the leadoff guys. Plus, with the bases loaded, walking is one of the best things Pierre can do (and leaves the bases juiced for Nomar). Even if he does not walk, you don’t know when the catcher will let one get away.
Also, I’ve given Betemit a month. I always counsel for patience, but it no longer makes sense. Nomar can play first, and Loney can hit, so let’s do it. It’s even more important in our line-up that everyone bring something to the table. If a line-up is built around a guy who can knock the ball out of the park, then you wait for him to hit the big ones. Ours is based on guys hitting single and doubles, and stringing them together. If there is a hole, it really matters. Yes, Betemit has a lot of walks, and more than Pierre. Pitchers aren’t throwing him very good pitches because he hits in front of the pitcher–and it’s easier to get out the pitcher (or so people think). And they will do that for a while as long as people remember the guy who hit 18 home runs last year, and not the guy who got his first right-handed hit today. Remember, Eckersley pitched around Mike Davis because he remembered him as a guy with some pop and he would rather pitch to Dave Anderson, who was standing on deck. But Davis had become a .197 hitter, and was lucky to draw the walk. (And of course, Anderson was called back and the rest is history.) Admittedly, if Pierre worked the count more, he would and should draw more walks. But Betemit’s walks are mostly a function of his place in the line-up.
nikirby,
We (I) get it. What is ruining the blog is the over and over and over repeating the same stuff. I didn’t like the Pierre deal either, but that doesn’t mean I feel compelled to prove myself right every time the guy make a mistake. Everyone knows he isn’t playing well right now, but its just so annoying to hear you drone on about it. And quite honestly, most of what you are posting is misinformation anyway.
Where is that guy that put Davis name with Hernandez name in his posted and call Davis one of the worst pitcher in the league. Did you ever look at Davis career number against LA? You think just because he one of the worst that we should easier smack him around. Davie owned us 2-0 with 1 CG and a shutout. He allowed 8 hits in 15th innings with 3 walks, 11 k’s, 0.00 ERA, .73 Whip .163 baa before this starts. He was going to be tough to beat anyway.
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/6299/splits;_ylt=AtqBAqQalJhG95xMbRJVS2eFCLcF?year=career&type=Pitching
They are both solid middle of the rotation guys.
Year in, year out:
200+ IP, about 4 ERA, $6-$7M/year salries give or take….
Not aces, but not bad either. No where NEAR the worst in the league…..
We can/should definitely score more runs though.
I’m thinking what would have happen if the NL had the DH rule too? This would be so simple putting Nomar to DH and Loney can played 1st base regular but than again that don’t serve our 3rd base problem. We can’t forget Saenz batting DH too since he does it in interleague games.
I’m also getting tired of hearing all of the complaints toward Pierre… and even Betemit. Did you guys complain this much about Furcal, give up on him, throw him to the curb, and question Ned’s move at the beginning of last season when he was struggling offensively & defensively? Man! I bet it’s the same guys that are now complaining & already asking to blow-up the team…. You guys need to be a little more patient. If things don’t improve within a month, then you guys may have valid complaints. Until then…
…Our team is in 1st in the division, they have a winning record, they’re 7-2-1 in series played (including a very sweet sweep of the Giants) with 8 of the 10 against division rivals, and they’re winning the close games. All of this is being done with the team’s offense as a whole performing well below what it’s capable of doing. Our pitching has been superb & has kept us in nearly every game, so once the offense collectively wakes up from its slumber, this team is going to be solid.
Remember that this is not a sprint race. We’ve only played 28 games. That’s only 1/6 of the season. However, I’m not blind either. I’m not saying that there aren’t any problems or concerns… there are, but I’m not ready to trade or move guys just yet. Besides, I think Ned & Grady are doing a great job, so I put my trust in them. They know a lot more than we do.
I don’t mind opinions. It’s the constant harping that’s getting old.
GO DODGERS!!!
Furcal is a much superior player then Pierre and his slump was extreme due to injuries.
Pierre wasn’t hurt and even though it still seems he’s in a slump right now he’s not anymore. This Juan Pierre right now is the best we’ll get. For 5 years.
Hey fisher928 – At today’s game, they played “Alright now” by Free when Saito entered the game. (You know the song: “Alright now baby it’s a alright now”. It was huge way back in my late teens) It is the PERFECT entrance song for Saito! (It also has the phrase “Let’s move before they raise the parking rate” in it, which is also appropriate – LOL!).
Hendrickson was outstanding today and, in my opinion, he has earned a permanent spot in our rotation (did I really just say that?). If he can keep his head on straight (and he does EXACTLY what Russell Martin tells him to do), he should be able to get 15 wins for us this season. Don’t forget, Toby Hall caught him in every one of his starts last season, so maybe his bad outings had something to do with his catcher. If so, you gotta love Russell Martin – he brings out the very best in everyone!
The guy who is really getting it done is Chin-hui Tsao. He flat ROCKS! He has yet to allow an earned run in 10.2 innings pitched. His slider is nasty!
I simply cannot understand why Grady continues giving Wilson Betemit the start at 3B. He ended his “one at bat hitting streak” today with two more K’s. He is killing us.
As far as Pierre goes, I sure do miss Lofton – Nuff said.
On another note, has anybody heard from Harold (euhlman) lately? I sure do miss his insight and nostalgia.
GO DODGERS!
Davis and Livan are not good pitchers. When we are scoring A run against them over six or seven innings, there is a problem. Webb shut the Dodgers down completely and he is not the best pitcher in the NL.
I never said I wasn’t happy we won today. I’m thrilled!
These are the first anti-Pierre comments I’ve made on this blog all year.
I’d love for the Dodgers to stay in first place. But scoring A run against pitchers like Livan and Doug ******* Davis isn’t gonna keep us there for long.
Props to Hendy for pitching a gem today. And to Pierre for hitting the ball out of the infield.;) He just needs to raise his OBP above .300 and steal more bases and I might lay off him a little.
i miss dave roberts.
I agree with those of you that want to give Pierre and Betemit more time. Those of you that criticize them have valid points, but I’d give them another month.
That said, I’m sure Ned is weighing his options and looking to see who out there is available and keeping an eye to the kids
To tell the truth, max, I miss Roberts myself.
forget that, I miss Repko! (did I really just say that?) Anyways, while Pierre is here to stay, Betemit is a thorn in our side that CAN go away either through promotion or trade. So…if things continue this way with him not hitting, complaints are more than justified.
Hendrickson owns. Pierre *****. At least Betemit has contributs on defense. JP has been terrible all around. Too bad Nomar is made of glass. It would be nice to stick him at 3rd and bring up Loney.
My wife even liked Roberts and she hates ‘Having to watch it all summer long’ The only cool thing was that when he left he had the chance to help make history and win a WS.For what the Dodgers were and the chance he got I was glad to see him go only for what he gained by doing so.
Man I guess I blew that call (53) Free was a generation before my time and for some reason I thought that was a D Bros song…I’m much better with late 70’s-Early 90’s music.Although I’m still a huge Zep fan.Shut you down just came to mind watching Saito Blow those Last 2 away after giving 1 up.
Ditto on Dave Roberts.
Oh and I have to admit I was calling for Furcal’s head early on lastyear because I loved Izzys leather at SS and Furcal was doing worse lastyear with the Glove and bat at this time frame.
I miss Harold.
You guys probably scared him off with all the negativity…
53… did you read my posts from yesterday and today? I was hoping to get your insight as well…
And where did this new team come from? The Brewers?? When did they join the league?
Nobody usually responds to my posts, so I don’t know why I say anything, but here goes again.
JP vs other NL center fielders:
Most AB’s – because he plays every day and doesn’t get injured, not sure if you can say that about Dave Roberts, and there are a few others who are also lead off types.
5th best BA, least SO to go with those most AB’s
Only 6 of the 15 center fielders in the NL have more than 5 RBI’s, so it’s not like he’s out of the norm.
Most SB’s, and most runs scored.
I’m not saying he’s the best, who wouldn’t want to have Andruw Jones? but jeez, there are 6 CF’s in the NL hitting .250 or below. He’s not the best, but not the worst. Would you rather have a broken down Jim Edmonds patrolling CF? He’ll be fine, he’ll help us win more that he makes us lose, and if you’re all about bringing up Kemp, take a look at my post a couple of days ago (Great BA against guys with 4 years or less exp, not so good against players that have been around the block a couple of times.) He still needs some work.
Pierre ranks 19th in obp for center fielders. 23rd in walks. 23rd in slugging and third in caught stealing.
hey atom, nice post. I’m with your I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
*you
I remember a lot of the Dodger center fielders from the past. From Willie Davis, to Brett Butler ,and the ones in betwween. I’m disapointed that Pierre is our center fielder. As a big market team. We should have a Beltran or Jones in center,Pierre is a poor substitute. The reason I complain about Pierre , Gonzo , and Betemit , is because I think this team could be one of the best ,if not the best team in baseball with a few of the right moves. A team that can’t score runs will not usually go anywhere. Right now we have to many easy outs int the lineup and even though we’re in first , it will catch up with us sooner or later.
Read it Kevin and I couldn’t agree more. This is a frequent topic of discussion between my friends and me.
When growing up, I had the opportunity (and pleasure) of seeing most of the great Dodger pitchers. Rarely did a starter come out before the 8th or 9th inning (unless they were getting shelled) and the phrase “pitch count” did not exist. This is why there were ALWAYS guys with 10 to 20 complete games a season (and a lot of them). The obvious drawback to this is that the phrase “Tommy John surgery” also did not exist back then and many great pitchers were forced from the game after only six or seven seasons (does the name Sandy Koufax ring a bell?).
Regarding the Penny game, I was very disappointed that Grady took him out in the 6th inning after giving up a lead off single. I felt that Penny was still throwing well enough to get out of the inning, but in a 1-0 game (and with a struggling offense), I can understand the risk of leaving him in “one batter too many” (how many times have we seen that with Brad Penny?). I will say that the base hit pitch was definitely up in the zone and could have been a disaster. As we all know, Penny is almost unhittable (or produces a lot of ground balls) when he keeps the ball down in the zone, but we he gets tired, he frequently leaves the ball up, which is when he usually falls apart. I am glad that Grady is aware of this, in spite of the verbal abuse that he probably takes from Penny when he is pulled.
Obviously, we do not know all of the details and I have to assume that Russell Marten has a tremendous say in the matter. Perhaps Russell saw something in Penny that we did not and convinced Grady that it might be best to pull him. I do believe that Grady had 100% confidence that the Dodgers would score in the bottom of the sixth to secure the win for Penny, and they **** well should have. Leaving guys in scoring position as frequently as we have been doing so is a recipe for disaster and we are VERY fortunate to have won these last two games against the D-Backs. (The Dodgers scored a total of six runs in the series and it is an absolute miracle that we won two of three with that – BUT WE DID!
Sorry for the long-winded response.
GO DODGERS!
I live in Arizona and naturally don’t get to see this part of the game on TV, so I must ask: has Saito found a song to which to come out? In an interview last month he said he was looking for suggestions. If a song hasn’t been picked yet, the Dodgers home page needs to have a section where fans can suggestion such a song and track the progress of any voting.
It really is about time we made him feel like he’s our bona fide closer, and not a temp.
Hendrickson is pitching very well. He’s earned his spot in the rotation! (I can’t believe I just said that.) He’s credited Russell Martin and Russ himself said he’s starting to trust him. 🙂 Plus, Tsao has been outstanding as well. We’ve found our 6th or 7th inning guy. How can we forget about Beimel, Broxton and Saito they’ve been AMAZING as well. Our bullpen looks strong this year. 🙂
Go Dodgers!!!
i’m a first timer.
I don’t think we need to be that concerned about the 3rd base situation yet. we’re in 1st and if we start loosing ground little will do what he has to. he’s not stupid,, and there is a reason he’s getting payed the big bucks and we arent. if abreu keeps it up he’ll get his shot. lets not panic.
oh and i was wondering if anyone knew what time they are going to open the gates on the 11th. thannks.
Team MVP(s) to date: tie
Russell Martin
Bullpen
names I’d love to see in the lineup:
Larry Bigbie (left field)
Matt Kemp (platooning in rf)
James Loney (1st-moving Nomaaah to 3rd)
How many more games can we expect to win scoring 2 runs per game?
True, but we were averaging 5 runs/game for the first 25 games, and 2 runs a game for the last 5… Slumps are just part of the nature of baseball, simple as that. We have a good offense people. 1 week of bad Offense and its like we ****? Why ignore the other three weeks of good production? Pessimism. I dont get it. First place.
Ron… I appreciate your insight, but I have to suppose that perhaps you got the last two games mixed up. Penny didn’t give up a seventh inning single… that was what happened to Hendrickson yesterday. Penny was lifted for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the 6th, and you could see in the dugout on TV that he was upset at being removed from the game. As a matter of fact, Penny had just shot down the side in order on eight pitches in the top of the 6th. He was really in command.
And something I hope to be more of a trend for Brad, he was nailing the first pitch strike more than at any time I remember him doing in recent history. Also, Nomar, who was supposed to get a day off and ended up playing two innings, pinch hit for Penny in the 6th and drew a walk. With Penny’s good batting average, who knows what could have happened. And even if he made an out, so what… Brad was unhittable Tuesday night.
It sure made no sense to me to get both Tsao (I love this kid!!) AND Broxton up in that game. Remember we were just recouperating from the 17 inning marathon two days before and with Penny’s command, perhaps we wouldn’t have had the Ethier/Pierre fiasco in the 8th… BECAUSE… given that Penny would have gotten through the 7th if he was allowed to pitch, that would mean Tsao would have gone the 8th, with Broxton resting, and Saito going in the 9th. No runs (in my perfect world) and Penny would have gotten his win.
The point is this: 10 or 20 more pitches every now and then isn’t going to hurt a pitcher, especially if they’re on their game. The issue about arm injuries with pitchers is due to “consistently” pitching over 100 pitches, which IS something that used to take place 20 to 30 years ago. With the conditioning these players go through, and with the knowledge that trainers have of each specific individual, and also adding the knowledge on any given night when you KNOW your pitcher is on his game, it makes no sense to have the supposed “magic number – 100” pitch count in effect for each and every start. It should be more subjective in allowing a pitcher in command to continue to get the outs a team so needs… and I’ll reiterate this point… especially when the bullpen was just worked over two nights previously and needed the additional rest.
I hope I haven’t talked this to death, but I really thought this game through and it really bummed me out that Penny didn’t get the win he pitched his butt off to get.
Go Dodgers!!!
Beat the Braves!!!
Man… that Hendrickson guy was a really good aquisition last year, huh? : )
I third 3rd base is a major concern and if Betemit is to keep his Job I thing Atlanta has to be his final testing place.He came from Atlanta and if he can’t get it going there then I don’t know why he stillshould be in the lineup.Furcal should light it up there also and with a days rest I hope everyone will be back to producing runs.I’m kinna backtracking on my Abreu rants because after all he is another leadoff guy.I didn’t take into account he is actually a smaller guy who also relys heavily on his speed.If he could keep the avg up and still be clutch on the Big team then he would be huge but never a big bat… only a Tony Gwynn….LOL.
However I still feel that this team is in run production slump and when they get outta it we will be in first place…Wait… we are and in a slump!It’s gonna be a great year and I’m loving every minute of it!
Go Blue 2007!!!
“James Loney (1st-moving Nomaaah to 3rd)”
what allot of people don’t realize is that Nomar makes those long tosses to Betemit on a LINE sometimes when he is worming up the infielders, I noticed he did that yesterday when i was at the game. What i’m trying to say is that Nomar still has a cannon arm.
“What i’m trying to say is that Nomar still has a cannon arm.”
Yeah, and he’d only have to make that long throw 3 to five times a game… which he could more than handle.
atomi,
Kemp is ready- (IMO) Im not reading much into who had 4 years of experience or not. look at some of the top pitchers in our division last year:
Peavy, SD (had 4 years)
Young, SD (had 2 years)
Cain, SF (had 1 year)
Webb (Cy Young winner), AZ (had 2 years)
Im not sure there are enough ABs to find trends like that anyhow, but those guys are the divisions best pitchers and they have (or had) < 4 years experinece…. everyone reads the scouting reports on Kemp- not just old guys.
Watching the game the other day when Byrnes robbed Pierre of those two bases loaded catches in LF reminded me exaclty why Luis Gonzales is a bad idea.
If he was in LF for AZ we win that game 6-1.
I see no reason to play him over Kemp other than money reasons and thats a shame.
jung,
have to remember Kemp was ended last year in a tailspin- so they had to sign Gonzo….
Changing subjects for one sec, perhaps someone already suggested this song for Saito, but I really think this would be a fantastic song for Saito’s entrance! As a televison major with a specialty in editing I can tell you for sure a phenominal video package for Saito could be made using this song! Hope you put this song to great consideration! Thanks! It’s an instrumental piece by Tomoyasu Hotei called Battle Without Honor! Most famously used in Kill Bill.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_Without_Honor_or_Humanity
My bad Kevin – you are correct about mixing up my games (been to a lot of them lately, and on very little sleep, mind you). However, I will stick with my thoughts on Grady believing that pinch hitting for Penny would product an insurance run – and it SHOULD have.
I agree with you that Penny would have done just fine in the top of the 7th.
I will be the first admit that I flat out gave up on Hendrickson last year, although I started to reconsider after his good relief outings late in the season and in the NLDS. We need to send Wilson Betemit to the same shrink that Hendy went to! (LOL).
Man, no game tonight – I’m going through withdrawals!
GO DODGERS!
Seriously though, why isnt Betemit going to that guy? They should force him…