Happy Father's Day
A Happy Father’s Day goes out to my father and the dads of everyone in the front office and Dodger organization. Hope you’ll make it down here today for the game and stick around to play catch with Dad down on the field at Dodger Stadium. It’s certainly an important game today with a chance to take the series from the Angels.
Also, thank you to bluebleeder for the music suggestion…I’ll definitely pass it along to those in charge of in-game entertainment.
As I was driving in, I thought of something interesting to debate during today’s thread. When is the "right" time to give a guy a day off?
I actually think this might be one of the toughest things a manager decides throughout the season. If a guy is on a hot streak and tearing the cover off the ball, you don’t want to take him out of the lineup but you run the risk of people thinking that he’s overworked. But if you take him out of the lineup and he starts to slump, suddenly it’s your fault for knocking him off course?
On the flip side, if a guy is struggling offensively, you try to find a day to let him clear his head and get back on track, but there are many who believe that you can’t get back on track sitting on the bench so you play him and you’re criticized for not seeing that a guy is struggling.
I don’t believe there’s a perfect answer because each player is different in their swings, their age, the status of any nagging injuries they’re dealing with, their personalities and the position they play. Those are just a few of the factors that I’m sure all managers consider, not to mention which arm the opposing pitcher throws with and the batter’s history against that pitcher. But it’s definitely something that clearly stirs debate on this blog and other outlets on a daily basis and is certainly one of the more interesting parts of a game that is played every day like baseball.
Here’s today’s lineup, followed by some notes:
Furcal, SS
Pierre, CF
Nomar, 1B
Kent, 2B
Gonzo, LF
Betemit, 3B
Kemp, RF
Lieberthal, C
Wolf, P
PACKED HOUSE – The three-game series against the Angels sold out and yesterday’s paid attendance of 56,000 equaled the single-game Dodger Stadium regular season record. L.A. leads the NL in attendance with an average of 45,692, more than 1,000 fans higher than the second-best team, New York.
CHAT WITH TOMMY – Dodger Special Advisor to the Chairman and Hall of Famer Manager Tommy Lasorda will host a live web chat on Tuesday at 2 p.m. PT on dodgers.com, becoming the 11th Dodger player, coach or executive to host a chat with the fans in 2007.
CALIFORNIA BASEBALL – One record that has a chance to go down this year is the combined winning percentage of the Dodgers and Angels. They current hold a combined 82-55 mark (.599), which would surpass the 2002 season in which the two teams were 191-133 (.590). Source: Baseball Prospectus
BILLS KILLS – Dodger reliever Chad Billingsley worked 2.0 scoreless innings yesterday and has now worked 12.0 consecutive scoreless innings (seven games). Since April 29, Billingsley is 3-0 with a 1.11 ERA (3 ER/24.1 IP) and 30 strikeouts in 15 outings and his four wins overall are tied for the fourth most in the NL by a relief pitcher.
WALKING IN L.A. – Wilson Betemit drew his 24th walk yesterday in just his 137th plate appearance, which is one every 5.7 times to the plate. Dodger third basemen have a combined 36 walks, more than any team in the NL and tied with the Yankees for the most in baseball.
HONOR THY FATHER – According to home run historian David Vincent, Joe DiMaggio holds the record for most homers on Father’s Day with 12, but a pair of former Dodgers are also on the all-time Father’s Day home run list. Eric Karros went deep eight times on Father’s Day during his 13-year career and Kirk Gibson hit seven round-trippers in honor of his dad. Today, Dodger players, coaches, managers, trainers and groundskeepers will show their support for Father’s Day and try to raise awareness for early detection of prostate cancer by wearing blue wristbands during the game.
Inside the Dodgers 
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I’m keeping my poll open for 2 more weeks. A|s you guys already know my blog is a haven for the Dodger haters. I’ve narrowed by 2 greatest haters down to d4p and joeyp.
So who is the greatest Dodger Hater gracing this fine planet of ours?
d4p or joeyp.
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Surely you mean “disgracing” this fine planet of ours…?
GO BIG BLUE!!
As far as resting players, I always felt that it’s up to the individual and I guess that makes a winning manager, who knows his players well. I put Tommy on my calendar for the 19th at 5:00PM. I’m sorry but I never could get to riled up about California baseball. Billingsley is doing great, but I hope he isn’t doing too great, if you know what I mean. Messagebearer, suggested that we put Schmidt back on the DL and let him make minor league rehab starts and keep an eye on him and I think it’s a good idea. Meanwhile I think that Billingsley should take his place in the rotation. It’s always good to have patience and be selective at the plate not only for the 3rd basemen but for everybody…. INNING BY INNING. We haven’t scored over the last 12 inning and only have 2 runs in the last 18. If that was by any other team I would say “WOW That’s BAD”, but this is NOT another team, this is our team and there is nothing unusual about it and we keep sticking our head in and out of first place, because of our fine pitching. We hit our HRS in bunches, even though they’re far and few between. I like the idea of using ALMOST all the 11 position players every day sometimes. Especially when they’re winning. Everybody is getting a chance to play. Even with that I still haven’t lost hope……LET’S GO BLUE CREW WE CAN DO IT.
1) Well, it doesn’t look like Eddie Murray was the problem with the offense.
2) I also will give a wag of the finger to those in management (read: Grady Little, Ned Colletti, Stan Conte) who let Schmidt return without being up to snuff. Heck, Hendrickson can make it out of the fifth inning; Schmidt should still be on the DL.
3) Martin gets a day off. I’m beginning to think that his music for his at bats should be the Barenaked Ladies’ “Who needs sleep”, although a part of the reason is that they’re a Canadian band.
4) Thanks Josh, for continuing to put this blog together as well as you do, and thanks also for mentioning that the FOX game was regional. I will say I did enjoy watching Bonds strike out on three pitches yesterday.
5) Wilson Betemit is hitting .211, but he is probably the best .211 hitter in baseball. He has a .350 On-base percentage and .450 slugging average, compared to Russell Martin at .356 OBP and .450 slugging from a .288 batting average. If Betemit pulls his average up to .250 or .260, he could be quite dangerous.
ok, Hendrickson can make it out of the 5th inning sometimes. But still, Schmidt’s not quite right.
Dodgers are underdogs at home today. I like our chances with Wolf going. He usually gets good run support!
patriotacts –
Surely you don’t really expect to see change that quickly? If it was that easy to find your groove in the Majors, pay would be $20 an hour because everybody could do it 😛
There will be a bit of a transition period. I’m willing to give it time. The pieces are there, the glue is missing. When the glue is found and applied, this team may be more fun to watch. I agree that these “The moment the opposition scores a run it is over” phases is not fun to watch, though!
pierre –
Some very good insight — your always right-on…
Realistic – not a fanatic
No Gary Matthews Jr today. Sweet!
I think D4P and JoeyP are the same person.
wtcbill:
I would like to believe that you’re right. It’s hard to imagine TWO such idiots.
i’d just like to take this opportunity to thank rich hill for pitching BP to the pods today. With a 5-1 lead they’re pretty much guaranteed a win. Let’s hope wolf gets out of the 1st inning unscathed today.
I for one certainly don’t expect an instant turn around in two games since we fired out hitting instructor.
It also gives me cause for concern about whether or not Mueller is a hitting coach.
We know he can hit, we don’t know if he can coach, he gets his 4+ mil this year no matter what he does, so he might not be thrilled about being away from home.
Years ago when we promoted Tommy Lasorda to manager part of the reason was because he had managed all the young kids at, I believe Alberquerque was the AAA affiliation, and it made sense to bring him along with them because they knew each other.
So I am wondering if it would be a good idea to bring the AAA batting instructor up since we have so many kids here now.
Of course that doesn’t speak for Nomar, Gonzo, JP and the other vets that did not come through Las Vegas.
And I still wonder who our emergency 3rd string catcher is, anyone have an idea? They must have someone on the 25 man roster that they have earmarked for emergency duty in case of the “oh no, what now” moment.
F U Cubs today. San Diego using the wind to there advantage.
make that 9-1. Pods have hit 4(!!!) HRs in the contest. They had two hits yesterday.
The Pads are a very opportunistic team. They no doubt have good pitching, but look at their team batting averages – if we put a lineup together such as that, we’d all be screaming all the time, but they still manage to win. Hope those averages catch up with them, or, better yet, hope that our hits start to come at more opportune times.
I am so confused who is are starting right fielder?
KEMP
Do it again Furc!!
Let’s see if the lineup can pick up a struggling pitcher. If our pitching needs to be on the button in order for us to win, we’re going to struggle mightily against the stronger teams.
Another lousy performance by Randy. Got to believe he’s been plain lucky to amass his won/loss record. He’s not showing any velocity on his fastball either. We need Bills to get some starts and fill in our starting staff with reliability.
this game is over
6 innings left. Not sure the game’s quite over.
I was really impressed with Wolf’s first few starts and totally unimpressed by his last few. Anyone see a change in his delivery or in his pitching strategy?
Or is it just that Martin isn’t calling the game today?
6 innings left maybe, but our lineup is much more accustomed to giving up ( or simply not getting it done, saying they give up is a bit harsh ) in a situation like this than they are to saving the game.
So I’m a bit more more inclined to agree with scurtis1999 here. It is daytime at Dodger Stadium, and day games are often higher scoring. But they still have to get it done.
Gonzo turning in a good at bat here, working the count to 2-2 as I type. If only Kent or Nomar could do this – make Escobar use pitches, maybe tire him out, maybe get a good pitch to hit … but they’re not that kind of hitters.
I think he’s been matched up with Lieberthal before because of their familiarity when with the Phillies. The only thing I’m noticing today is that he’s not throwing anything above 90 mph – hardly overpowering, and I think he needs to be in order to be effective.
Wilson B. is thrown 6 pitches which turns into 2 Ks… He looks way way overmatched… Stumbling all over himself….
Everyone can see that hitting is our issue (or lack there of). As much as i like Murray, his job was to help the hitters. When we continue to make the #4 and #5 starters look like aces, I would have to say that our hitters are not prepared. We need someone new to take a different approach to our hitters.
Kent is batting .152 in the last 3 weeks. We all wanted Betemit’s head with his slow start, what about Kent? He has 4 rbi’s during this time and 3 extra base hits. How do we fall out of first?
Easy answer is our lack of hitting. Our pitching can’t be perfect every time out. We are terrible with runners in scoring position, Garciaparra has NO power and Kent’s production lately is nill. You can’t expect to win with the supposed “heart of the lineup” produce as much as the normal 8 and 9 hitters.
Rally time!
“Produce as much as the normal 8 and 9 hitters”
That is funny….. Sad but true….
Nomar gets an RBI as I write this…
and then Kent grounds out like a weak pitcher.
Lurch is in
did anyone realize that Nomar has a total of 4 extra base hits since May 1st, including today. that is 4 doubles.
angels take 5 out of 6 from us. where’s our freaking power Ned?
Hendy being Hendy —- Thanks for the relief
I can see that. Nomar is a punching judy hitter now.
Betemit get the hat trick?
Betemit = 9 pitches = 3 Ks
I have never seen that before…. Could it possibly be any worse???
now betty need only get the golden sombrero to complete the day.
we’ve delved into the darkside of our pen.
run on lieberthal all day
I really can’t understand why we continue to carry Hendrickson on this club. He doesn’t pitch any more often than a starter does – typically comes into games that are already lost, or if they’re not lost when he comes in, they are by the time he leaves. Can we not get rid of him and at least get some worth-while prospect for him. His outings could just as easily be handled by anybody out of AAA, and it might serve a development value for a Houlton or somebody else.
It just amazes me how much better the Angels look compared to the Dodgers… The Dodgers look like a Double AA team compared to these guys…
Angels seem to do everthing right – plus having great players – plus they have a great Manager & we have Grady…
It is an overwhelming mismatch all the way around…
welp. might as well put all the kids in.
How did we sweep the Mets?
Thank god we have Toronto and Tampa coming up.
That’s hit Loney hurt.
I mean it not hit.
Nomar’s happy
Kemp or Loney not know there’s a wall out there?
Why is Loney playing in R field in the first place….
Please, please don’t let it be serious….
Can we please take McCourt’s stupid full-colour board out of the outfield walls?
Or do we just keep injuring prospects on it?
Why is Loney playing outfield anyway, instead of first base ( Nomar’s hit and sac fly doesn’t suddenly make him the man again, he was .191 on the homestand before that )
Man, bad day. Bad, bad day.
That ridiculous outfield wall!!
Stan Conte will have him back in the lineup at 40 percent in 2 weeks.
Double switch and it was Kemp who had batted last and not Nomar.
Maybe Victor Conte can help this team.
at least he won’t get traded.***** now we are stuck with Nomar.
well for better or worse…we’ll have nomar for a while. hopefully his bat starts to come alive.
Maybe Betemit will get hurt now. JK!
Don’t even joke about that, OK?
Why play Loney out of position? Let the relievers bat for themselves – the game is lost. Why on earth risk injury? Somebody save Dodger management from themselves. And oh, save the young players from them, too. The veterans are safe.
Grrrrr.
Well, Frank McCourt, you I hope it was worth it to you to sacrifice two of your best young players so you could put in an unpadded video board for your all-important ads, all to put some spare change in your greedy, filthy pockets.
Good god, chill out griffon64.
This isnt high school dude. Loney can play RF. Its not a bad thing to learn different positions. He went after the ball hard and sometimes injuries happen.
Whatever my earlier comment or question about Hendrickson, consider it repeated here with Tomko as the subject.
Like I said before…
The Dodgers are playing like a Double AA team…
They look just outclassed in every phase of the game…
I agree. Tomko and Lurch need to be shipped out FedEx
Maybe Loney isnt hurt that badly. He was smiling…
Marlon Anderson will be joining the team tomorrow…
As I flipped to check the US Open, that Dodgers ad featuring the guy in front of his TV and his clothes changing day to day came on.
My thought then was the same as now: Why does the poor guy look so apathetic? Is that the experience of watching the Dodgers – a resounding meh?
Not judging by the comments on the various Dodgers blogs, anyway 😉
But seriously, that ad – couldn’t they at least have had a guy cheering or something – or does that make the ad too hard to produce? Is it easier just to have the expressionless dude? Sometimes ads can be baffling.
Wow, my fantasy team got destroyed this week, and now my real team is getting pounded. Gah.
This is what Tony Jackson thinks of the Dodger Angel matchup—-
The Dodgers, as they always do when they play American League teams, have become the ’62 Mets. Mike Lieberthal just threw a ball into center field. Dodgers are 1 for 5 w/RISP and 3 for 16 for the series. If the Angels and Dodgers played 100 times, the Angels would win at least 93 of them. Angels 5, Dodgers 2, top 7 … and Kelvim Escobar just singled to load the bases with one out.
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY…fingers crossed for Loney,…HAVE A SHORT MEMORY…..BETTER DAYS AHEAD.
Loney was playing Rf because we let Clark go, are did you forget?
Do you rather have another pitcher or Saenz out there?
or even worst Martin out there.
Just got back from the game and wow was that Loney situation scary. Needless to say I hope he’ll be ok. Immediately when Loney was put in right I was upset, because it’s not his position. But, Grady played his cards too soon with Ethier, so Loney was all that was left. I was initially upset at Grady for putting Loney in that position especially because he double switched with Kemp, so much so I screaming bloody murder all the way home because of the injury. But, you can never predict injuries in the game and they happen. I really truly hope it’s just a bruised knee and he’ll get back soon. The Angels just completely outclassed us in every way this season. This will be a crucial stretch of games where because of our failures on the road in A.L parks could put us 5, 6, 7 games back. Of course I hope we can shake this off. We shall see…
so… who thinks schmidt makes his next start? and if so…who takes his place?
I feel the need to vent. First, I want to congratulate the Angels. They totally outplayed, outclassed, outpitched and outcoached the Dodgers. A microcosm of the 6 games is the hit and run executed to perfection with Kendrick yesterday compared with the hit and run attempt when Pierre was up today. Instead of slapping it through the vacated hole at short, Pierre grounded out to first. Enough said. I am also frustrated at the fact that the Dodgers play so many players out of position. This falls clearly on Coletti. He did not need to sign Kent to an extension for this season. Kent has no range and his defensive skills are completely gone. Nomar was only siged as a response to Drew’s leaving, but why sign him when our best option hit .380 at AAA last year? Now we play Loney out of position and he risks serious injury.
Kent also looks like he is just going through the motions trying to get his season over as quick as possible. Our 2-4 spots in the lineup are completely useless 90% of the time. I feel as if the dodgers are solely playing players based upon their contract, i.e. dollars, instead of ability. Anyone who watches the Dodgers for a week knows Loney should be at first, Kemp in CF, Ethier in RF. Bench the underperforming vets. One other thing, if Schmidt cannot go, give Bills the shot. He pitched well in the 2nd half last year and is a key part of the future starting rotation. Do not use Hendricksen or Tomko-trade them of DFA them asap. Sorry if this rambled, but for a team that is 39 and 30, it seems as if they play like a team that’s 30 and 39.
Nomar Garciaparra is a CHUMP.
care to explain why?
ok are they seriously considering hendy or tomko for the rotation? they’ve officially lost it.
Without ranting too much here about what was undeniably a terrible day all around, can I at least make a heartfelt plea via this space to the Dodgers to consider possibly padding the lower part of that outfield wall? Before we lose another young player. That thing is practically a death trap. I don’t understand why you can’t pad the concrete part of a wall. Ludicrous.
Meanwhile, Schmidt needs to be DL’d again until he can reach less hittable velocities, Hendrickson needs to be DFA’d, Jon Meloan and Hull can be called up, and Bills should be starting.
Anyway, I hope Loney’s okay – a bruise is better than a break!
Gonza, I want Loney starting too but Nomar did drive in 3 of 4 runs for them today and even if he has absolutely no power at this point he’s been more clutch than Kent has or most of the other guys, frankly.
Loney is ok– bruised knee. And they are considered not bringing Schmidt on the road trip, and we all know what that means.. 60 day DL. Personally, i think he needs it. He is fine when he can consistently throw the heater at 88 and mix in 2 other pitches, but it hasnt been happening and when its not he is really easy to hit. They better give Bills the chance– that is all i have to say…
Delwyn Young has been playing like a stud in AAA. I hope he has a future with our team seeing as he is homegrown talent and what not… Lets make Abreu our 3b of the future and we can move Delwyn back to his original position of 2b…
i think yesterday was the last we saw of jason schmidt until at least august. Ned and Grady screwed it up bringing him pack after 1 rehab. I knew this would come back to bite us.
With Schmidt out they have to go to Billingsley right away. Send him down on this road trip and get him a couple of starts in triple A and then have him in the rotation by the time the team gets home.
As for Loney all i can say is THANK GOD! He can hit and if he gets a chance to play he’d put Nomar on the bench.
i wouldn’t be surpised if they didn’t give the spot to bills— if schmidt goes down. after all they’ve already passed him up twice, im sure they’ll find some ridiculous excuse.
i also wouldn’t be surprised if they put loney on the DL–he probably needs to, that collision looked fierce, and then leave him the minors once he’s ready. hey, they did it with kemp.
they already have skipped over Bills three times! Once during spring training, twice when Schmidt went down and thrice when Bombko ******. I wouldnt be surprised at all if Grady says “he’s more valuable in the pen to us” again and then go with Hendrickson or Bombko.
Saying a reliever is more valuable then a starter is one of the dumbest things i’ve ever heard. Thats a fireable statement. Its a completely mad statement. Its so stupid there is nothing to compare it too.
It drives me mad to think this guy is our manager sometimes. If he skips Bills again and we have to watch Bombko and Hendrickson get pounded again I really wouldn’t know what to say.
actaully I know what id do if he skipped bills over again. Id probably break out into hysterical laughter.
Kemp had a seperated shoulder though– very different than a bruise.
I am pissed about schmidt. If healthy he really gives a great dynamic to our pitching staff, but he is most certaintly not healthy. Hope this isnt a Dreifort, because if he isnt physically hurt and he cant throw more than 86 after 7 weeks off, something is seriously wrong. Who knows what the **** is wrong, but HE HAS TO THROW 88 TO BE SUCCESSFUL. I hate to peg a number to a guy but in his case it is deserving. It hurts so much because of what he could add. It will never be another Dreifort bc Dreifort was never very good so i take that back.
Being 34 one would think he has atleast 2 good years left, especially considering his size. I dont understand it, but its upsetting. good thing we have Bills who could be better than Schmidt ever was…
Dreifort actually had some of the filthiest stuff I’ve ever seen. The problem was he was absolutely injury prone to the extreme – makes Schmidt look like an iron man. But I wouldn’t say Dreifort was never good – he just wasn’t around enough.
I hope Bills gets starts too, but the reason the D’s have been reluctant is how unstable the rest of their bullpen is after Saito and Brox and Beimel, and Bills. You saw the other guys today. Not pretty. But there are other options available in the minors (and on injury rehab) so hopefully they’ll get a chance and we can feel less nervous about it. That said, I do think the Dodgers have very little faith in Tomrickson at this point and wouldn’t be surprised to see Bills get the nod next time.
Re: Delwyn Young, I hope he gets a chance too. But as an outfielder – he was a pretty terrible 2nd baseman defensively if I recall. There was a good reason he was converted. But he’d make a good 4th outfielder.
Tony Jackson says that he heard that Loney told reporters after the game that he’ll be ready to go Tuesday. I know that’s like 6th hand information, but it’s reassuring.
If Loney misses any time, someone needs to be fired.
No matter what, the Dodgers have 10 days to fix that outfield scoreboard. It’s hurt Kemp and Loney now. Imagine if the same thing had hurt Karros AND Piazza, or Garvey AND Cey, or Koufax AND Drysdale, or Jackie AND Campy.
If there is no fix, it just needs to be covered. There are too many injuries waiting to happen.
Possible fixes–if instead of plexiglass, they pulled the screen back one foot and put a chain-link fence or rope-mesh sceen in front. It would obstruct the view, but those would have some give, so that if someone crashes into it, they don’t get killed. And pad the darn bottom of the fence!
No, can you imagine in 1991 if Lasorda double-switched Strawberry with Karros in the outfield? Loney is a freaking Gold Glove First Baseman ready to happen and should never play the outfield again. The Dodgers got LUCKY! They could have lost Loney for several months with a ligament tear or a broken bone(s). Loney in the outfield is an absolute joke and it’s not a knock on him. He’s one of the smoothest fielding first baseman I’ve ever seen and to throw that all away to put him in right field with the DEATH WALL was an absolute bonehead decision that almost lost them their insurance policy. It didn’t happen this time, DO NOT let it happen again. I thought I could let this one go, I just can’t, THEY GOT LUCKY! I left Dodger Stadium cursing Grady Little for double-switching Kemp out of the game, which in itself is just a stupid move. But, to double switch him for Loney, because he wasted Ethier earlier in the game, was just poor game management. Wow, I just can’t let this one go and give him the benefit of the doubt. Just a stupid decision. Oh and Bills should take Schmidt’s rotation spot even if it does weaken our bullpen. My fear has always been by doing that you trust Tomko or Seanez to bridge the gap Bills has done so well this season. But, it’s time for Bills to get his job back. But, the minute Tomko, Hendy, or Seanez blows the lead a lot of us will say Bills wouldn’t of done that.
I wasn’t going to come on much today, but I just read in the papers, that SF-GM Brian Sabean wants to trade BONDS and Bonds would consider waiving his no-trade clause. I’m just reporting this, Fill in the blanks, if you wish.
ALEX41592, I agree with you all the way on the LONEY in the outfield thing. I think it’s because he’s a left handed fielder and there is no other place to put him. On Billingsley, I hope it doesn’t come to (USE HIM OR LOSE HIM), other clubs out there, I’m sure are thinking of him (as a starter). I will stop at that.
Leekfink – Loney’s knee didn’t hit the scoreboard. It hit the cement at the base of the wall…doesn’t that cement go all the way around the base of the outfield wall? Also, wouldn’t Kemp’s shoulder have separated if he had hit padded wall, because of the angle of his arm and the speed of impact? I could understand being mad at the scoreboard situation if it were impact injuries requiring stitches, or something of the sort, but I think both of these injuries would have occurred whether the scoreboard were there or not.
Alex – It has been speculated that Loney’s only other position, besides spelling Nomar at 1b, would be in the corner outfield spots. With the game well out of hand, Grady puts Loney in to get some innings at the position. It doesn’t seem that dumb to me – he wanted to see how the kid would do, and put him in in a non-critical situation. Loney shouldn’t have been going that balls-out for a ball on the warning track in the 8th inning of a blowout; that is by no means Grady’s fault.
Easy fix for the right field killer wall. Put Nomar and Kent out there. Management does not have a clue. If something stinks ,it usually starts at the head and works it’s way down. Also how about having a new hitting coach in mind before you fire Murray? Mueller may be good , who knows? Wouldn’t you rather have someone with a track record as a coach or would that make to much sense? Also any time you put in a run donor (Tomko or Hendy) you have to expect balls to be hit to the killer wall.
53’s Take – For what it’s worth:
Jason Schmidt is done. I posted this right after his second start (the first of his 88 MPH maximum games) and I still believe that this is the case. There is definitely something very wrong with him – something that will require surgery. I also posted that Schmidt is our new Darren Dreifort = Big contract – Always hurt. (By the way, I agree with underdog8 – Dreifort was awesome and almost unhitable when he was healthy; which, unfortunately, was VERY rare).
I know that I am going against the masses here, but I attribute both Kemp’s and Loney’s run-in (literally) with the right field wall to their inexperience at Dodger Stadium. Both of these kids are (base) Balls to the Wall in their play and will try that play nine times out of ten. With experience at Dodger Stadium, they will become more familiar with the wall and more aware of the warning track (which is why it is called such).
Keep in mind that although the right field wall scoreboard is Plexiglas, at least it is not brick; such is the case at Wrigley Field. Also keep in mind that we lost Jason Repko (probably forever) because of his run-in with the fully padded center field wall (albeit his was an ankle injury while trying to go up the padded wall to try to make a catch on a homerun ball).
Replacing the right field scoreboard with something soft or mesh would have a major affect on the way that balls are played off of the wall. If a change is to be made, I would much rather see both outfield wall scoreboards completely removed, as opposed to modifying them with something else. Again, I know that this is probably against the opinion of most, but this is how I see it. That said, I thank God that Loney was not seriously hurt, as we really need him.
I believe that Chad Billingsley will be making his first start of the season this week and that he will (finally) be in the starting rotation from here on out.
GO DODGERS!
GO RUSSELL!
Way beyond woeful…
…but awful is more like it. The Dodgers are in need of an identity in the worst way, and it seems that scoring runs is the most difficult thing they have to do… but now… adding to that list of difficult things, pitching an effective game is gaining ground in a hurry. If we add the two together, it’s lights out baby… better luck next year.
And would somebody please tell Frank McCourt that plexiglass padding on outfield walls is a really bad idea? And to think we might have to send Loney down to AAA just to make certain he can play again (ala Matt Kemp) after he goes on the 15 day DL… all because of this stupid scoreboard in right field. This next road trip may very well define the rest of the year for the Blue Crew…
Items to think about which will definitely affect this team NOW:
Jason Schmidt is heading to the DL again… perhaps for the year as it seems necessary. Maybe the rumors of surgical repair weren’t that unfounded after all.
Mark Hendrickson and Brett Tomko. You really can’t be serious, can you? Here’s two words for you: Chad Billingsley. End of story.
Matt Kemp AND Andre Ethier need to be in the same, regular lineup. They will do nothing but play off of each other’s talent and will push each other to be better players. They will protect one another in the lineup, depending upon who is batting where… not to mention the offensive spark that is missing with Juan Pierre.
Speaking of which, Newsflash!! Juan Pierre does not play smart baseball. His hit and run effort right at the first baseman was pathetic. With the shortstop covering second base, Pierre had a hole at short big enough to drive a mack truck through… and yet pulled the ball to first. This play alone is a microcosm of his lack to do the “smart” thing on the baseball field. It’s time to sit this man on the bench in favor of Gonzo/Kemp/Ethier in the same lineup.
Brad Penny and Derrick Lowe are money. Randy Wolf can’t be in the habbit of giving up too many runs early in his starts or else the offense can’t overcome the deficit. Hong-Chih Kuo needs to pace himself better or else we’re into the pen much too early. Which leaves us to a fifth starter. This team cannot afford to have only two good arms through the rotation and expect their offense to pick up the slack. The team is in trouble if pitching doesn’t come around quickly.
Help!!
PS…
As for Wilson Betemit – He is undoubtedly the guy you love to hate. His power is incredible, but his strikeouts are devastating. I do not see this changing anytime soon.
GO DODGERS!
GO RUSSELL!
Fan 53,
I completely agree with you on Schmidt and the Wall issue. I think if Schmidt can go to surgery and recover for next year, than the deal is not a total loss, but Bills needs to come in and get his chance. Wilson just can’t seem to prove he is the everyday guy and Abreu loves the High fastballs (League of Their Own?) I don’t think an option is out there, but we need that power bat. I want someone who puts the fear in me like Vlad does, but it may be a ‘wait til next year’ attitude on that component.
Granted there are only about 4 other players in the majors that actually do instill that fear that Vlad does…
Anyone want to trade for Griffey???
yeah kevin, i want someone with that clout as well, it stinks having guys that you almost feel sorry for in the middle of our lineup. nomar and pierre are such good people, but they just are absolutely horrible baseball players this year. nomar used to put that fear in people but not anymore, and JP always gets 200 hits and 100 runs, yet cant post a 300 obp. he sure gets on an awful lot huh ned? neds offseason signings are just looking worse and worse. pierre, nomar, and schmidt are complete busts thus far.
as bad as it sounds, considering griffeys injury history, i would still rather have dunn. but i dont think they are trading junior anyways.
Totally agree with you, graffitigenius on the Pierre, Nomar, and Schmidt signings. Let’s not also forget the unnecessary Kent contract extension, plus having the Tomko and Hendrickson presence on our hands. I would give Colletti a big fat D- in my rating system. Look at what else we might have achieved with those same payroll dollars. If I owned the club, this guy’s head would be on the block like right NOW.