Friday comes early
After coming out to the park at about 1:30 to take grounders at third base, Nomar moves to the other side of the diamond tonight.
Two days left for All-Star voting…minor league update from Haydock below.
Furcal, SS
Pierre, CF (toughest guy to strike out in the NL)
Martin, C
Kent, 2B
Gonzo, LF
Nomar, 3B
Loney, 1B (hitting .363 since being recalled last season, 3rd best in MLB)
Ethier, RF (doing the Arizona media tour in his old stomping grounds)
Billingsley, P
Inside the Dodgers 
wow, pierres hard to strike out. whoopee. now all we need is kemp in there and the lineup is perfect (athough hoepfully loney will be moved up in time).
Good luck to Nomar tonight – it isn’t easy switching positions with just two days practice. GO DODGERS!
-luxx80
Wow: twin surprises, Kent back in there even after hurting his toe last night, and Nomar already moving over to 3rd. I guess they figured, why not? Can’t be any worse. Good luck to him and the team tonight. Should be an interesting game to watch.
And a third surprise – Nomar hitting SIXTH and Martin hitting THIRD!
Grady totally reads the blog. These are the things most of us have been calling for all season. All you whiners on here were whining about our negativity and now look at you. Next thing, Furcal heats up and Pierre is dropped to 8th for good.
Note the Edgar Gonzalez, the AZ starter tonight, is the guy who yielded Nomar’s only homer this year.
nkirby4: there are many blogs that have been suggesting things like since Nomar was re-signed.
if grady had read this blog though, wouldnt he have made all these moves 3 months ago when were originally calling for them?
Ken Gurnick is an utter fool for leaving out critical pieces of information in his latest mailbag column regarding Andy LaRoche (injury status, OBP during his big league call-up) while claiming LaRoche “wasn’t a quality big leaguer.” I really can’t stand that beat writer.
Perfect Lineup. Lets rock and roll. I feel a beatdown coming for Arizona again!
Pierre also leads the Dodger regulars in outs per PA (.73).
Of all the starters he also generated the LEAST number of runs per PA (.18).
In other words an out machine that does not produce runs.
All this while not striking out a lot! Those popouts and caught stealings mount up.
yah im sure grady’s reading the blog….lol..sure buddy
let’s go get another win tonight! go dodgers!!!!!!!!!
who thinks penny is starting the all-star game? i sure hope he does 🙂
lowe deserves an invite as well…hope he gets it!
I totally agree momoracci.
I totally agree nkirby and old fogey.
I totally agree jspelk.
But hey baby steps.
wow…Where is the real Grady Little and who made this lineup? cuz its freaking beautiful. Im so glad i don’t have to work tonight.
Oh John, enough with the negative FACTS. lol
Vin doing the game again on the package?
Man johnworozbyt, all these changes and all you can point out is Pierre?! Come on man Pierre is the least of our worries, how about Furcal and his slumping ways due to his ankle, or the fact that we had to put Nomar at 3rd because Betemit and Abreu couldnt cut it there which in turn increases the chances of Nomar injuring himself at third. Pierre has been getting on base and stealing bases and scoring runs he is one fo the reasons why we have won a couple games this road trip, get over the fact that he is not a star player and that we may or may not have paid way too much for him, hes a Dodger and will be at least for a while!
Grady does not need to read this blog because he knows what he is doing. This is his last resort option for this team and the only reason it has happened is becasue well…. its his last resort! Loney has made Grady play him by his performance so far this year and Kemp has shown some signs but not as cosistently as Loney has so thats why you wont see Kemp starting everyday, but what i can see is Kemp playing everyday wether it be a pinch hit or pinch runner or defensive substitution and he has earned that.
Now that the moves have been made we will see how things work out! I am routing for Nomar to have a good game at 3rd tonight, maybe this is what he needed!
GO DODGERS!!!!!
GO BILLS!!
VOTE 4 MARTIN!!! (he is gonna represent us well!)
While LaRoche may not have had a high BA, but he was a team leader in the least number of outs generated per PA and was right at the team average for runs generated per PA. His OBP far exceeded favorites Pierre, Furcal and Nomar.
I think in his current condition (recovering from shoulder injuries) he should not be downgraded for not showing power. If given adequate time to recover from his shoulder injuries he hopefully will regain his power stroke.
Meanwhile, when he was up on the ML team he became an on-base machine. I do not think “sports writers” or dodger management fully appreciate or comprehend OBP as much as they should.
its hilarious the little note next to Pierres name. ha! its hard to strike out Juan Pierre because hes too easy to get to ground out or fly out or pop out in foul ground or fly out to shallow CF with a runner on 3rd base. HE trylu is the single worst baseball player I have ever watched play!
truly, I mangled the word truly above 🙂
I love this line-up!!! I have a feeling Nomar is gonna start going off down there, especially with the best 7 hitter in baseball behind him.
Up and at them!
Nice lineup. Good to see Nomar out of the 3-spot. Put him lower down, where he’ll hopefully see more RISP and get more hits, if that’s his thing.
And yeah, just to add my voice to the chorus saying being hard to strike out isn’t automatically a good thing. If you’re just trying to weakly slap the ball to second, you’re not going to strike out too often. It is the power swings that attract more strikeouts, and often produce more useful results, too!
let’s hope nomar gets hot in his new position and spot in the lineup…sometimes change is good, and maybe this will relieve some of the pressure off of him by not being in the 3-hole…
GO DODGERS!!!!
My spring training blog goals:
1. Get Chad in the rotation. check
2. Get Kemp in over Gonzo. no.
3. Have Loney play 1b over Nomar..check
4. Have Juan Pierre’s contract voided. no chance.
—
So I have a solution that will allow me to attain my goals. Grady and Bernie I know your listening….Have Kemp play for Pierre!!!
the dodgers are one of the best teams in the majors in noy striking out AND they have no power…hmmm. coincidence?
Dunn = bad player because he strikes out 200+?
Pierre = good player because he strikes out the fewest in MLB?
i know its not that simple, but this seems to be the argument many pro pierre ppl use
anyway, lineup is almost ideal. Kemp in there somewhere, switch Loney and Kent and I am thrilled
*not striking out.
I do not makeup the facts, I just tabulate and report them. If they look bad it is because the player has performed badly.
Pierre is not the only player underperforming. Nomar does not look too good either. That is just the way it is. I do not expect either to change much this season.
BTW – Kemp and Loney, though having played far less than the afforementioned, are certainly providing positive vibs.
Dunn is a bigger, stronger Wilson Betemit that can’t play defense.
Wow, is all I have to say. Nomar dropped from batting third, Loney playing first, Nomar moved over to third base. Martin batting third, it’s really all coming together. I’m proud of this organization for making changes and I’m really looking forward to tonights game (even more so now)! I also wish Nomar the best of luck at third and welcome to the James Loney era!
GO DODGERS!
VOTE FOR MARTIN!
This is about the biggest change in the Lineup this year since BETEMIT was benched. We can call it the second move which I feel most thought would have came sooner. As I said last night if NOMAR can keep batting runs in there will be less changes at 3rd base. I wish I could see his power return. Well another big night tonight. Boy I hate rooting for the gnats but that’s how this game is played. I guess they feel the same when the tables are turned. It’s been going on like this for eons. I hope the team doesn’t let the scoreboard bother them. They have to concentrate on their game only. We fans can’t do anything to effect the game. Let’s hope they can keep the ball bouncing for two consecutive nights. From all the way out in Brooklyn….LET’S GO DODGERS.
Its hard to strike out Juan Pierre because he usually doesn’t stick around long enough to actually see 3 pitches.
Dunn is a goofball and a strike out king.
Pierre is hard to strike out. That’s because he leads the outs made category in every other way. It’s great to see Loney in there, now if only Kemp would replace little Juan we’d have the best team we can on the field. If Raffy’s ankle still bothers him , he should be put on the DL period.
hopefully nomar does well tonight at 3rd…..im sure if he makes an error tonight, some posters on this blog would be all over him like there’s no tommorow….then the blame game would shift to grady for putting him to third, then shift to bed for re-signing nomar..etc…
sometimes it would be nice to read meaningful comments on this blog related to the dodgers, rather than the same old blame game type comments followed by the always popular second-guessing of grady game..
regardless..im glad the nay sayers on this blog arent calling the shots for the dodgers, although some seem to think their rants are causing grady to change the lineupes to appease them…lol
GO BLUE!!!!!!!!
i meant ned, not “bed” 🙂
Ok all you Pierre “lovers” out there!! hahaha (notice the sarcasm)
Among the CF in the majors Pierre ranks:
14th in AVG with the likes of Bill Hall, Mike Cameron, Carlos Beltran, Coco Crisp, Melky Cabrera, Johnny Damon, Vernon Wells, Andrew Jones all sitting behind him
13th in runs scored with the likes of Bill Hall, Mike Cameron, Carlos Beltran, Coco Crisp, Melky Cabrera, Johnny Damon, Vernon Wells, Andrew Jones all sitting behind him
5th in hits with the likes of Bill Hall, Mike Cameron, Carlos Beltran, Coco Crisp, Melky Cabrera, Johnny Damon, Vernon Wells, Andrew Jones and even Gary Matthews Jr. all sitting behind him
1st in Stolen Bases with everyone behind him!
Now the guys i have mentioned behind him in those catagories for that position are more than worthy of Pierre’s contract if not more, wouldn’t you agree?! Now why is it that we continue to gripe about his contract and the way he plays when he is helping this team win games, of course he shouldn’t be paid this much for those numbers but there are other outfielders that are getting the same if not more and producing less than he is! I will be the first to say i didnt think he was worth that much but hey he isnt hurting this team he is adding to it if anything!
Im glad to see this Lineup!
Nomar at third and batting sixth. It will turn around for him. He will step it up.
Glad to see that he is ok with the move to third. Goes to show you the kind of person that he is. He wants to win and will cotribute any way possible. No big egos on this team, they all play to win.
As far as Pierre goes. I can’t wait to he gets on fire and we all start cheering the guy on. Shuffle the outfield around, find time for all of them to play.
Lets make the best with what we have.
I hope Russ doesn’t try to do too much in the 3 hole.
Look at it this way too.
Would you rather have a guy like Andrew Jones who you expect to hit a lot of HR and Get on base alot and score runs and get RBI’s but dont get out of or a guy like Pierre who you dont expect to see big numbers out of but you get some production out of?!
K leaders
Reggie Jackson (6 times)
Schmidt 3 times
Thome 1 time
Sosa 3 times
Galarragga (1)
Murphy (4 times)
Kingman(3 times)
So it takes some k’s to hit 40-50 bombs.
going back to what moracci said, strikeouts only matter if u also let people know the OBP associated. True Pierre *****. oops that slipped, true Pieere is great at not hitting the ball out of the infield. doh, that slipped too. True Pierre is great at not striking out, but his job is not to not strike out. His job is to get on base and make things happen. Is his .307 OBP good enough? According to some its the least of our worries. A 307 obp and 1 homerun out of our key offesive offseason signing isnt something to worry about?
dahustlasbac, the other outfielders you listed all can throw, and most of them can hit the long ball and drive in runs. Tell me who would you rather have in center Pierre or Beltran or some of the others you mentioned?
I love the lineup changes as far as they go. Let’s see Bills go at least five innings tonight with no more than three runs given up. I would consider that a successful outing for his second start – next time looking for six innings and no more than two runs.
I too am wishing that this Nomar experiment works, and that would have to include a resurgance with his bat.
Go for FIRST PLACE TONIGHT!!!
WOW!! What a line up!!!!!!
That is a the best team in the NL!!!!!
I’d just like to add a little note about PIERRE. (and not because we have the same family name) This type of hitter in the lineup will make the difference in how far this team goes this season. I for one like our power in the outfield and I would prefer the base running to the infielders when they come to the plate. BUT now I realize it really doesn’t matter what position a batter plays. As long as PIERRE can use those legs to beat out a bunt and take the exrta base he is an ASSET not a liability to this team. Right now FURCAL is afraid to slide that meams we lost a lot basestealing until he recovers. So right now PIERRE has make up for it. AND what’s wrong when a hitter consisently makes contact. That’s very important in any given situation.
why would any pitcher even try to strike Pierre out? may as well throw it down the middle and let him hit it hard to an infielder somewhere. No need to pain the corners and try to K him only to walk him. Last I read only 5% of the balls he puts in play make it out of the infield.
First let me start out by saying this Dodger Team is not one I would have picked before the season started, but hey i dont make the ballclub! I would not have Pierre in center i would have …….. i would probably want Hall in my center, the guy is a gamer he is quick and gets to the gaps and pursues the ball well, plus the guy can mash! The thing is though we have Pierre and his sub stellar bat and i guess you could say sub stellar defense and certainly the worst arm. Wow after saying that it really sounds bad, but honestly i wasnt coming in expecting him to do good and to see that he is stealing bases and scoring runs and doing the little things to help us win i think to myself we need him…. maybe not his hefty contract but thats a whole different convo.
Honestly the fact that his OBP is low is not that big a deal…. you can drive yourslef crazy looking at all that stuff…. baseball is about the things it takes to win the game not what he has done in a 5 game stretch or a 10 game etc. and i think he has shown some brilliance in the spots were we needed it and some times he has not but thats baseball! Did we all forget that this is a game?!
Another good thought came to my mind…..
Would you rather have a guy hit lights out all season long and lead the league in all stats and then come to the playoffs and just plain stink up the joint or have a guy not do great all year but come into the playoffs and help their team win games and win a championship! A guy that can do the small things to help a club win games is more valuable than a guy you has the best OBP in the league!
i’ll take a-rods numbers over pierres any day of the week, thank you very much, regardless of the playoffs. one member of the team isn’t going to make or break your playoff games anyways.
You dont think the Yankee’s felt the lack of production out of him last year in the playoffs?! He was knocking the cover off the ball all last year and then came into the playoffs and couldnt buy a clutch hit!
Ok I have a little bet….any takers?
3 weeks from today: (July 17) and then i’ll go tally the votes (channeling Jeff from Survivor)
Will Juan Pierre’s On Base Percentage be above or below Derek Lowe’s?
Don’t laugh. Pierre is at .307 and Lowe is .303.
lowe has definitley improved himself with the bat since coming to the NL, but i don’t know. close call.
so what are you saying, that you’d rather have pierre than a-rod up in a crucial spot in the WS because you percieve him to be un-clutch?
lol JP will be above.
By the way, Arod is awesome. I love Sterling’s call when he says, an Abomb from Arod!
Gotta give props to Nomar for doing whatever it takes for the team to be successful. Pushing his ego aside to allow Loney to be in his proper position. Sometimes being a leader of the team means taking a step down and allowing others to succeed. If loney continues to perform, can discount the rumors for Texiara.
Go Dodgers!
I’ve been following pretty closely the last 4 or 5 years although I didn’t have a computer and I couldn’t come online I watched the games on TV on a thing called EXTRA INNINGS that I found through SPORTS IN DEMAND. I’m not just a Johnny come lately when it comes to the Dodgers. I’ve been following them since 1947. It got a little harder to do after they left us flat in B’klyn, but I’m awful happy I stuck to them. I’ll stick this in here which I could have done before—I’m worried about Matt KEMP as well as the rest of you. I hope he doesn’t turn into another Roberto Clemente. He could have been a Dodger but there was never any room for him. I never thought that da GONZ was going to show up like he’s done lately. BUT you can’t hope BAD things to happen. We just got to let things fall into place. I remember when somebody decided that Bill Buckner was not a 1st basemen but an outfieder and Steve Garvey couldn’t throw to first so they brought his hold body over there and Bill Russell and Davey Lopes didn’t belong in the outfield and low and behold the penquin Ron Cey appeared. Dusty Baker & Reggie (the other Reggie ) Smith came along to solve the power outtage and before you know it everybody started hitting homeruns and even then CF was left to great fielders. BUT ofcourse we always had fine pitching, which we have now. COM’ON YA BUMS PLAY BALL.
Dude you guys read into everything so dramatically…… no what im saying is a guy that has a great OBP all year can still be a player who is not contributing to his team, the stats all year long mean nothing when it comes to the playoffs which makes me wonder why we even have stats to look at, i for one find myself doing the same thing, looking at our stats as a team against others that are hot or cold during the course of the season but i wish i didnt have that to go on because if my team makes it to the playoffs all that time looking at those stats all year go out the window and its back to one on one baseball, two teams who have made it the playoffs and are fighting to get to the championship!
I was simply giving another opinion to this ongoing onslaught of hate towards a player who is not the worst player in baseball! (as some of you seem to think)
Quick comment, to be the worst player in the majors is a ridiculous statement. His steals alone makes him worth more than some players. His OBP will always haunt him, but you’re throwing stones at the wrong person once again. A lot of you continue to waste your time with this Pierre situation. This is probably the last time I’ll comment about anything related to Pierre that’s not a game relevant topic. It’s a waste of all our time. Someone please talk about something else…
The only statistics that really truly matter offensively are RBI’s and runs (those are the stats that win or lose ballgames). The rest of the statistics out there are all fluff. Teams win by scoring runs, not by how many times a guy reaches base, how high his OPS is, how many hits he has etc. etc. By the way when combining the 2 numbers (runs and RBIs) you must also subtract HR’s (because players get credited for both a run and RBI in those instances).
Alex i hope you weren’t referring to my comment, because i stated that:
I was simply giving another opinion to this ongoing onslaught of hate towards a player who is not the worst player in baseball! (as some of you seem to think)
Posted by: dahustlasbac@yahoo.com | June 26, 2007 04:56 PM
NOT being the key word in that statement. I honestly dont know why i wasted my time trying to explain why i thought the onslaught needed to stop but i guess the fan in me just kind of kicked in! I too feel i will never again try and convince the ones who dont care about what others have to say on topics they feel they are never wrong in!
good Alex im glad you won’t comment about Pierre anymore because i hate watching you dig yourself into a hole everytime you do.
Pierre’s stolen basese are again overrated, just list him, because despite the fact he hast the most stolen bases in the last 5 years he also has been caught stealing more then anyone else in that time. He’s been thrown out 110 times since 2001. He gets throw out about 35% of the time. Thats just not acceptable.
“The only statistics that really truly matter offensively are RBI’s and runs (those are the stats that win or lose ballgames).”
We obviously didn’t sign Pierre to drive in runs. We signed him to score runs, which the only way he can do that is by….GETTING ON BASE!
No, just in general the entire idea he’s the worst player in baseball is a ridiculous statement. Anybody who has any value whatsoever cannot be the worst player. Oh but I will say this, yes I would rather have A-Rod at the plate but there’s probably only 1 or 2 other people I’d rather have on base than Pierre. His problem has just been getting on base consistantly but nobody can deny when he’s on base he wreaks havoc on the bases like few can. Which is why it’s frustrating he doesn’t get on base enough. Enough I want the freaking game to start already…
I had a great time at the game last night. Brad Penny was absolutely electric. Broxton hitting 102 MPH inside the stadium was awesome too.
I’m excited to see how Nomar will do tonight. I hope the move benefits the team immediately. What does this mean for Betemit’s role? Is management still afraid of optioning him to the minors?
Max are you kidding would you rather have a guy with 10 steals and 0 CS in a season or a guy with 60 steals and 15 CS?
Id rather have someone that doesn’t cause more outs then need be.
I’d like to have an outfielder with a cannon.
see thats just it you will find something wrong with a player everytime. name one player who has one thing great about him but doesnt have a bad thing about him?
26% caught but who’s counting really (348 out of 472) and he’s right on pace (23 of 31 26%)
Id rather have a good young guy with speed and power play in center then Pierre. Too bad we don’t have one of those sitting on the bench wearing number 27.
Gosh is Paul DePodesta posting on these boards? Should we go and resign Hee-Soep Choi again?
I don’t think we did all that well with his version of “stats ball”.
In comparison in his MLB career Ichiro has been thrown out 19% of the time
dahustlasbac, every player has a negative. Pierre just so happens to have a negative in almost every aspect of the game.
Someone with his speed shouldn’t be throw out that much PERIOD. Its just that he is not that good.
Thats because you based it off all the nosense stats you look into and not the ones he excels in. The heart of a ball player is terribly under estimated!
Kemp is not gonna steal lots of bases..
ok what do you say about Jose Reyes?
38 SB to 10 CS he is faster than Pierre and he seems to get caught every once in a while!
dahustlasbac i don’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Kemp could be a 30/30 guy easily.
I’ll bet Max has more whines about JP this year then JP has made outs this year……
dahustlasbac@yahoo.com wrote…
Another good thought came to my mind…..
Would you rather have a guy hit lights out all season long and lead the league in all stats and then come to the playoffs and just plain stink up the joint or have a guy not do great all year but come into the playoffs and help their team win games and win a championship! A guy that can do the small things to help a club win games is more valuable than a guy you has the best OBP in the league!
Posted by: dahustlasbac@yahoo.com | June 26, 2007 04:28 PM
I agreed with the argument only because the ultimate goal is to win the world series, and until you wrote… “A guy that can do the small things to help a club win games is more valuable than a guy you has the best OBP in the league!”
How do you come to this conclusion? OBP is an important stat that is very closely associated and linked to winning teams. (i.e. Yankees of the 90’s)
Based on what? The only time Kemp came close to those numbers was at Vero Beach.
please don’t compare Jose Reyes to Juan Pierre. Thats an insult to Jose Reyes who is an exponentially better player then Juan Pierre.
Reyes is having a down year. The last 2 years he’s only been throw out 17 and 15 times compared to JPs 20 somethings.
Jose Reyes has power and an OBP over .310
spanner… they dont play 162 games in A ball… over the course of 162 games, Kemp could easily be a 30/30 guy
kemp could steal a lot of bases NOW but not in a few years…he’s only going to get bigger and slower which is probably why the org. doesn’t want him playing CF.
you don’t like stats, but signing people like pierre is what happens when you pay no attention to them, or at least not the right ones. that’s all im going to say, im done with that part of the dicussion.
more like 90 games in A ball
So then can we sign him to play SS because furcal isn’t cutting it so far this year….
sorry im not wearing a cheerleaders outfit. I don’t know about you guys but I’d like to see the best players we have available on the field everyday. I know thats a far fetched idea to someone you but hopefully you will come around to it.
actually..right now…reyes is pretty close to pierre in terms of percent caught stealing
Furcal is obviously hurt. You were probably one of the People calling for his head last year.
getting closer to the best lineup… but Pierre will sadly never sit
Pierre does have the most hits of anyone on our team right now and is tied with Martin for the team lead in runs scored. Aren’t those important stats?
hahaha a cheerleaders uni! well thats what a fan is a person who cheers for their team. I am mean im not down there playing the game and i dont think you are either. And im not making decisions for the club and i sure hope ur not either so yes we are cheerleaders and nothing more!
im going to go get some sushi for the game.
Get the Tomcod seasoned with DDT Max….
Furcal is obviously hurt. You were probably one of the People calling for his head last year.
Posted by: max_power_05@yahoo.com | June 26, 2007 05:38 PM
And I know for a fact that you were one calling for Gonzo’s benching before the season started not to mention most of this season.
Adam Dunn just hit a bomb
Max, I was more referring to Dunn than Pierre when mentioning “the only statistics that truly matter” but since you were on one of your Pierre rants I can go there too. Pierre is tied for the team lead in runs scored, what did we get him for? To score runs. If you look at his RBI total its pretty low, but when you subract HRs from RBIs from guys like Gonzo and Kent he is only chasing them by a handful of runs in overall production (8 Kent, 11 Gonzo). He’s tied with Nomar in run production and only chasing Furcal by 2. Of the 5 others that have the most ABs on our team, he is really only getting outproduced steadily by Martin. So in my mind if you’re mad at Pierre, you should also save some rant time for: Furcal, Nomar, Kent and Gonzo as well.
Most Major Leaguers would not strike out much if they hacked at almost every pitch.
Just putting the ball in play is not a great skill
Pierre does have the most hits of anyone on our team right now and is tied with Martin for the team lead in runs scored. Aren’t those important stats?
Posted by: spanner@aol.com | June 26, 2007 05:40 PM
Pierre plays everyday and ***** up ABs like no other dodger. Pierre never walks so a fair assesment would be to add his walks and hits and see where he places with other leadoff hitters… or use OBP. He’s pretty bad if u use that. The fact that he gets more ABs than any other dodger should equal more runs than any other dodger.
Pierre is not batting leadoff.. Furcal is our leadoff hitter right now.. You could compare him to other #2 hitters and I think he would come out pretty good in that comparison.
Wow stats out the window….KC just knocked off the Angels at the Big A 5-3….
fisher I think you saw a replay of yesterdays game.
lol oops…..don’t watch em it was a game…
lol, you threw me for a loop for a second.
I really hate em as of late and watch prefer to watch them while losing….
I have a solution for the JP situation… Lets bring Mondesi out of retirement so we have a shot at 40/40 again.
In all seriousness… I havent seen Pierre flying out nearly as much since Mueller took over as Batting Coach. At least he’s putting the ball on the ground and allowing his legs to do the work and almost always makes the infielders get rid of the ball in a hurry.
Anyways, Im not the happiest with his offensive production, but I’m seeing improvements over the last 7 games or so.
So yeah, typical ending..
Go Blue!!
Go Martin!
Go Bills!!
Anyone else think That A Martinez should get a ‘call up’ to the Announcers box soon? I think he has a great voice and really enjoys the team much the same as Vin.
I dont know about anyone else, but I sure as **** am excited about the saturday game… I just hope that I can work around my brother’s wedding to watch Penny and Peavy duke it out.
Lowe vs Webb Penny Vs Peavy lots of pitching games ahead but this one is a battle of the BP with the exception that Gonzalez has been Rocked as a starter this year. I’m looking forward to this one as much as all Dodger Games!
Go BLUE!!!
Bench Pierre for Kemp and all will be right with the Dodgers. I couldn’t expect Grady to put the best lineup out there though. Contracts and streaks come first…
Dahustle of Russel!
We are now really inadequate in the leadoff department. Neither Furcal or Pierre can get on base with any consistency, and that is hurting the team regardless of who we have batting third. If Furcal can’t be DL’d, which he probably needs, then at least get him out of batting leadoff.
LONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dunn who?………..
OH MY GOD! LONEY! HE’S ON FREAKING FIRE! WHAT POWER? GOODNESS WHAT A SHOT!
atta boy Loney.
wow
Should have had Loney up here at the beginning of the season. Grady is a little bit SLOW.
Grady almost ran us out of that inning. Why does he insist on running with full counts with our slowest runners?
I’m watching on MLB.TV…man I hate the diamondbacks announcers, especially Mark Grace
Because he’s assuming Nomar wouldn’t swing through a pitch down the middle of the plate
Could you imagine if Tomko was pitching like this tonight? 2 HR’s, a triple in less than 2 innings, goodness we’d never hear the end of it…
yep…
Bills has done pretty well to get 2 strikes but where is his stikeout pitch?Oh yeah over or off the fence…
why do people always complain about grady? geez….stop crying already
Well, we have a little more patience with a young starter like Bills. Incidentally, nice work getting out of that inning – I was afraid they’d put Tomko in, since he was mentioned above.
well tomko has been bombed time after time… this is new for Bills
And about Grady… he consistently makes that call (running with slow runners when the count is full). He’s assuming Nomar won’t strike out, that’s obvious, but the risk in that scenario is far greater than any reward. It happened last night too with Kent. It just doesn’t make sense.
Tomko has no upside.
At least with Bills he’ll get better.
Pierre is not batting leadoff.. Furcal is our leadoff hitter right now.. You could compare him to other #2 hitters and I think he would come out pretty good in that comparison.
Posted by: spanner@aol.com | June 26, 2007 05:58 PM
Really? I’d say Pierre has gone from being one of the worst leadoff batters to one of the worst #2 batters.
Bills settles down… atta boy
someone please tell me why JP is the worst player in baseball when his numbers are as bad (or as good) as furcal.yet noboby is pounding furcal and shouting for his trade. and remember it’s not like furcal came cheap
That was much better maybe butterflies and adrinaline…we need Bills to go 5-7 inns. tonight and show he can step it up like the other kids to take the reins.
I was pounded on for mentioning Furcal’s lack of production not to mention that when he does get on and JP gets on JP can’t run because furcal can’t or won’t…
C’mon Loney!!!
OFY!!!!!!!!!!DUNN WHO????
Loney is Mayor of “THE ZONE” right now!
BILLLLLLLLZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Is it too late to start a write-in campaign for Loney to go to the All-Star Game?
YEAH! BILLS! Right down central and Bills took care of that BP fastball to the gap!
Bills ripping!
Raffy almost had that one…….
oops…. C’mon JP!!!
Case of Furcal vs. Pierre…
Furcal has more power and Pierre, gets on base at a better rate, plays much better defense, and offense out of **** is valuable. CF are generally better hitters in MLB, so a good hitting SS is worth more than an average CF even if they have similar numbers. Pierre and Furcal have sort of similar numbers but Furcal’s are better overall for this season, last season, and for their careers. Factor defense into the equation and its not even close.
Pierre
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/6550
Furcal
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/6404
fisher… before you climax… thats 4 homers for Loney for the year including AAA
no wheels….
Wow, J.P got robbed tremendous play by Hudson…
yes and 3 in MLB…..before you shoot me down in 31 ab….
anyway, glad to see Loney mashing… lets hope this hot streak lasts
Actually that’s twice tonight Pierre has been robbed by two great defensive plays.
yes fisher, 31 ab… lets see a bigger sample size before we hand Loney the HR crown.
Care to shoot the obp or avg or slg% or ops it there dd17?
Sample is his mlb career and his last year AAA and this year at AAA he phoned it in because he knew where he belongs. Don’t root against Loney he is our Future and Possibly our best ever 1B…
Look at Pierre with the sweet diving catch
oooh and Nice Play JP Rah Rah!…….
What a buzzkiller that was…that’s 3 HR’s
Time to bring out the hook?
Could have been worse….Bills needs to get himself together on the mound.
i left the links on but sure here they are…
stats order(This Year-Last Year-Career)
OBP
Pierre .307 – .330 – .347
Furcal .341 – .369 – .351
SLG
Pierre .327 – .388 – .374
Furcal .357 – .445 – .411
OPS
Pierre .634 – .717 – .721
Furcal .698 – .814 – .761
Now I hesitate to include batting average in this statistical analysis because it is an overrated stat but since you asked… OBP should be the best measure for a leadoff (or #2 hitter).
BA
Pierre .276 – .292 – .301
Furcal .276 – .300 – .286
Furcal’s hitting stats have been steadily improving while Pierre’s have been going the other way as of the last few years. Factor in defense, and the fact the Furcal plays a premium position, and I think the comparison is obvious… ok i need a beer after all that work.
no I was talking about your Loney for Dunn trade… straight up….
fisher… easy up fella… I am NOT ROOTING against Loney homie. Read my “atta boy Loney” posts. I’m just saying, Dunn is better than Loney and I would trade him for Dunn. However, if it’s true that Loney has THIS MUCH power then I would agree with you. I am just saying, it’s not in his track record so far…
Post those numbers and back them….
Loney has much more upside for age.
im just asking for some perspective… Dunn is 27 years old and has 219 career HRs. Few players that young have that many HRs. .248 BA, .363 OBP, and .517 SLG. (all career numbers).
Loney career minor league numbers: .298 BA, .366 OBP, and .436 SLG. 35 HRs in 1970 ABs.
Loney just turned 23 so the power may still come… but it’s no guarantee. Dunn has always showed the power, and at the MLB level for several years now. Dunn has bad defense and K’s a lot, but that power is undeniable as is his ability to get on base (which for their careers is better than Pierre and Furcal fyi)
Loney
http://www.minorleaguesplits.com/pl/425/425766.html
Dunn
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/6763
Those numbers don’t take into account the 2007 season, but that would only add 1 homer and bring down all his other averages.
Those numbers don’t take into account the 2007 season, but that would only add 1 homer and bring down all his other averages.
dodgerdude…great research; however, you are dead wrong.
We Dunn’t want DUNN – understand?
If that’s your best argument then no I don’t understand. But don’t get me wrong, I am thrilled keeping Loney as long as he plays everyday. Just saying Dunn<Loney.
Just saying Dunn is better than Loney*
Mhm and Jeff Shaw was better than Paul Konerko when that trade happened and Delino DeShields was better than Pedro Martinez at that point in time as well. Talk to me in 6 years and we’ll compare Dunn to Loney.
very true. and Joel Guzman might be a 50 homer guy by then too… and Edwin Jackson a 20 game winner.
never…..
Gosh Pierre can’t take a break.
Yep that’s 3 hits Pierre’s been robbed (this time by the ump), alright Martin lets bring him in now
The All-Star does it again!!!
geeze how many times they gonna call JP out on a tie yet alone replay showed his foot on the base ahead of the catch….
The All-Star does it again!!!
Not where they’re playing they won’t be
Not with TB they won’t.
DD17 if you want to talk 2b and any good suggestions you might get creditials..
Never a bigger moment that we need that hit with RISP from Nomar
face Kent for K IBB Gonzo to get to Nomore… the word is out….
And on a crappy pitch that was ball 4…
Nomar has hit rock bottom.
That had to be rather insulting to Nomar, but effective. There’s no reason to think he’ll hit any better playing third than playing first.
Come to think of it, I would gladly take Dunn for either Kent or Nomar, or even Dunn for both of them – just not for Loney.
That had to be rather insulting to Nomar, but effective. There’s no reason to think he’ll hit any better playing third than playing first.
Come to think of it, I would gladly take Dunn for either Kent or Nomar, or even Dunn for both of them – just not for Loney.
Matbe that is the point of putting Nomore at 3rd..Give Bombko or Hendy and Nomore for Dunn with cash?
Maybe that is the point of putting Nomore at 3rd..Give Bombko or Hendy and Nomore for Dunn with cash?
Maybe that is the point of putting Nomore at 3rd..Give Bombko or Hendy and Nomore for Dunn with cash?
hmmm blog has a hiccup tonight.
……
That was Nasty!!! NJ by Hendy!
A very good two innings from Hendrickson tonight, especially that last one.
Wow haven’t seen Choke in awhile maybe a Happy inn….
And a big hand for Hendrickson. Don’t get many chances to say that, but he’s obviously trying.
Loney for Dunn???????
Loney for Dunn???????
I Take it back DD17 you are not drunk you are on crack….
Hey fisher…
Friends don’t let friends on crack trade top prospects for hacks… JUST SAY NO!
NO Dunn!!! And for Loney???
Time for Martin to win this game?
dunn isn’t a hack. hes Just not worth Loney thats for sure.
c’mon Juan for 5!
Woo Hoo!
No Blocker in front of him Casey at bat!
Omg Pierre finally did it.
FINALLY! I’ve never been so happy on an infield single, good for him
Let’s get this done, All-Star.
Come on RUSS!
and that is why furcal should not be leading off…at the moment
Nice steal JP.
Yard!
Nice rip Kent!
lol well it was a frontyard hit!
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but come on Giants, score in the 9th and beat SD!
Step up NOMAR!
Alright lets see if Nomar can channel September 24th, 2006
ok here it is Nomar this is your spot get it DONE!
Step up NOMAR!
Step up NOMAR!
Step up NOMAR!
well ****!
Another crappy at-bat another crappy swing where have you gone Nomar Garciaparra?
Dear Ned please deal Nomore away……….
Another crappy swing another crappy at bat where have you gone Nomar Garciaparra?
Come on Bonds…I can’t believe I just said that.
Leaving the bases loaded again. We should be leading the league in that category.
Any of you stat guys out there care to share how many runners we’ve left on base this year and where that stat ranks in the league?
Broxton is throwing gas!
Bases loaded the Dodgers are hitting .229(16-70) 4 2b, 1 3b, 1 hr 51 rbi’s, 8 bb, 14 k’s
not sure where it ranks though!
great job by Johnny B!
Another lead off triple and Loney goes for the cycle.
Go BLUE
I’m in FL and it’s getting late, let’s finish them off and take over first place in the West.
GO BLUE!!!
Bring it up on yahoo and you can see.
Kempie!
Abreu!!!
dangit, the kouz hit one for SD
HOLY HOLY! WHAT THE HOLY HECK! ABREU!!! WOW!
OMG abreu!!! perfect time to hit his first HR
Loney is a nice prospect, a good player so far… but Dunn is one **** of a hitter guys. Anyway, it’s not gonna happen… just a thought.
WTG Abreu
By all means, lets send Abreu down to the minors… hehehe
Tony just redeemed himself for that Tampa mess. Here we go, bring in Saito and let’s do this.
GO BLUE!!!
SAITO time! Game over!
Abreu just redeemed himself for that Tampa mess!!!
GO BLUE!!!
Hope Saito got enough warm up…..
13.33 K/BB ratio for Saito…that’s inhuman
Wasn’t i just talking about Abreu early today.
And didn’t i say that he had good pop!!
Well Their it is!
good call I was talking about it in spring training….
Grace can’t pronounce Saito’s name! lol
Make that 13.66 K/BB now
Saito’s ERA is sick… he should be the closer for the National League.
YES!
YEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS THE SMELL of 1ST PLACE!!!!
Nice!!!!
First place is ours, let’s keep it for the rest of the season.
im out! what a night!
Saito is the greatest player Ned has signed yet.
Nomar may be in a funk at the plate but I sure can’t say enough about the guy for moving over to third to make room for Loney. He is a class act and wants to do whatever it takes to help us win (a few hits would be nice now!!!) Quality player!!!
THE CHANGING OF THE GUARD????? LONEY—BILLINGSLEY(doubles in 2)ABREU(off the bench) SEANEZ,HENDRICKSON,BROXTON &___S_A_I_T_O …….THANK YOU KIDS.
yeah but when there is a player who is at Loney’s level and you throw a tantrum then you are benched or traded or dfa’d Nomar has too much community stature to do anything but move out of his way.Personally from a baseball aspect and as a fan of the Dodger’s I’d rather see him move on because no matter where he plays his hitting is hurting the team.
nomar wouldnt throw a tantrum…keep dreaming…he’s a quality player and quality guy..
Bills has potential as a starter but he looks sooo lost out there when he starts and gets up on the hitters with 2 strikes then flails away and he got hit hard tonight for that.He needs to get his strikeout pitch down or learn to throw the groundout pitch because the Flyout pitch is flying outta the stadium.
I do dream about Nomore returning to form never said he threw a tantrum and agree about him being a great person but as a Dodger hitter…I’d rather him move on… if you read my post I wouldn’t have had to type this…
In Gagne’s best year he was less then 8-1 on his K/BB ratio….and he was….Lights out. Saito is Better by 66%+… He Is Definately the best to close in the NL.
I MISSED IT!!! My cable and internet went out at the same time right before the start of the top of the 9th. I just got it back and saw this. Sounds like a great game. I really think Nomar has hit rock bottom and im not so sure he can come out of it. I think we might be selling him at the deadline. We’ll see. Glad we are back in first. THe Kids bring a new element to this team that is exciting and refreshing. I hope Nedorino takes that into consideration.
Nomar is a good guy and I feel for him, but if he does not pick it up, and soon, he has to sit. Also Kent is starting to look his age and his bat looks slower than I remember it. Baseball is a young guys game and not every player can still perform at or around 40 years of age.
Wow is all i can say! Great game last night, i hadn’t watched a good game like that in a while… Good to see that Loney is proving that he should have been up earlier… Nomar, well Nomar i feel for the guy, i mean i know he can hit and play the game but come on he is looking horendous out there. I also agree that to move to another position to make room for another player who is doing way better shows that Nomar is a managers dream player…. DUNN FOR LONEY???? Come on DD17 that was just not cool. Dunn may have better numbers but he has been in the league longer than Loney has so you cannot compare the two just yet, let Loney get a couple more years under his belt and then come and compare the two. Plus Loney will strike out far less than Dunn will per season, not to mention the Gold Glove Caliber defense that Loney brings to the table, no question Loney is a way better player than DUNN!!!! ….. It was really annoying to try and defend Pierre last night before the game because some of you were just not having it, and i know now not to even try because i see that once you have it in your mind that you are correct and no one else has a say than thats it ….. Grady calls for those hit and run plays because he feels his players can execute like they are supposed to, you do not need to be as fast as Pierre in order for that play to work successfully but you do need a guy at the plate who can actually put the ball in play. That play can save an inning by not hitting into a double play or getting a runner from first to third on a single so it is a definate tool that most coaches use and i dont fault Grady for using it quite often with the lack of power we have in our offense he just needs his players to execute the play like it should be executed! ….. Once again great game boys now lets see Derek out duel Webb and gain some ground on both AZ and SD before we crush SD at home!
Go DODGERS!!!!
GO DEREK!!!!!!!
VOTE 4 MARTIN!!!!!!
Actually I think we’re having a meltdown of most of our veteran players, Nomar and Kent being the more obvious ones. Consider that Martinez, Lieberthal, and even Saenz are no longer adequate based on their numbers this season. When the time comes to trim the roster, I hope that these are the people that are asked to leave. GONZO, of course, has been a very pleasant surprise.
I think pleasant surprise is an understatement! hahaha i didnt really like the signing at the begining but man is he showing he can still swing the stick or what?! The guy is one of those vets you dont expect much out of but he shows he he is a very valuable player!
I don’t think we need to go find a power bat anymore, with the kids getting their opportunity, I think our offense will be just fine.
My biggest concern at this point is the depth of our starting pitching. I think Bills will pan out but I’m definitely still on the fence with Kuo. From what I’ve seen the guy is a little too erratic to go deep into games consistently. With Wolf, Bills, and Kuo only being 5 to 6 inning pitchers, our bullpen will definitely start getting taxed and worn down.
I think we should package up a deal and try to go get Buehrle from the White Sox. That would solidify our rotation, save our bullpen and set us up for a formidable front 3 in our rotation. If this move were to happen, I guarantee we run away with our division. Our pitching would match up well with the Pads and our new look offense would leave them in the dust.
dahustlasbac; I’m the guy from
B’klyn, who’s been a BUM fan for 71 yrs. So I know what I’m talking about. I’ve said this before..You sure as H–L
Know what you’re talking about, every time you post. I
truly enjoy, All you usually
state. Keep it going Pal….
You say it the way it is…..
I think we have to stick with Nomar.
The one thing I think we forget is the guy just had twins. His home life is crazy right now. The guy needs some rest. I know I didn’t sleep with newborns. Nomar is such a trooper he probably is getting up everynight to feed one of the kids.
It’s hard to hit baseballs when life is crazy. Hopefully, he will get it together and be able to focus in the second half when we really need him.
charris how can you at this point say you are worried about kuo and not bills? then you also say we need to get beuhrle and a power hitter? i would be fine with sending ethier and parts for dunn, but that doesnt solve our logjam still. i wuld not be interested in trading gonzo, its looking like gonzo is having a renaissance type year. at this point i think the only thing we are in the market for is a 3b. as evidenced yesterday we cant rely on noma, he is just going through a brutal slump, and at this point with this sample size dating back to last year, the chances of him coming out of it are slim to none. out of all the 3b’s id like glaus because of his so cal roots and 35 homer pop. ( its obvious miggy is out of the picture .)
Pat25rod thank you for the comment i really take that to heart. I sure missed out on the convo’s last year as this is my first year here on the blogs, but i wish i would have started last year to hear you and the other vets talking about this team without all the other nonsense that goes on now. I to value everything you state and fill you bring that old guy wisdom (no offense) to this blog.
graffiti,
I said we need Buehrle and NOT a power hitter. I’m not concerned about Billingsley because he is still developing his endurance to start. We all saw what he was capable of last season when he was at full strength as a starter. Kuo on the other hand has given us a much smaller sample size (this year and last) and in that time, he has shown he is much more erratic than Bills so IMO Kuo will rarely go more than about 5 innings with what he’s shown us. With our new look offense (hopefully we’ll find a way for Kemp to get in there more) we don’t need to go ship the farm off for somebody like Dunn or Glaus who are both extremely overrated. On the other hand, when 3 out of your 5 starters are only 5 inning guys, eventually it’s going to take it’s toll on our pen, especially when all three go back to back. Buehrle makes way more sense to me than somebody like Glaus or Dunn. Imagine our rotation if it looked like this:
Penny
Lowe
Buehrle
Wolf
Billingsley
That gives us favorable pitching match-ups top to bottom.
I must admit charris that rotation would look pretty solid going into the playoffs!
Agreed, however i think its a little unfair to peg Wolf and Bills as only 5 inning guys.. Thats not really accurate
Buehrle, may be off the blocks??
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070627&content_id=2052136&vkey=news_cws&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws&partnered=rss_cws
charris please define overrated when it comes to placing that tag on those two premier power hitters ? dunn k’s alot, but he also hits 40 homers, and walks a bunch. glaus is an injury risk, but so is nomar. i dont like how that overrated term is thrown around here. if what charris is saying is true three quarters of our team is overrated.
I would totally forget about trying to get Dunn. He’ll block Kemp from getting playing time. Best case scenario is to package JP, Tomko/Hendy,LaRoche/Abreu/Eitheir, for a backend rotaion pitcher, ChiSox talks, says Contreras or Vasquez may be avail.
BTW, the ‘/’ means ‘or’ , definitely would not send all those names for one pitcher. Figure I better clarify, before I get crucify.
ugh i don’t want anything from the white sox this year. they are horrible. end of story. contreras had gotten lit up this year. vasquez is marginal. no, no, and no. and no more talk of teixiera, its ridiculous people! we’d still be looking for a new 1b in another year and half.
I don’t know what the hype is all about this guy Buehrle.
His record is 4wins, 4 losses.
I don’t understand?
I’ve picked up on one thing.
a few of you guys, who Praise
Loney (Rightfully so ), are
the same guys, who want the D
to trade for DUNN ??? He is a
1st B, Does NOT Play outfield
very well ? Do the math. Which, of the two, would you,
put on 1st Base ??? It just
does NOT make sense ????
Graffiti,
Glaus and Dunn are both overrated. Glaus’ knee is about as durable as antique furniture, so I don’t really see how shipping off prospects for a career .254 hitter who can’t stay healthy and has only hit over 40 HRs twice (’00 and ’01) will help us. Dunn, well I think the majority of bloggers here will agree he’s overated. The guy is a career .247 hitter who usually can’t water when he falls out of a boat. He won’t hit 40 HRs at Chavez (He’s only hit 40 the past 2 seasons playing in the cracker jack box that the Reds call home) and will be an absolute circus act in the outfield. Not to mention, he’ll end up blocking Kemp who IMO deserves a shot, we don’t want or need anymore outfielders. Again, our biggest current issue is the back-end of our rotation, our line-up will score adequate runs without a true power stick.
The hype behind Buehrle is that he is a 28 year-old left-hander with a career 101-70 record with an ERA of 3.79. His ERA this year is 3.39 and his 4-4 record is a direct reflection of the White Sox anemic offense and terrible record (31-42). If we were to add him to our rotation, we would be the best team in the NL hands-down.
Testing TestingTesting
buerhle’s also a soft tosser who’s going to go down the zito track of getting a huge contract and then declining rapidly with age. the chisox are close to resigning him anyways, so thank goodness he’s not in the picture.
SF 1 SD 0 Bottom of the 4th
You’ll be seeing more of me.
I’m listening to “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” by the Token, watching the Gnats & Pods and letting you know. Oh this modern Tecnology.
im reading this blog when i should be doing homework which i shouldnt be doing anyways because i should be at work but i was swamped with homework today so i called in sick.
I also have to go get my dog a new leash and I have to go trade my old guitar amp in and get my new one.
I have just upgraded myself, not my PC, me. I’m learning almost every week how to use it. I can now post while I’m watching the game. I only experimented today, I don’t experiment while the Dodgers are playing. I thought somebody was kidding with me and I found out I was doing it my self. Funny toy. The best part is I can do all this while listening to my favorite music. The Good old days are gone.
Funny rooting for the gnats but any loss to the pods is a gain for us.
Your style is unique compared to other people I have read stuff from.
Thank you for posting when you have the opportunity, Guess I will just book
mark this site.