WWLD
Got a chance to wander down to the stands to visit with my wife and a friend and saw a great T-shirt down there. The front said "WWLD" and the back said "What Would Lasorda Do?" Pretty funny.
As for what Lasorda is doing today, he is with Don Newcombe and President Bush for a tee-ball game on the White House lawn with youngsters from Los Angeles and Brooklyn. The kids from L.A. usually play at one of the Dodger Dream Fields that was built for them by the Dodgers Dream Foundation and it’s pretty cool to put a piece of two Dodger eras together on the same field, even if it’s a lawn and it’s tee ball.
Inside the Dodgers 
To answer your question
http://tommy.mlblogs.com/my_weblog/2005/07/i_hate_the_phil.html
What Would Lasorda Do? probably yell at people and eat 10 dodger dogs with his lasagna.
THAT’S THE WAY I LIKE IT. GREAT DODGER STYLE GAME. 11 straight in SF that’s beautiful. Had the usual trouble getting on MLBTV MOSAIC no game on Extra Innings but I managed to get on MLBTV through dodgers.com but I was unable to sign on to this blog. I guess you can’t sign on twice Is that WWLD shirt on sale on MLB SHOPS. I’ll check it out in a minute. What would Lasorda Do? Proberbly show more emotion. He’d proberbly play the youngsters more. But all in all Grady’s doing a wonderful job with a very good ball blub.
Before I go my merry way I’d like to add something. I was wondering if I new any of those kids from B’klyn on the White House Lawn and if their fathers or more likely grandfathers were old Brooklyn Dodger fans. I doubt if there are many LA Dodger fans. Tomorrow night the last night of the feast I will where my BLUE with WHITE lettering FEAST SHIRT with my matching LA cap. The Cap & the Shirt look like they go together. Why not I see a lot of out-of town fans there. The only LA shirt I’ve seen so far is the LA S–Ks one, with METS on the back. GO BLUUUUUUUUUUe
Grady is going to play with fire once again and will start Tomko Friday night.
I am lovimg Pierre he is making things happen, people need to stop hating on Pierre and appreciate him for his hustle and speed. Last time I checked we don’t pay his salary so why worry about what he makes? I remember a lot of people complaining about Furcal early last year then he turned it around and now he’s a bargain!!!
Go Dodgers!!!!
Did everyone see this quote from the game?
“It’s an embarrassment for me to be wearing this [expletive deleted] uniform ’cause of the way I’m playing. There, that’s it. Now go away.” — Bonds
Couldnt happen to a nicer guy… 😀 love seeing him go 0 for the series, 3 double plays, music to my ears.
Great game all around. Tomko great job on his spot start and I think he has earned himself another start, although it is “playing with fire”, just put a very short leash on him and be willing to pull him out before the game gets out of hand. With a lil confidence he could stay in the rotation until Wolf comes back. I am excited to see how he rebounds off a good start today, without a Kent error he might go more then 5.
Amazing game by Kemp that kid is going to be very good. Everybody keeps saying start him over Pierre, but I disagree he showed last yr he can not play CF and Pierre may have a bad arm but he has good range. I like switching Ethier and Kemp off, but I believe you have to give more days off to Gonzo and have both kids in the lineup. Then when Pierre needs his very occasional day off put Ethier in CF and Kemp in RF.
Nomar is struggling and he needs to be platooned on the road, if he’s not hurt. If he’s hurt then he needs to be on the DL and we need to hunt the market for a third basemen, Betemit is not the answer nor is Abreu. Abreu will be good in the future taking over for Kent, but he swings too wildly right now to be an everyday starter. Betemit I feel the same way about he will be very good in the future, but the Dodgers need a third basemen now and I have a feeling we will see Betemit reach his potential else where.
For all the Grady bashers out there, I disagree with somethings and agree with alot. My biggest disagreement was not starting Nomar at third and Loney at first to start the season. Also, putting Bills in the bullpen to start the season, I think he learned last yr how to pitch in the Biggs and needed his oppurtunity earlier this yr, but hes in there now, and hes there for good. Other then that he has helped this team recover from the mess that Tracy had us in in that pitiful ’05 season. I do love that he uses the squeeze play often, it is so productive and works more often then not. Cant argue with numbers…Sure the players we have now are much better but when it comes down to it he was 17 wins better then Tracy and he stands to improve upon that this yr.
Finally, the Pierre bashers…With Pierre there is a whole aspect of the game that he effects that do not show up in the numbers. I heard someone state he only runs well, that is not true, he also hits well. Once hes on the base you cant put a number on how he affects the pitcher, unless you want to look at how well Rus has been hitting behind him, even better then he had hitting in the 6 hole. I am curious to Know Rus’ avg,hr,rbi,etc. with Pierre on base.
I just had to get my 2 cents in sorry its so long but it was a nice sweep in SF again! Look forward to the pitching staff staying just as good if not better (with Bills in there and Wolf coming back). And the hitting is showing some signs of life and has manage to get that team avg at the top of the league. Cant wait to see the Dodgers in that 95+ wins category, maybe 100 if their hitting stays as hot as it has been with Mueller.
Most wins in the NL and Kemp,Loney,Ethier,Martin Betemit and Abreu went a combined 29 for 55 in the first series in the second half. All those guys are under 28.
Sarah is my hero…make her the beat writer not the **** we have now.
“The acquisition of Pierre doesn’t make sense. Although he has the most hits in the National League since 2001, he doesn’t have a high batting average. He isn’t patient at the plate, so he doesn’t have a high on-base percentage. His speed is his only asset. This year, he has misplayed several balls in the outfield. His weak throwing arm has allowed many runners to take the extra base. Having Pierre is preventing the Dodgers from playing Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier at the same time.”
who knew t a r d was a bad word.
I agree with you on the fact that I really enjoy reading Sarah’s thoughts. This is the first article that I have ever disagreed with since I have read her writings. I do believe that this team, as it is, is good enough to win, not only the division but the World Series as well. After a first half of players struggling the Dodgers ended up 1 game back in the NL west and I think 2 games behind the best record in the NL. That is with a struggling Kent, Nomar, Ethier, and a virtual blank(Betemit) in the order at 3b(before the Loney/Garciapara move). Kent is showing recent signs of hitting the ball hard. Nomar hits well at home leaving him in a platoon with Betemit who seems to play well in the spot start as opposed to the everyday role. I believe Nomar should platoon with Betemit on the road and start with his normal days off at home (barring him being injured then we need a 3b). Ethier has been really hot lately and Loney being brought up will add a huge bat to our lineup, along with more days off for Gonzo to allow Kemp and Ethier to be on the field together. The lineup is beginning to prove itself and I believe it will be good enough for a pitching staff that is just going to get better with Billingsley added to the rotation. The dodgers have 2 great starters (Penny, Lowe) 1 really good with the potential to be great (Bills) and Hendy who has done well for us this yr and I think he will do much better then any other #4 starter in baseball. The big whole is our #5 starter, who does not need to be used everytime around and there is only a whole there until wolf comes back (if wolf can come back like he wa sin April). For now Tomko had a good start today and lets see if he can build on this, because when he is on he has nasty stuff. To sum it all up, the dodgers lineup has improved tenfold since Mueller took over(in reality, since Loney and Kemp were called up). The pitching, even with the injuries to the rotation is still up there with the best in MLB. Most of the time I agree with you Sarah but this time I disagree, maybe I’m being too much of a fan, but I do believe this team is good enough to be playing in the fall classic.
wow… sarah wrote that? nice.
Love Sarah and she has her opinion but If all of you base your Jp #’s on his hitting and less then spectaular feilding you are not watching the game nor the plays……I keep hearing Klo but he DID NOT CATCH THE BALLS….They went over his head and wher never counted as errors….JP catches 99% of the balls that K Lo couldn’t…He Never looks good doing it but HE does the job!I appeciate him for that job. BTW JP is Making 7.5 not 9 this year 3 years down the line he is a bargain@ 11 mil.Teams are starting to sign the players they want to keep andfree agents are starting to decline already before the trade deadline.Dodgers are sitting pretty sweet with all the homegrown talent.Raffy might even concider Buying some stock in Boxes way our farm is pumping out.
lol… Pierra a bargain at 11 million? Give me some of what you’re smoking fisher.
To all those who didn’t want to play Kemp because he had to prove something with the curve: have you noticed that he’s tattooed some lately? Today’s triple, for example, was a breaking-ball that he went with and smoked into right-center about 400 ft.
ok in 3 years…. Houses doubled in that time….
diehardblu@yahoo.com | July 15, 2007 05:47 PM: “Last time I checked we don’t pay his salary so why worry about what he makes?”
Because Frank McCourt (or any other owner, except maybe – maybe – George) will not spend an infinite amount of money on player payroll and we want a good team EVERY year, which requires some fiscal prudence.
Kenny lofton is better then Pierre is now and is better then Pierre ever has been or will be.
and get it straight DA17 he is making 7.5 this year…
The housing market and baseball player salaries are an apples / oranges comparison.
Brad Penny and Derek Lowe are bargains right now. I doubt JP will ever be a bargain at $11 million, even in 2010 funny money, but it might be closer to reasonable.
Matt Kemp is a bargain and is playing better then Pierre.
K Lo BLOWS as far as D goes I’ve seen him and his numbers do not reflect How bad he is……. His batting is good but HE blows as a CF’er you can not defend that….
Calling for Grady Little’s job while the team is a legitimate contender and currently sports the BEST RECORD in the LEAGUE is asinine.
who knew a 33 year-old slap hitter whose only asset is speed could be a bargain at 11 million
Juan Pierre BLOWS on D too. as far as offense he’s running circles around Pierre right now.
its a fact. Lofton is a much better player then Pierre. PERIOD.
I am surprised that Juan Pierre has improved his basestealing this year to an 80% success rate (36-45).
Of course, I also dislike the SB unless one is at least 80% successful; the downside is too great.
WWTD? Curse like a sailor on shore leave and defend trading the top prospect in the system for a middle-of-the-pack, but “proven”, closer.
Matt Kemp is our Future and Great Player but I’d rather have JP there right now.Kemp is growing by leaps and bounds and will take CF by storm when he is ready but he is not yet there.JP is there and doing a much better job then K lo was.JP is Hitting the ball JP is Catching the ball JP will Never be able to throw the ball but if he can catch most of them he doesn’t have to throw those balls….
Put smile on your face people: remember the Dodgers just swept the Giants in SF and yielded nothing to Big Head Barry and the Monsterous ‘Roids.
Matt Kemp: .380 / .420 / .554 (and he’s “not there yet”)
Juan Pierre: .284 / .315 / .339
Kemp won’t totally stink in CF. The massive offensive improvement offsets any loss, real or perceived, in defense.
Anyone who states that Kenny Lofton was a Great Dodger asset in CF is either Stupid or a Giants fan….K Lo was the worst part of the Defensive lineup just as Knt Does now….
I’m done with the JP arguing.
Tying to explain why JP isn’t good player to people in this group is like trying to explain why touching 12 year old boys is a crime to Michael Jackson. Its impossible.
Fisher man…you need ESPNEWS cuz your’re talking out of your…
Kemp is twice the player pierre is and ever was. And he makes 5% Pierre annual average 9 million dollar salary
fisher… so now part of your Juan Pierre defense’ argument is wishing for my death? (read sunday’s post to know what i am talking about)
Lofton only had 3 errors last year as a Dodger. Pierre already has 3 this year..
should i bring up Kenny’s offensive numbers again this year?
well anyways he’s batting .300 6 home runs with a .391 OBP.
old Fogey why do you bring offence numbers to a defense discussion?I stated I like The Kid I love The Kid I want more of the Kid… But my statement is that he has room to improve and will take the position but for the meantime stopgap wellpaid CF’r JP is doing a good job til he is moved on.. 2010 11 mil might be a bargain or cheap by boras clients….I’m not in love with the guy but for what the team has had since Roberts Got thrown away JP is good.
Yeah I love that BS 3 error stat for K Lo I saw atleast 5 balls sail over his head because he played too short and could never make it to the wall he cost sooo many big hits it makes me wanna puke everytime I think about it and that is why I Defend JP in CF because he catches all of the balls at the track linedrive at the wall outta range excluded.
Juan Pierre’s current season is on pace to be one of the worst for a CF in franchise history and you’re saying he’s the best we’ve had since roberts?
Shutup or Die 1 of the 2 will work DA17….
juan pierre is the worst center fielder we;ve had since…every. Maybe since tom goodwin
are those numbers or just blindside opinion?Do you actually watch these games? Didid your mommy let you watch our past games ??
real nice fisher… your credibility is now sky high I am sure… both as a knowledgeable baseball man and human being. I’m off to bed but will be back on sharing my opinions tmw.
Did you actually watch Kenny lofton play last year or are you going off his stats? I Really want to know because I watched himplay lastyear and I hated his Deefense.
.310 OBP is a number right. if so then yea, that’s historically bad for the 700 or so PAs Pierre will have this year.
Like I care DA….
fisher…ESPNEWS. seriously.
you need to get off the Pierre is better then Lofton bus because that bus is very very very very very very very very short. In fact its probably just you with Juan Pierre’s mom as the driver.
.346 or so before todays game.. DA
Errors do not take into account balls that are misjudged or untouched. Lofton had at least 5 of those last season, Kemp had at least that many as well last season in CF in what felt like a month. Believe me Pierre has done so as well, I’m not blind I watch every game. Pierre had a lot of issues from April-June both offensively and defensively, he’s been fantastic in the past three weeks defensively and has predictably come alive offensively. In fact everyone has been fantastic defensively in the outfield lately, Gonzo by default would be the least in that category. Kemp made a tremendous play today. Baseball is a great game because the young guys have to prove themselves before they get the big money. We have no idea what Kemp, Martin or Loney’s worth will be in 5-6 years time. We won’t know based off this season or even next season, it’s whether they can maintain and grow in front of our eyes that will determine how much money they end up with, plus the demand of the market. They all make less than 400K, because they’re under our control. They’re not even arbitration eligible for another 2 years. Pierre played out his six years and the demand was high, supply was low with Soriano and Lee unwilling to come West so he was overpaid. It happens and his contract is not a back breaker by any stretch of the imagination.
I expect Gonzo to sit out Monday nights game against a lefty he hasn’t had a hit in 13 career at bats. So Ethier, Pierre and Kemp should be in there.
Go Dodgers!
What has K Lo Done or Even Roberts Who I really Like as a great person to make them better then who we have you make your only mission in life to hate JP and I feel bad for you but he isn’t all that….I’ll Bet $100 you **** at your job WAYYYYY worse then JP does at his and I’ll Bet there is Noody on the Internet who will bet in your Favor for $100….. Whatta Say Max? Are you the Least mediocre Player in the HOme Depot lineup You Talk a Big Game But I’ll bet your not worth your 11-12$ an hour…
oops typical Dodger’s overpaying….
I dunno anyone that shortsighted I just wouldn’t even hire to sweep the floor’s…..
Oh BTW Has anyone Noticed?>We The LA Dodgers are the best team in the NL?
Go Blue!!!
Pierre leads the majors with an astronomical 306 outs. What a bargain!
I thought Sarah’s Take was right on the mark. I’m thrilled that under the circumstances we’re in first place and looking pretty good overall. I don’t see how we’re going to add a big bat and a starting pitcher in the second half as Sarah suggests we must. We certainly should not give up much in the way of our prospects, because they’re the ones carrying this team and its hopes for an even brighter future. I hope that we can add a fill-in starter for the rest of the season much like we did with Maddux last year, because I haven’t suddenly regained confidence that Tomko will be the rejuvenated answer.
What I think Grady needs to concentrate on for the rest of the year:
We can’t afford to have singles hitter NOMAR monopolizing the third base slot. I personally think that he belongs on the DL to straighten out whatever problem he’s unwilling to admit, but, barring that, he should be sitting and letting Betemit get back into swing at least against right handers. Consider that since May Betemit has been hitting around .275 but with power – that’s pretty much Nomar’s average, but without power. So, Grady, put it to NOMAR, “Either sit or go on DL, so hopefully you can recover your stroke.”
While Gonzo has been a good surprise, it’s getting to be a long season, and he needs to get rested one or even two games a week and so that Ethier and Kemp can start playing together.
Kent can still carry the club occasionally with his big rips, but he is now a defensive liability and not that consistent with the power, so he needs to be rested one or two games a week as well, plus being sat down with Abreu as the defensive replacement anytime that opportunity arises.
Stop giving Saenz critical AB’s, because he can no longer produce in that respect. Martinez likewise is just taking up a roster spot at this time and should be moved to another club. A sub .200 average can’t help us the rest of the way.
I think that we might be able to win the division with what we have, and I don’t want to give up our brightest young talents for some short term fix. How far we can go in the playoffs is another question. We have a team that needs to put together 4 or 5 hits in an inning to get meaningful offensive results. That’s hard to do when matched up against good pitchers that we’re likely to see in the playoffs. That’s where some power pop comes in so handy. If we keep cultivating our younger guys the rest of the way, we might get that pop also, and then the sky’s the limit.
fisher928@yahoo.com | July 16, 2007 01:21 AM:
1. “old Fogey why do you bring offence numbers to a defense discussion?”
2. “but for the meantime stopgap wellpaid CF’r JP is doing a good job til he is moved on..”
*****
1. I thought the discussion was essentially “who should play CF?” That is an defensive and offensive discussion. You can have the finest defensive CF of all time, but if he can only OBP .250, he is not going to play. IMHO, Kemp’s offensive superiority more that offset the defensive liabilities and I’d play him in CF. (And yes, other than the awful throwing arm that is a give, JP’s defense has clearly improved over earlier in the season. His routes are better, he truly does cover a reasonable amount of territory, and he does go straight back on a ball pretty well. Aside: Andre Ethier will never play CF [except in an “emergency”] while Gonzo is in LF. The former is a bit slow afoot and the latter is 40 – how huge would the gap in L-CF be?)
2. A FIVE-year contract – guaranteed, as all MLB contracts are – is not appropriate for a “stopgap”. $11 million three years from now will still be significant money; if LA is able to trade Pierre in the future, they will be including significant money in that deal. You can bank on that.
We act like we have no power but our power is Kemp and Betimet, we just don’t play them. Our best lineup has Nomar and Pierre on the bench.
Trade Pierre for a starter if he is SO good and his contract is so reasonable. Fact is there isnt one GM out there that would take on that contract, excpet ours.
The only reason Nomar and Pierre continue to play is 65 million dollars.
Juan Pierre, by the numbers:
Year AVG OBP SLG SB CS SB%
2003 .305 .361 .373 65 20 76.5
2004 .326 .374 .407 45 24 65.2
2005 .276 .326 .354 57 17 77.0
2006 .292 .330 .388 58 20 74.4
2007 .284 .314 .339 36 9 80.0
Even with a hot second half, he’s likely to be something like 2005/2006. Sense a downward trend anyone? Also, he turns 30 this August – I don’t think he’s getting any faster, quicker or stronger.
well forget the JP to the bench talk cause it wont happen. Not cause it shouldnt but because of 45 million.
—
But wow, nomar’s OPS is below JPs. It is .642. Does anyone think Betiment at 840 OPS shouldnt be playing over Nomar? Nomar needs to DL himself.
about penny and lowe being bargains, yes! Do you know who will be paid MORE annually than those two from 2008-2010? Bronson Arroyo people! (who i think we should go after, let the reds dump his salary on us) Penny and Lowe are huge bargains and we should be thanking our lucky stars that he shall not be named signed/traded for them and gave them the contracts he did.
As far as KLoft’s defense, yes it wasn’t pretty (although i do like how he was around who mentor Kemp, who should be playing CF) but he also was a better offensive player than pierre and smarter baserunner. Pierre hasn’t even been as big of a dragging anchor as nomar is, because nomar not only has no power but no speed and no OBP making him completely useless. I dont see how he will suddenly regain his stroke but even if he does his first half collpase has been costly. The only thing positive to say is he has not been a disaster at third base, yet. I would give meat more PT against righties and give him more days off and leave it at. He won’t be benched completely even though he probably should be. By next year perhaps he will take on a more utility role if he doesn’t improve.
I dont think Betemit is the answer, I believe a third basemen needs to be pursued the most at the deadline. Betemit has shown what he does when he gets the everyday job. For whatever reason it may be he excels as a spot starter/pinch hitter. If Nomar is even a little hurt he needs to realize he is hurting our team and DL himself. I dont think he is hurt because he seems to play fine at home, very weird. As of now look for a platoon on the road, and trade talks to to heat up for a third basemen, sure would have been nice to see what would of happened to Mueller if he didnt get hurt….
We don’t need to pursue any offensive players right now. Look at how our team has been swinging it, the current line-up is just fine. Our pitching is whats scary right now, we need an additional decent starter and a good 7th inning reliever if we want to create some breathing room in the NL West. Currently Tomko and Hendrickson are starting 40% of our games, thats scary.
Nomar has 14 extra base hits in 315ABs.
Wilson has 17 in 139ABs.
Nomar OBP is .315
Wilson OBP is .351
And the reason not play Wilson is?
yeah I agree with Charris.
our pitching is fine i mean it would be nice to get antoher quality starter but Hendy has been doing fine for us this yr, our no 5 guy is iffy and lets see if Tomko can build on his last outing which was good. Plus Wolf will be back at the end of the month and if he can return to form then there is no hole in our pitching staff. Our hole right now is 3rd base and it has been that way since mueller went down. I have not seen much of LaRoche but when he came up and in the spring he looked ugly. I think he is now expendable and we can use him to get a proven third basemen, who I’m not sure.
Wilson is starting to play better lately but when u see him in that everyday role he looks flat out ugly. I watched him in a game swing at 9 straight balls in the dirt to strike out 3 times, his 4th time was a weak grounder and I felt I should applaud him for it.
tomko and lurch starting 2/5 of our games is scary indeed. We don’t need another ace we just need another solid inning eater (which is why i suggested arroyo, who won’t cost much in return as a salary dump). Lurch is not a pitcher in a championship rotation no way. Hopefully we can get someone and ship Tomko to the nearest glue factory. Also I am by no means a fan of betemit, he’s a platoon player at best, but at this point you have to admit he’s a better choice than nomar against RHP.
easily a better choice than nomar against RHP on the road, Nomar is still hitting well at home. But in no means is Betemit a third basemen on a championship team, a “Normal” Nomar is but he obviously isnt normal this yr. It would be nice to pick up one innings eater to keep Hendy as the long relief man when Wolf comes back but I dont think its absolutely necessary, well not as necessary as a third basemen. But when the dodgers make the playoffs Penny, Lowe, and Bills are going to look awfully good in a 5 and 7 game series. Which is why I say that this team is a championship calibur team.
plus…they will not be starting 2/5 games necessarily ebcause every day of fis a game Tomko does not have to pitch, Hendy will be throwing 1/5 which I am fine with, and Penny, Lowe, and Bills will pick up the other games. A day off means normal 5 days rest.
A lot of it has to do Wolf’s health, if he can come back healthy, my guess is we go back to a four man rotation when we have off-days. Hendrickson would become our 5th starter when we need him and a reliable long reliever when he doesn’t need to start. I cannot imagine Tomko being on this team after July 31st. All we need is #3, #4 type pitcher and we’ll be set for the stretch run. Also, a 7th inning guy to bolster our pen. As for the offense, new hitting coach, Kemp/Loney, whatever the case may be, we’re hitting. We have pop, not overwhelming pop, but it’s there. It’s not worth giving up quality young players for a bat. The only place we can put anybody we trade for is third base. But, I can’t imagine that happening with Nomar playing there with a two year deal. So I don’t think that’s going to happen. Pitching is the way to go before the deadline.
I agree that is prob the way to go but I disagree that it is our biggest hole right now. The fact that Betemit/Nomar are both playing the pos well defensively makes it a hole thats easier to cover, especially with the recent surge of hitting. I think the third base hole is something that needs to be adressed, but an innings eater could possibly be better off for this season. Alex I tend to agree with everything you say on here and u are spot on here, although we do need a third basemen the no 1 priority should be a 7th inning guy, depending on Wolf’s health if wolf is not healthy you have to go after a No 3,4 starter.
And its not like there is a viable trade option for a third baseman that will be significantly better than Nomar/Betemit.
Last night from Vegas the prospects continue the hot hitting. D. Young- 3/4, HR, 4 RBIS. Hu- 3/4, HR, 2 RBIS. LaRoche- 2/4, double.
Nomar is done. Isn’t it obvious? I wish it wasn’t true. I love the guy, but it is.
I don’t get you guys. You hear Ned and Grady talk and belive them. Like they are not trying to stand by their veteran or by their signing. I am glad they do, but lets not ignore actual performace. Nomar can’t hit anymore.
3b OPS.
Álex Rodríguez 1.061
Chipper Jones 1.020
Miguel Cabrera .996
Aramis Ramírez .908
Kevin Youkilis .904
David Wright NYM .879
Mike Lowell .864
Wilson Betiment .842
Adrián Béltre .826
Mark DeRosa .823
Caey Blake .818
Mark Loretta .805
Melvin Mora BAL .787
Eric Chávez OAK .764
Ty Wigginton TB .764
Garrett Atkins .757
Brandon Inge .747
José Bautista .742
Ryan Zimmerman .740
Edwin Encarnación .724
Scott Rolen .719
Aubrey Huff .697
Alex Gordon .675
Pedro Feliz .670
Nomar Garciaparra .642
Nick Punto .587
So we choose not to play 8th best and play the 26th best instead. And this on a team that lacks power.
we dont need a ******* third baseman.
right. i don’t trust wolf to come back soon or be effective when he comes back, and even then i don’t trust lurch to remain effective either. We need another starting picther and a 7th inning guy since i guess they aren’t ready to try meloan. I can’t see anyone out there who’s avaiable at a reasonble price being a big offensive upgrade for us. If we go to the playoffs it will be because of pitching. If penny lowe and bills can all remain strong and we get on more decent guy it might be enough to make it. I’m not depending on wolf or lurch at this point.
i honestly believe if nomar wasn’t such a familiar face to grady, he would have been benched long ago. I’m not blaming grady (calm down people), im just saying he has incredible loyalty to that guy to a fault, and its taking its toll. He has to realize its not 2002 anymore.
The luxury of being in first place can make it easy to postpone the tough decisions. Nomar hasn’t been much there the whole year, and I think he is insisting on playing hurt. When we were struggling, Grady was more or less forced to make the decision for him to give up first base to Loney. What he should do is force him on the DL and give him the chance to come back strong later in the year. In the meantime let’s see if Betemit can recover and handle the position reasonably well. If not, Nomar can be back and be back hopefully stronger than the singles hitter we’re seeing now. I think that Grady has also had the same luxury with Raffy. Instead of putting him on DL to fully recover his ankle and come back 100%, he’s just been riding along, and we’re not getting the best that we know is available from Raffy. Let’s do what is right, not what is expedient.
I think Hendy will be fine in the rotation he put up good numbers for his whole career and last yr became real good for us in the bullpen and even did decent starting for us this yr. Tomko is unreliable but if he can ge *** going he has the baility to be really nasty and ge thitters out. I do think we need a starting pitcher like last yr. Jungar, I am saying we need to platoon Betemit and Nomar you cant just have Betemit starting every day he has proved that he can not do that and Nomar continues to hit well at home. Either way we have a whole at third base, there is nothing we can do about it during the season except cove rit up with good pitching and the rest of the team is hitting well.
I root for Tomko, Nomar all these guys to turn it around. We would be alot better if Nomar was hitting .330
The obvious would be Nomar would be hitting .330 but beyond that we could move Wilson for a starter if they truly don’t belive in Wilson. I think they do which is why he hasn’t been traded and that Nomar is simply a PR problem at this point. He should do what’s best for the team. I think that means going on the DL and then rehabbing in Vegas to learn how to hit again.
I don’t think we have a hole at 3b. I just showed you actual proof (not opinion) on why we dont have a hole. Wilson
Álex Rodríguez 1.061 (all star)
Chipper Jones 1.020 (all star)
Miguel Cabrera .996 (all star)
Aramis Ramírez .908 (former all star)
Kevin Youkilis .904
David Wright NYM .879 (all star)
Mike Lowell .864 (all star)
Wilson Betiment .842
Adrián Béltre .826 (17 million)
Nomar at home: 7 extra base hits in 152ABs (.329/.387/.388/.775)
vs Wilson at home: 9 extra base hits in 53 ABs (.247/.385/.534/.919)
to me batting avg is meaningless. And maybe thats my problem.
If Jason Jennings is healthy and available, I think that would answer a lot of our pitching woes. He’s an inning eater that posts a high % of quality starts, plus sinker ball pitchers have always faired well at Dodger Stadium. Finding that 7th inning guy might be a little tougher but I’m sure that a number of teams out of contention have a reliever that can suitably fill that role.
I can understand why we would be reluctant to have Betemit as the regular third baseman – so much was expected of him, and he delivered so poorly the first couple of months. If you look at his numbers since the start of June, his BA is not much different from Nomar’s, but the power is considerable. Yes, he’s had some 0 for 4 games with 3 K’s, but he’s also shown some patience at the plate and walked more than Nomar, I believe. He’s still a young guy and should be coachable, if Mueller is up to the challenge. If we keep him around for next season, he should probably be on a conditioning program to drop some of that weight. I just think that for a young guy who’s still under development there is a lot of potential with power, and I don’t want to waste it unless we have a clearly better answer for 3rd base.
I agree—would love to get Jennings and would cost us the least in prospects b/c he is FA after this season. I’d trade one of meat/laroche for him, although it might cost us a bit more. I hope the D’s are pursuing this.
if you think Wilson is the answer to the the third base problems then you should remember April. The Doidgers are trying to give him chance after chance and everytime they give him the everyday oppurtunity he loses it, and that was before Grady’s boy (Nomar) was playing third. Neither Nomar nor Betemit are the answer, but we will have to deal with them for this yr, maybe next yr. I do expect to see Betemit gone by July 31st, barring him getting hot in the everyday role but like i said he has yet to show he can get it done on an everyday basis. Also, if you think that this means Wilson is the 8th best 3rd basemen in baseball, im sorry but you are mistaken, lets see K %, Avg, etc. Can he be the 8th best or better in baseball potentially, maybe, but he needs to stop striking out so much and swinging at pitches in the dirt. I understand that he is veyr young and has about as much experience as does Ethier, but he proved to me he can’t ge *** done on an everyday basis, but I hope I’m wrong because he sure has some power.
Everybody’s talking about the need for a 7th inning guy. I think we have a pretty good one in Beimel, but I find him too often under-used by letting him only face the occasional left-hand batter instead of pitching an entire inning. I think he’s capable of pitching an entire inning be it against righty or lefty. I think Seanez has proved himself quite capable for one inning at a time as well.
I agree Jennings would be perfect, plus if i remember right he is a decent hitter, not too important but something to look at. I think the Dodgers need to decide who the third basemen of the future is, meat or Laroche and get rid of one of them, agreed?
I was going to mention that same thing bear I think you hit the nail on the head there, our bullpen is fine, Seanez is doing wonderful for us this yr and Grady needs to start letting Beimel pitch the whole inning. I say if there are a few lefties due up give the 7th to Beimel, if no lefties due up give it to Seanez, it has worked so far this yr. I think our bullpen is fine, plus if we get a starter then Hendy will improve our bullpen also.
I agree messagebear but when will Beimel be back to 100%? Plus finding another quality reliever just gives us one more bullet in our already strong pitching arsenal. If we can try to get that Meredith-Linebrink-Hoffman type 1-2-3 punch, we’re basically playing 6 inning games, which IMO is one of the few reasons the Padres are good.
im not as confident in our BP (remember houlton and stults are currently there). But i agree about meat/laroche, a decision has to be made and i DO think houston is the perfect fit for us b/c they have no 3b for the long term (ensberg has been benched, im not sure who’s playing there now). Makes sense to deal one of them for Jennings. For whatever reason I think the D’s find meat incapable of playing 2nd so one of them will have to go.
What about pursuing Oswalt from houston as someone was talking about the other day?
Houston would want way too much in return for Oswalt, we’re talking something along the lines of Billingsley/Kemp/LaRoche which would be insanity.
jason jennings isn’t that good.
Spanky when was the last time Wilson played more than 3 games in row? Mid June? So how can you establish anything without be allowed to establish anything?
I am not dumb I realize other stats are involved in judging talent. I will take the ability to get on base and the ability to hit for power (OPS) as a good starting point. Considering that 7 of 8 the players on that OPS list above Wilson are All Stars then maybe I am not wrong.
Ned really needs to consider trading Nomar.
Is Oswalt on the market or is that a pipe dream? Also, Oswalt means kemp and Bills.
to who max? the dl?
max who’s better: Tomko Hendrickson, or Jennings?
Hendrickson.
just gotta look at numbers. DS is helping hendrickson so it would probably help Jennings.
I think Ned wants Hendrickson in the bullpen. So if we trade for Jennings i wouldn’t be surprised. He throws a sinker like Lowe seems to have a good chance to succeed in DS buttttt i don’t know im still kinda eh on him.
Here is Jennings last 7 starts (hope it lines-up, you also have to keep in mind that he was Colorado’s #1 for several years, meaning he usually pitched against other #1s and he was in Colorado so his career #s obviously suffered.
Date Opp W L SV IP HA ER BBA SO
06/09 CHW 0 0 0 7.0 6 1 1 6
06/14 OAK 0 0 0 4.0 5 3 2 1
06/19 ANA 1 0 0 5.2 11 4 1 4
06/25 MIL 0 1 0 7.0 5 3 4 5
06/30 COL 0 1 0 7.0 5 3 2 6
07/05 NYM 0 1 0 6.0 9 5 3 4
07/13 CHC 0 1 0 5.1 10 3 1 7
wow you are crazy. ive seen jennings pitch and when he’s healthy he’s good and has a nasty sinker. lurch is lucky to have a job in the majors, imo. the only thing he has going for him is the angle he throws from, otherwise he’d be pounded. don’t forget jennings pitched all those years in coors with a decent era.
Oswalt isnt on the market per se, but he did say he would open to a trade if the opportunity presented itself. I think the exact quote was along the lines of, “we arent shopping anyone but we are fielding any and all offers.”
Obviously he isnt worth Kemp and/or Bills, but as the deadline approaches you know teams will start to get realistic. Teams in the NL are just to stupid to realize that we are not trading any of those prospects. Once they come to that realization, i think that they will start to lessen their ridiculous demands. As the deadline approaches, Houston would be hardpressed to ignore a deal including D. Young, Hu, LaRoche, Kuo, Meloan, Betemit, possibly even Nomar. We have tons of great talent, but teams are too concerned about ego at the moment= they cant give up a great player without getting one in return. However, as the deadline approaches teams will realize this is just unrealistic and bad business and will lessen there demands for 3 of our really really really good prospects.
yeah but….houston would revolt if they traded oswalt…they just signed the man! why give up your ace if you’re not getting one in return? jennings is realistic, oswalt isnt.
Sarah is the master of the obvious. I am amazed at how much love she gets from Dodger fans, when she is merely pointing out the obvious.
Those WWLD shirts are ripoffs of the Avery ones the Kings did last year.
Wow. ewk216@nyu.edu posted above that Oswalt isn’t worth Kemp.
You gotta be kidding me.
It’s much easier to replace an outfielder who can’t hit curveballs than a legitimate All-Star ace pitcher and annual Cy Young candidate.