Can't We All Just Get Along?
I wish there was more I could do to moderate the comments on the blog but to be honest, I simply don’t have enough time to figure out who’s starting fights with whom and try to keep you all in grown-up mode. I certainly hope that you can learn to police yourselves and ignore those who are out of line.
If you think about all the different personalities that visit this site, you’re obviously not going to get along with everyone. It’s that way in any walk of life, so engage in conversations with those who are acting like adults and ignore the others. That’s really all I can tell you guys and hopefully you’ll work it out amongst yourselves.
Still no word on Derek’s MRI…here’s the lineup for tonight in Colorado:
Furcal, SS
Pierre, CF
Martin, C
Gonzo, LF
Nomar, 3B
Loney, 1B
Betemit, 2B
Kemp, RF
Penny, P (looking to become the first Dodger starting pitcher to start the year 13-1 since 1920 and first in baseball since Roger Clemens in 2001, according to STATS, LLC)
Inside the Dodgers 
It’s a good thing lee doesn’t post here, otherwise there he’d be getting a shilacking here
All right now, Brad, let’s get a win tonight and turn this ship around. Sure would be nice to see that lead at 2 games over the Pads after tonight. Let’s keep hoping that we keep our kids on the team after the trade deadline, we don’t need Teixiera in Dodger Blue.
GO DODGERS!!!
Ma, we REALLY need Penny to step up and be our rock tonight. With all that has happened to our pitching staff in recent weeks, he really needs a good outing in this appearance. Hopefully he can pull through.
Betemit, 2B? This should be interesting…
From what I remember Penny owns the Rox so i’m guessing he’ll have a good outing today, I wanna see Matt Kemp get a hold of one in the thin air of Colorado.
I’ll be at tonight’s game – can’t wait to see Penny pitch live. No tix yet but I’ll probably just sit in the LF pavilion and hope I can get a Kemp or Martin HR.
Great to see Betemit inserted at 2B on Kent’s day off. The guy has the teams 4th highest OPS and as a former SS, should be able to handle the position… atleast as good as Kent anyways.
vr, Xei
Don’t forget Loney’s opposite field possibilities puppyhead
fxeimeister, I notice that over on dodgerthoughts you always end a post with:
vr, xei
Do you mind my asking what that means?
Also, this is the first game Loney has played at Coors Field since his 9 RBI EXPLOSION Game last September…Not that I’m getting my hopes up or anything…Rodrigo Lopez is no slouch and has good numbers at Coors. Now, about Lowe…? Anything you guys hear, post immediately please.
Penny’s going to have a good game tonight. He is over the second half flame out. I hope we don’t get Teixeira. We don’t need him. We need to get another starter or a third baseman. No offense Nomar!!
Wow, Phillies lost Chase Utley to a broken hand for 4-6 weeks..eek, that’s a big blow to them trying to catch the Mets.
im sure this is gonna be a good game.
you got kemp out there, loney( we all know we he can do) and betemit,nice to see him on the lineup he’s we know what he’s capable of doing when he’s off the bench. As for russell, poor guy thats all i can say poor guy.
i can only hope that this guy continues to play the way he did the first half of the season.
Wow you might as well stick a fork in the Phillies without Utley.
vr = very respectfully.
vr, Xei
i have to say ive tried to figure out grady’s methods for resting martin, playing betemit, alternating kemp/ethier, and there’s really no rhyme or reason to any of it.
Nice, thats classy Xei it just always confused me so thanks for the clarification
Thanks for being the voice of reason, as always, Josh.
I really hope Penny can pitch well tonight and am rooting for Betemit to do something tonight as well (even if it’s just showcasing him for another team 😉
Btw, I, too, am wondering why Russell is not getting a break. He’s slumping, he’s not 100% physically, we have a more than capable backup, I don’t understand why he can’t get a day or 2 off. I’m predicting that he will get a day off tomorrow or Saturday though.
2 days off for him are coming either Saturday or Sunday (daygame) along with Monday’s off-day. 2 days off out of 3 is just what Martin needs. For example, if Little rests Martin Sunday, he’ll get 72 hours off from Saturday night until Tuesday night’s game at home against S.F. So, like I said, he’ll get rest…
In a nutshell, what I said earlier today, (July 25 Blog) as a fan I hope the bullpen & hitting isn’t touched in regards to a trade. I Think the only place we can use improvement is with the starting pitching but I hope they do not trade anyone from the active 25 man roster____ and I think we have enough talent below the 40 man roster, but if we must take from there then so be it as we just might need a more experience starter(although I don’t see much out there) for the strech drive.____ How far into the future can you look, we got enough talent to last for years. AS FOR TONIGHT LET’S GO WIN GO BLUE!!!! GO DODGERS.
This silence regarding Lowe is terrifying.
I find it hard to believe that Jason Shmidt wouldn’t have known that he was not up to pitching his usual best before signing such a hugh contract. What kind of physical examination does a player have to pass before a new club will sign them?
schmidt had an MRI before the signing which came out clean, which basically means you can’t trust an MRI for some types of injuries.
You have to figure Lowe is going to miss at least a start at this point.
So Kent who has been on fire during July gets rested?
-Emma
dodger5_03 is right. It’s a bit ironic that a second-basemen (even a 39-year old second basemen) gets a day off when he’s hitting the ball like crazy, but a catcher who is in a funk (I don’t think Russell Martin is capable of a full-blown slump) can’t get a night off.
C’est la vet.
Also, I suppose if there is a ballpark in baseball that is good to try to get going at, it’s Coors Field. Martin might just hit two dingers tonight.
It’s good that Betemit is giving a go at 2B. It’s better to have him spell Kent then Ramon Martinez (without any discredit to Ramon, who fills the utility role well). Also, in thinking of the future, we have three guys (LaRoche, Abreu, and Betemit), and yet only an opening at two positions (3B and 2B, and even then it’s after Kent retires and Nomar’s contract comes up, and there are big questions that come from that). I like Abreu as the 2B of the future, but a little competition is good.
Josh – Here’s an idea… Why not have someone who has posted and is “adult enough” act as a moderator to assist you in the venture to keep everyone in line. Just a thought!!! BTW… Was I the only one who saw that SD traded their setup man for prospects… HA HA HA HA.. Kevin Towers strikes again with another lopsided trade.. Have a look at Trevor Hoffman’s comments (nice message that they are sending their fans) http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2949182
James bottom line is using logic. Why would our biggest rivals let their ace walk to us?
Because they didnt care.
So then we have to ask ourselves why they didnt care.
It’s no suprise to me where we are. In the first half of the year we decided not to play our best offensive young players in order to play old guys. They finally made the move to bring up Kemp and Loney and bam, our offense heats up. Yeah I know, the PR machine says its Mueller and he has helped, but inserting two players batting .380 help to.
And now our pitching. The man brought us two injury concerns heading into the year out of five arms and thats not even counting TSAO who no suprise, is injured. Our back up plans are Tomko and Henderickson or pulling our best young starter (see the trend, no trust in our kids until its obvious) out of the Pen. So no suprise.
I am afraid we dont have any MLB ready arms to save Ned this time. Now the question is, will he destroy our future Nucleas to save his 07 creation?
Emma, Jeff Kent is an old man (comparatively) who needs his rest, especially after a grueling flight from a night game in Houston to tonight in Denver. 😉
Grady has figured out that when he rests Kemp, he needs to compensate by playing another power bat (Betemit, today) in the lineup, and not simply put Ramon Martinez in his place.
Wilson B. has 388 innings of MAJOR league middle-infield experience, albeit only 77 at 2B. He should be ok. He played SS at all minor-league levels, including AAA, until moving to 3B full-time, still in AAA.
Sorry, leefink, your post wasn’t up yet, when I started typing mine – covered some of the same ground, redundantly.
My guess is someone wants Wilson to play 2b and if it took us over 100 games to put him there I doubt its us.
tha’s really weird to have Wilson playing 2nd…oh well, at least it’s not Martinez
Interesting speculation, Jungar. Very possible. However, I think the fact that Ned passed on some decent bullpen help from the Yankees by trading Betemit, I tend to agree with old fogey. Kent is out and Grady has realized we need to keep a power bat in the line-up. Particularly with our pitching in the shape that it’s in.
from MLB.com
Dodgers: The Dodgers received bad news regarding their already decimated pitching staff Wednesday, and it looks like GM Ned Colletti will have to make a move come July 31. Starting pitcher Randy Wolf will probably need two more rehab starts after struggling Wednesday at Class A, left-hander Hong-Chih Kuo underwent a fourth elbow operation and looks to be lost for the season and now, workhorse Derek Lowe appears to be headed to the 15-day disabled list with a strained groin, which forced him out of Wednesday’s start.
but kemp *is* playing today. betemit has played 2nd for us before so im not reading anything into it.
if i had to guess i think our AAA stars will be gone for a starter. is anything else even probable at this point? i mean we aren’t going to get a starter for *just* betemit.
I do hope that was Grady’s thought process. I like Wilson and hope he isn’t traded. (I’d trade Nomar/Gonzo first, but in reality that won’t happen)
But the timing of it all seems odd considering how important these games are and how hot Kent has been.
Sure he needs a rest but now?
Speaking of pitching- What are we going to do about it???
Our starters are hurting (only 2 in our last 10 games have gone 6+ innings!) and with Wolf getting shelled in Single A, Kuo out for the season, Lowe scaring us all with the groin-it doesn’t look good at all. This tells me we need another starter!
Our pen is a mess- Tsao is down, Seanez doesn’t look the same, Hernandez is worthless (anyone disagree? I’d love to hear a rebuke to make me feel better about him), Hendrickson has been going back and forth between starter/reliever… this all tells me we need help in the pen. Meloan has done a solid job in his 4 innings in Triple A but is that enough??
So we need pitching. We do not need Tex. Keep the kids, Ned! I think he will but how do we grab pitching without saying goodbye to a couple of the guys we want to be in blue for years??
And by the way the idea that we have to rest our clean up hitter in the middle of a pennant race is exaclty why I am so down on Coletti. 110 million dollar payrolls shouldn’t have to rest clean up hitters.
Astros go back to back on Wells and lead 3-1 Bottom 1 over S.D
Awesome! Thanks Alex.
I would rather come in last place in the NL west this year than to trade any of these players
LaRoche
Loney
Martin
Kemp
Kershaw
Bills
Broxton
Hu
Would hate to trade them but if we did I could live with it:
Ethier
Betimet
Abreu
Still no word on D-Lowe? Nothing on the other blogs either? I feel like we’re just waiting to make sure that Eric Stults is in uniform to announce that DL has been put on the DL and Stults has been recalled.
Saito is back in the bullpen, still no MRI results for Lowe…
Sorry but I have to agree with you__kevinpoush__unless our own kids that we call up can help.
I would rather come in last place in the NL west this year than to trade any of these players
LaRoche
Loney
Martin
Kemp
Kershaw
Bills
Broxton
Hu
Ethier
Betimet
Would hate to trade them but if we did I could live with it:
Abreu
I would agree with you, but I moved two up into the other list…
I would move Abreu and B/C prospects for the best pitcher I could
Jul 26 – The Dodgers are seeking bullpen help and have been scouting the Pirates’ games recently, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. The Pirates are offering Damaso Marte, Salomon Torres and possibly Shawn Chacon if no contract is signed soon.
The Dodgers have a wealth of young players they are open to discussing, among them third baseman Andy LaRoche, brother of Pirates first baseman Adam LaRoche.
-espn insider
god if that happened i’d well I’d **** myself and then cry and then cry some more when i realized i crapped myself.
I love how all of these ‘rumors’ are coming from the cities of the team wanting our young players, not one trade rumor has come from L.A…btw 6-1 Astros Top 3 over S.D
Of all the trade bait we have, I think Hu and Betimet are the most likely options. It would be hard to keep Hu in Vagas until Raffy is done.
To jungar: Why do you value Hu higher than Abreu? Not a challenge, just curious. Abreu has yet to play for LV since being sent down. I have no idea why this is. Dodgers.scout.com reported on a rumor (who knows what their source is; but, they are good guys)that KC asked for Abreu for Dotel and the Dodgers turned them down but offered Hu.
Do you post on Dodgers.com as well as here?
1) I like seeing Betemit get a shot at 2nd, but seriously, why are Gonzo and Nomar in the 4 and 5 spots? And why does this sound so familiar (thinking back to last year “Why are Drew and Kent still in the 4 and 5?)
2) I’m really looking forward to Ethier and Kemp both being in the lineup regularly next year. I’d also love to see Betemit get some consistent playing time – seems like he can’t get that after slumping in April.
3) If you asked me what I’d want to see before the deadline, I would probably not want to make any trades at this point. We don’t need Dunn when we already have Betemit. I’d rather miss the playoffs than do something stupid right now. What I would like to see would be trading a couple of veterans to some other teams, maybe send Furcal over and try Betemit or Abreu (or Hu even) at short, and then see if we can do something as far as acquiring pitching.
4) Pierre deserves credit for picking it up a bit this month (.300/.337/.378), but could still stand to do a bit better. I will say that outside of watching Kemp, Martin, Betemit, Saito, or Billingsley, my favorite thing to watch is Pierre work the count by fouling off everything in the zone and then end up with a walk.
5) I must say that I really appreciate all the work Josh puts into this blog, and I always enjoy reading it. Nice to see everyone passionate about the team, even if those passions do sometimes carry over a bit too much into the chat.
I think that the Dodgers will for sure trade Delwyn Young at the deadline. They have no spot for him and unfortunatley I don’t think his value is very high.
Hard to part with these numbers:
.346, 16, 77
I would think with one out PIERRE should attemp to steal a base before MARTIN tries for a hit.
Awesome bare-hand play by Nomar at third…nice anticipation of Tavarez’s bunt
Not to come down on Martin, because everyone gets into a slump, and his is not a severe one, but now would be the time to try Loney in the #3 slot.
11 pitches, 10 strikes for Lopez so far…
lol saw that comment lastnight too messagebear I was thinking the same thing but was otherwise engaged at the time….
I hope the Little little-minded critics read the Dodger homepage where the reason for resting Kent today is explained.
WTG!!!!That was heads up
Although being left handed helps that’s still was a very nice play by LONEY on the DP.
Gotta love those 2 base steals.Lets go Martin!
GONZO!!!! Nice hustle by Martin there for 3rd.
yay nomar!
YES!!!! that wasn’t Thunder that was Nomar’s Bat!
ut oh c’mon hurry to thru the 5th.
daGONZ & NOMAR YES and a key in that inning was MARTIN working out a walk(instead of striking out). Let’s hope it don’t rain too much.
rain knocked that one down…
C-YA Raffy Returns!!!!
FURCAL SAYS GOOD NIGHT BALL!
nice job raffy!!!
ok lets get this one in the books now
Joe (LA): If you are Ned Coletti what do you do to get better by 7/31 for the stretch run? Thaks.
SportsNation Keith Law: Promote Adam Laroche, hand him the 3b job. I’d say acquire a starter, but I’m not thrilled with what’s available … if you can pick up a Matt Morris for nothing, great, but don’t trade any serious prospects. I’d definitely get involved in the reliever market, though. Bottom line is that I wouldn’t deal any of all of those young impact guys (Kemp, Loney, Kershaw), and I’d let LaRoche play every day.
agreed 100%
F__U__R__C__A__L They say he almost past PENNY circuling the bases.
BONITO, RAFAEL…BONITO….
Tonight’s LV starting line-up does not include Abreu or Hu. Hu last played Monday; Abreu last played for LV in May!
that was more than bonito…that was hermoso
Let’s hope this don’t happen but remember no more official game. The game gets suspended and must be completed on a later date(I’m pretty sure of this) but it looks like it will pass.
pierreseastmeetswest–I think that is the rule only if there is a tie game, that they pick up another day. I think that if the rain came down now, we win 5-0.
Common misconception, but the game would in fact be over if the game were called now. It’s a little confusing…
“SUSPENDED GAMES: Weather, if a regulation game is called while an inning is in progress and before the inning is completed, and the visiting team has scored one or more runs to take the lead, and the home team has not retaken the lead”
But, with a five run lead like right now, the game would be called…
If a game is called, it is a regulation game:
(1) If five innings have been completed;
(2) If the home team has scored more runs in four or four and a fraction half-innings than the visiting team has scored in five completed half-innings;
(3) If the home team scores one or more runs in its half of the fifth inning to tie the score.
(d) If a regulation game is called with the score tied, it shall become a suspended game. See Rule 4.12.
(e) If a game is called before it has become a regulation game, the umpire shall declare it “No Game.”
(f) Rain checks will not be honored for any regulation or suspended game which has progressed to or beyond a point of play described in 4.10(c)
PENNY must come out, a complete six innings is good enough.
yeah. You could argue he should have been talking out after walking in the run. Thats not a good sign.
great now he has his batting helmet on.
I thought they changed that rule this year. Alex.
i dont like this decision to leave penny in.
i don’t either… penny did not have it last inning.
Penny did not walk in a run.
see this is what happens when you do stupid stuff. Penny had no right being in the game anymore.
F’ing great.
Now, everybody is going to hate this move…but it looks like a cramp
PENNY SHOULD OF NEVER CAME TO THE PLATE. THAT’S THE SECOND GAME LITTLE SCREWED UP.
Oh man! Not good. It looks like a cramp though, but still. In these awful conditions and the rain Penny should not have been in the game.****** you Grady!!! We need to get Dusty Baker or Joe Girardi as our manager. I am not a Grady fan.
it was a bad move. Penny was at 90 and had a rough 6th. THere was no reason he should have batted.
lol at dusty baker. If we had dusty baker as our manager penny would be in a wheelchair out there pitching.
Especially with Saito back in the pen, the move was probably not the right idea. I could understand it if we were depleted in the pen, I’m left kind of stunned. But, it looked like a cramp and you could read Penny and Conte saying that. So, I don’t think this is bad. Then again I’m also in shock…
90 pitches*
Grady’s just terrible. I am still reeling from the July 4th game against Atlanta when he had a base open and two outs with Chipper Jones at the plate and pitched to him with a guy batting .190 on deck in Andruw Jones. Of course Chipper rips a base hi up the middle to drive in two. Grady has screwed us out of 6-7 wins this season with his managing. You are right about Baker, maybe not him. Girardi would be good. Look what he did with the Marlins last season.
He’s famous for leaving PEDRO now ironically his decision lead to PENNY getting hurt. Although it’s a coincident.
You have to question Conti, when he was with the Giants they always had guys with muscle pulls?
I don’t get why Loney wasn’t on the bag…
God I hope it’s only a cramp. Has there been ANY word on Lowe’s status yet??
Look, if Penny got hurt, this is bad. But even if you think that we should pull Penny from pitching (and with Tomko going tomorrow, we’re going to need the bullpen), I would still let Penny hit. He’s hitting .292. I suppose we could bring in Kent off the bench, but generally speaking, our pinch-hitters aren’t as good of a hitter as Penny.
Let’s hope it’s just a cramp.
Andruw Jones had 13 HRs and 47 RBIs at the time your discussing and you want to pitch to him with the bases loaded. Your wrong so keep on reeling I don’t care what his BA is and I don’t care that he K’d after Chipper.
THRU 7….boy
BIG JOHN JUST BLEW THAT BY HOLLIDAY! I think I startled the block…oops
I’ll read that posting later, Alex.
Ab-CRAMP WE SHALL OVERCOME!
phew…penny only had an abdominal cramp
Abdonimal CRAMP (not strain) according to Rick and Charley based on the PA announcement in the box.
Rick says that it’s refreshing to hear. Charley says that he thinks that is less serious.
We’re still hitting, but it seems like the hitters are all in a funk. They should be destroying the ball on Colorado.
Those of you who can’t watch the L.A station and are stuck with Rocky Mountain FSN, Vinny said it’s just an ab-cramp for Penny.
*in Colorado*
we got extremely lucky.
That is why Broxton should have pitched to Biggio on Tuesday.
They say PENNY might have a cramp. I hope that’s right. BUT How can you get a cramp that fast? I hope it’s not a strain.
Miketink, Broxton was our closer in that game, Biggio hit the granny in the 6th
Alex: Your incorrect. Little had said Beimel was the closer that night taking pressure off Broxton.It was on the homepage before the game.
That was Monday’s game…Bills took care of that Monday, so Broxton was the closer for Tuesday…
Broxton is a HORSE!
THAT’S EIGHT…How do we do it?
It’s possible the announcement that Beimel would be the closer on Tuesday was mabe on Monday but I am 100% sure that Beimel was the designated closer on Tuesday.
last i checked it was thursday so who cares what happened on tuesday.
hahah vinny keeps calling jorge julio “lugo” hahaha.
Yikes. That likely (and, I would say, hopefully) breaks Loney’s streak of 30 consecutive games getting on base.
That’s 4 times I’ve counted for Jorge “Lugo” Julio
Look max you said Penny walked in a run so concentrate on the game while alex and I talk.
I expect this to be a thrill ride bottom of the ninth to say the very least with a rusty Saito…I hope I am wrong
Let’s hope SAITO isn’t rusty.
I’m thinking Loney needs a one day rest himself and Kemp needs to work on hitting the curve ball and laying off the fast ball out of the strike zone.
In fact, this will be the first game that Loney has started since he was recalled last July where he did not get on base. That’s nearly a year.
I guess we can forgive him for this one game.
SAITO IS A WARRIOR!!! We didn’t win this game we survived it! TWO GAME LEAD!
Welcome Back Sammy!
Way to go, Sammy!!!
Did that with almost no nailbiting on my part.
S___A___I___T___O what would we do ? Where would we be, witout him. Bless them BEIMEL, BROXTON also.
I think we need to get Ethier back in there for a couple of games. After all he’s been hitting around .300, and we need to get him some playing time.
Who said men don’t cry?
Saito looked good on the radio.
Not to harp on the Loney thing, but I actually think that this is the first time since April 16 last year when he started and did not get on base. Admittedly, he was not starting a lot last year, and spent more than 3 months in Las Vegas, but that’s still pretty impressive.
Paulg may still be right–he’s like everyone and can use a day off. But I wouldn’t want to rest him in Colorado. Even though we did not rack up the hits, it’s too good a location for a hitter to get a good groove going in.
Does Little get any credit from the critics on this one?
Yes, he brought Broxton in the 7th for Beimel and it worked out. Penny’s AB well yes bad idea and we survived. But, luckily for all of us Grady won’t have to deal with that.
For All that Kemp is doing, let’s get Dunn, at least he connects, some times. Can we afford, to have Kemp, going to school ???????
Hold on there pat25rod. Dunn has 121 strikeouts, tops in the league. He struck out 194 times last year, which I think is second most of all time–next to his 195 in 2004. His .269 average does not compare to Kemp hitting .350, and Kemp’s .571 slugging percentage is better than Dunn’s .560.
Sure, Kemp is learning, but he’s producing, and he’s not the air-conditioning that Dunn provides.
hahahahaha @ the dunn comment. His .248 carrer BA sure backs that up.
Listening to the post-game show, Charley just reported that Penny said that he could have even stayed in the game, but Conte and Grady wanted to take it caerfully, and he will make his next start.
Breathe.
Let’s hope there is similarly good news about Lowe.
pat: Is your post a joke? Dunn 121Ks/420TPA=29%
Kemp 31Ks/133TPA=23%
just for fun Pierre 25Ks/466TPA=5%
Listening to A. Martinez on Dodger Talk, they confirm that Brad Penny thinks he could have stayed in, but Grady and Conte wanted to be extra careful. He will make his next start.
Also, about Lowe, apparently, the MRI machine broke when he got in it. The results are not back yet, but Lowe thinks he will be OK, and plans to throw lightly off the mound tomorrow, so long as the MRI is clean. So there is good cause for optimism there.
Not so good abour Randy Wolf. His arm is sore today after the Inland Empire outing. Almost surely at least another rehab start before he is back with the club.
miketink…..what are you talking about? 13 homeruns and 47 rbis is great and all, but hes batting .190 for crying out loud. You have OVER AN 80% CHANCE to get an out there. You are telling me you would rather pitch to a .320 batter than a .190 batter and you get a righty vs righty matchup to boot. I guess agree to disagree, but wow!
jkissen,
If you want odds to get an out, look at OBA, not average.
So, I was at Coors tonight. I ended up not in the LF pavilion but about 20 rows behind 1st base. Awesome view – saw a lot of foul-ball action, including one hit DIRECTLY at my brother in the seat next to me (he stood up, hands outstretched, and some fat biker dude literally jumped into him and knocked him and the ball away). I had a great view of Penny as he beat out that swinging bunt, and my heart sank when I saw him doubled over. Especially since I didn’t have a computer nearby to hear what his injury was. I had to sit there for several innings imagining our projected starting rotation for the season (Penny, Lowe, Schmidt, Wolf, Kuo) and compare that to what would be our probable rotation if Penny was hurt (Billingsley, Tomko, Hendrickson…Stults? Houlton?) and sweat bullets.
The rain was nice actually. It was a warm evening even with the T-storm, and never got even close to hard enough to delay the game.
8th and 9th innings were intense. Broxton and Saito with huge Ks to end their innings; it was great to see them work. I think the people around me hated me for my screams of victory as the Rockies’ hopes died; it was totally worth it, though. Although Saito gave up a rare walk, his stuff looked just unhittable from where I was sitting. It was great to see him back.
I’m probably heading to another game or two this weekend – let’s hope the Dodgers can keep it rolling!
thats good to hear about penny. that would be so ridiculous if penny was hurt too. it would be nice to get an update on lowe…
I just checked back to see if youse had anything on Penny. It’s good to know the news is good.____ I say this hoping we don’t get a different story tomorrow._____Penny hurting himself may have been a break for the Dodgers, because the Rockies were killing him and I don’t think he would of made it out of the 7th._____but of course I would of taken the loss with a healthy Penny.
Geeze if you are gonna take a break then take a break….Don’t sign in under another name and post the same stuff and don’t bringout your Blamethrower on me. You can throw a change up but its still the same lame pitch that everyone knows you’re gonna throw and you are still gonna get toasted.Thought maybe groundhog day might get a day or 2 break but as you said Alex ….Beyond Reproach….
Am I fed up and tired of this blog and gonna tuck tail and go elsewhere? No… I will view this blog and insert this here and ask that there and will not allow stupid people make halfwit remarks at our expense nor will I cry to Josh if I get flamed for it only to have josh tell me that he doesn’t want to hear it because i know that he has a real job with the Dodgers and that babysitting are not words used in his job description.Josh stated Please try to police yourselves and that is what I unleashed lastnight I had had enough and Made a stand about it against a huge offender who wimpered back and tried to get sympathy but tonight for the most part was not groundhog day and I stand pat on my ground as should all of you who post alot more then I and have alot more to contribute then I do.I’m just a fan of the Dodgers as well as some of you and others are more in touch in your own ways but this continous bashing of certain players or management or coaches is just not healthy for a ‘Fan’ site.I have only been visiting this site for a year or so and had issues with players coaches and management and fellow bloggers thoughout that time and have addressed those issues from time to time.Sometimes I’m right sometimes I’m wrong but never has anyone had to tell me backoff jack more then once and if people are getting nasty e-mail for the things they are saying then….Maybe you should check yourself…I have sent e-mails to 3 or so people on this blog and they are all friendly or in responce to a question never anything bad.Its just not in the fabric of who I am to be that way.I looked back upon the series of events that put me in that place lastnight and saw that I was #1 baited for response and #2 trying to watch the game…It was like that little Yippy dog at your ankles that won’t shut up nor go away until you kicked it then it just kept coming back for more because nobody ever pays attension to it….Then when it gets hurt it whines until you fix it….I am sorry if I have taken up your valuible reading time but at the same time feel that groundhog day has to end.Today was a good start to win the game and not have to see soo many repetitive posts…Hope Penny is OK for his Cy year!
Go Dodgers!!!
puppyhead
interesting that the seats you had last night are just about the same ones we will have for tomorrow’s game. I’ve never been to Coors Field, but these seats sound like a good choice. I’ll watch out for the fat biker.
I was gonna respond to fisher’s comment… but instead… I’ll just say I hope Penny is ok. and Go Dodgers!
I thought Grady made the right move sticking with Penny. A commenter on Tony Jackson’s blog* had the same argument as me (see below). Plus the Rockies were due to send up 8, 9 (PH), 1 in the seventh.
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El Lay Dave on: “I completely disagree. Brad Penny is the Dodgers #1 pitcher, the ace of the moment. It is no way unreasonable to plan to send him back out for the 7th with a very good chance that he can complete it and only be at 105 pitches, a very reasonable pitch count.
“The bullpen is not THAT rested, Saito is coming back from having pain, this was game 1 of a four game series IN DENVER, a park that usually causes fits for pitching staffs, humidor or no humidor, and the next three starters are Tomko (’nuff said), Billingsley (another CG? 5 innings? But a great young talent.) and Hendrickson (went 6 2/3 once – giving up 5 ER – and 6 once this season, plan on 5 and a fraction if things go well). Tonight is not when I want to start running through the pen.”
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http://www.insidesocal.com/dodgers/archives/2007/07/yes_im_still_al.html#comments
i would like to vote for one rule. no posting when drinking. some posters come here and actually talk about it playfully. fact is it is most likely the liquor talking, and could easily be dismissed as such. it just doesnt make for good insightful talk. and yea fisher that is directed at you as well as a few others. i think that may have lead to the escalation. yes of course it was a smart remark, but in the blog world lots of people have those. once again i think it is futile fisher to tell people how to post. if someone wants to bring something you think is negative to light , you can do nothing but scroll down and not read it. just stop telling people how to go about supporting the dodgers.
the blame will soon shift to coletti. if the padres edge us out for the title with that payroll, ned is in trouble. i mean his offseason is increasingly looking worse day by day, from his handling of loney, to his handling of our rotation letting bomko get to a 1-6 record, to of course signing a fast one trick pony willie harris type for that money. i have no problem placing blame on coletti for where we are today. juan’s contract has blocked us so many differant ways its disgusting…
just read lowe should not miss his next start reports the LA times….said he felt no pain..phew!
“Blame Coletti for where we are today” —- you mean first ******* place… give me a break… i promise im sober too…
things could easily be better… and things could easily be worse. Ned’s done an OK job. The best thing he’s done is finally give the kids significant positions on the team.
Miketink: Don;t get me wrong, I love Kemp, But just because Kemp’s strikeout ratio is 6% better than Dunn, Does NOT make me feel better. What is happening right now is, that I believe that Kemp & Russell seem to be Homerun happy. Their strikeouts ARE increasing and it bothers me.
I’m NOT saying that they should, sit Kemp down, BUT, HOUSTON, We have a problem ???
What do we do. We’re paying attention to the Madres, BUT, the Snakes are slowly closing the Gap. Atlanta better cool them off…….
Lol seriously man how are you going to “blame” anyone for anything when the team is currently one of the best in the NL. Plus, Ned doesn’t decide the bombko thing, I agree with you there and that is a Grady thing. Bills should have been starting all year, but he realizes he needed to make the change and he made it and here we are. Same with Loney/Garciapara, I think they should have started the season with Nomar at 3rd and Loney at 1st but once again they realized they needed to do that and fixed the problem. And Juans contract might be a lil high especially for the type of player he is, but he has helped us win so many ballgames this yr. I’m not going to go into the Juan Pierre dispute though I have done it too many times and sometimes people dont understand what a base stealer can do to change the entire game. But I agree lets blame Ned for us being in first place….
MAX POWER 05…
Are you so immature that you are unable to express your feelings unless you use a profane or sexual connotation?
Just wandering..
Looks like Kenny is going to be on a contender again, back to the Indians.
I agree that it looks like kemp always swings for the fences. Also, if you look back at the Loney/Nomar thing, its interesting b/c originally the idea of moving Nomar was shot down because of injury risk. And it continued to be the reasoning behind not doing the move. Now…did they suddenly decide that he wouldn’t get injured there? And if that’s the case, why didn’t they do it earlier? Or, were they so desperate to have Loney’s bat at 1st that they no longer cared about injury risk?
haha— good for kenny. So what will that be for him if they make the playoffs— like every single year of his career he has been in there or something?? lol The guy is definately a competitor
Kday, maybe some people just enjoy expressing themselves with sex or profanity, and maybe it has nothing to do with immaturity at all. I think you;re being immature for thinking that it is immature to use profanity or sexual references.. Just bc some people enjoy expressing themselves in a way different than you does not make it immature.
to back up ewk on that… there is plenty of great literature, novels and such, out there that use lots of profanity and sexual references… ****, even the bible has a few curse words here and there.
Graffiti, LOL on Fisher’s “Drunken Post.” Thats exactly what I thought when I attempted to read it.
Guy needs to lay off of grandpa’s old cough medicine.
the fact that mark shapiro still saw something in kenny says something, besides that look at his stats. thats what separates good gm’s from bad ones. he traded a minor league catching prospect for a speed guy, ned colletti gave a similar player close to 10 mil a year. that doesnt reek of a good move to me. look how atlanta plucked willie harris from boston. or how KC got joey gathright because the d rays had to many of’s. those would be ways i would go about getting those guys, and i would platoon that player just like atlanta does. juan is basically a bunter against lefty’s. but he makes too much to platoon.
yeah manny3vee that reeked of an alcohol induced post. im a fan of krusty brand cough syrup….
i am 67 years old and have certainly used my share of profanity and sexual connotations in my lifetime.
i just do not believe that it should be used on a public forum such as this where kids have access to read it.
If you were writing in a newspaper it would not be allowed!!!!
good point kday. its just the hardcore ones. when people start saying they would love ex dodgers wives to perform oral sex on them it gets a bit much.
I would have to say the profanity and sexual connotations doesn’t offend me but I do agree with Kday regarding the kids. Even though I do not post a lot I do enjoy reading the info Josh posts and would hate to see it stop.
back to “trade” talk for a minute….. I’ve been reading various reports stating that Octavio Dotel will be either a Dodger or an Indian by Tuesday. I see KC as a legitimate potential trading partner, not Rangers. However, can someone tell me why we would offer an Abreu or Hu for a reliever the likes of Dotel? This would be foolish, IMO. Now Zach Greinke’s name has been mentioned as well. I know the cost would be very high, but al least the guy has tremendous upside. Thoughts…
Just saying– i learned the F word when i was probably 5 or 6, and im sure many people were similar. All the stuff is bleeped out anyways so i dont see the qualm. Graffitti, that was a bit much- absolutely. The kids can fend for themselves is all im saying..
ewk – to even think that you could say “The kids can fend for themselves is all im saying..” makes you a worthless individual. I can cuse with the best of them and I’m all for the male female relationship. But to hear this kind of response in a public forum makes me sick !! How dare you even remotely insinuate that children should not be protected.
Josh you have a problem here and it isn’t getting any better !!!
totally ewk. one of my first words was a cuss word, thanks to some early fights between my parents. it was supposedly quite hilarious.
geez gary this really is getting old. stop with your fascist posts. cmon we all know you want to be blog dictator but thats not really in the cards for you pal. there is absolutely nothing wrong with ewk’s post…we need to find a middle ground somewhere between mister rogers neighborhood and the jerry springer show here people….
Trades — I’m so interested in the summer version of the “Hot Stove League”! I can’t figure out what I want to happen this season. Game by game, day by day, I wonder if Texeria would be a good fit, or if Loney, Kemp, Ethier are going to be the next Pedro Martinez. I just can’t get enough or read enough to suit my insatiable need for information.
Today, I would rather the Dodgers stay the course and make a run at A-Rod at season’s end … or find a 3B right now, that can hit. They seem few and far between, so I say stay the course.
I’m not as alarmed by the injuries we have on the PS as others. Everyone has pains and aches at this time of year. That is why it is called the “Dog Days of Summer”.
Lowe will be there, Penny is okay, and Billingsley is a monster! I can deal with a spotty Hendrickson, Tomko duo.
this isnt gary smith’s find a friend dodger public forum…you are overreacting mightily. you cant even get a cuss word through. you cant even say the word that we know as adult entertainment. there are censors in place gary.
i ceorsmith, cannot deal with a spotty hendrickson and tomko, not both of em no way. we arent in any position to lose two games in row like that. hendy’s got more of my trust than tomko only because hes a lefty. i would be happy if i didnt have to see bomko pitch one more game in this uniform. the boos spoke loudly. ive never heard anyone get booed like that outside of the roid master himself barry bonds.
I had the same thoughts about trading either Hu or Abreu for Dotel. I’ve looked at Dotel’s last three years… and he’s been either injured or ineffective in those last three years. Total of 47.1 inn since 2004. Scouts say he’s regained his stuff lately, but in 22 innings this year he’s given up 22 hits and 10 walks. Not horrible, but is it worth Hu or Abreu?
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/6111/career;_ylt=AmOd.OgXXr8lT.lXeHRaiTyFCLcF
GG — Who is out there that we can pick up with out giving up the farm? Maybe we should try Kershaw … and follow the “Battery-Chuckers” lead with the calling up of Lincecum!
Not horrible, but is it worth Hu or Abreu?
No.
Plus do we really need a reliever? I mean I get that no one wants to see anyone but Brox/Saito/Beimel out there..but how many teams that will make the playoffs have those three type guys. Our bully is fine. It’s just our starters collecivley need to be better. Since the all star break our relivers are averging like 60+ pitches a night.
If were going to make a trade then trade for a SP
I don’t care if we trade Abreu—but I agree we could get better value for him than freaking Dotel. Dotel is not going to be lights out or anything and the injury risk is there. I want another SP to replace tomko/lurch and maybe a reliever and nothing else.
i think a change of scenery would be good for the d train but he is a little pricey for what he is actually doing this year. i could see givin a few prospects without giving the farm for dontrelle. i know they need a good CF so maybe delwyn young might interest them although id be sad to see him go. i think he can hit 25 homers in the bigs with an OK average.
i think its obvious at this point we need better starting pitching, because people dont realize thats gonna help our bullpen more than acquisition. our bullpen is still one of the nastiest. better starting pitching will lead to fewer appearances by guys like rudy seanez and roberto hernandez.
I think if the Dodgers are going to trade Hu or Abreu to the Royals, they should try to get both Greinke and Dotel. But the Dodgers would probably have to throw in another mid-level prospect to make that work.
If in fact Colleti is in the market, I read that LA is the wildcard in the Texeria deal with Atlanta. Could it be we can shore up our pitching with Gagne back in the fold … what will that make Saito feel like?
For that matter Broxton … isn’t he the closer-to-be?
The latest Dodgers “RUMORS” from Baseball Prospectus… a dependable, respected baseball source.
The Mill
Friday Update
Baseball Prospectus
# Texas first baseman Mark Teixeira remains the most intriguing player who could be moved before the deadline, and Atlanta continues to look like the frontrunner. The Braves are reportedly willing to offer a package of right-hander Kyle Davies, rookie catcher/first baseman Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and infield prospect Elvis Andrus.
The Dodgers are also very much in the running, and could likely entice the Rangers to make a deal if they would include pitching prospect Clayton Kershaw in a package with first baseman James Loney and outfielder Andre Ethier in exchange for Teixeiera and reliever Joaquin Benoit.
# The Angels’ chances of landing Teixeira have diminished now that they need right-hander Ervin Santana to come back up from Salt Lake to take the rotation spot of Bartolo Colon; Colon is likely to miss the rest of the season with his elbow injury. There had been talk of Santana leading an Angels’ package that would also include first baseman Casey Kotchman, and outfield prospect Terry Evans. The Angels have now turned their attention to Chicago White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko, who they nearly signed as a free agent after the 2005 season. They and the Dodgers have also asked about Toronto’s third baseman, Troy Glaus.
#
# The Yankees apparently will have to take a number and get in line if they want to acquire Wigginton as the Cubs, Dodgers, Twins, and Red Sox all have interest as well. Tampa Bay is reportedly willing to move troubled outfielder Elijah Dukes and displaced infielder Jorge Cantu in trades for pitching prospects.
# The Red Sox are pushing hard to acquire a right-handed bat. Beyond Wigginton and Dye, they have also inquired about Teixeira, Dodgers third base prospect Andy LaRoche, and outfielder Bobby Kielty, who was designated for assignment by Oakland earlier this week. Boston is offering around outfielder Wily Mo Pena as their primary trade bait, but teams are more scared off by his lack of production than intrigued by his power potential.
# Kansas City’s Dayton Moore has been rebuffed so far in his efforts to acquire a young major league hitter for Dotel; the Dodgers would not part with infielder Tony Abreu, and the Indians wouldn’t give up outfielder Franklin Gutierrez.
# Florida has decided not to deal left-hander Dontrelle Willis now because his trade value has been driven down by his recent struggles. Instead, the Marlins are hoping Willis finishes up this season strong, and will look to trade him in the offseason.
# Mets General Manager Omar Minaya is confident that his team can win the National League East as currently constructed, but it still looking to improve the roster. The Mets have some interest in White Sox right fielder Jermaine Dye because of the injury concerns involving Moises Alou and Carlos Beltran. Since the Red Sox, Padres, and Dodgers are all also eyeing Dye, things could get interesting. The Mets also wouldn’t mind adding another starting pitcher, and are looking at a pair of right-handers—the White Sox’ Jose Contreras, and Livan Hernandez. The Diamondbacks have no plans to re-sign Hernandez as a free agent after this season, but are also loath to trade him while still in contention.
BP is a pay-site, so a link would not work unless you have a BP account. Enjoy.
yeah i like greinke a bit. he has the tools, he just hasnt put it together. maybe getting him out of the Dh league would help, though it is not certain. hes got issues up top to go along with too.
For what it is worth: (Baseball Prospectus)
It looks as if Cleveland is finishing up a deal. One source tells me it’s done while another is saying it’s “very close.” I don’t have details, though speculation is focused on their adding a reliever, perhaps Octavio Dotel. The Indians emerged as the leader for Dotel after the Dodgers pulled back–not just on Dotel, but it sounds as if the Dodgers have decided that they’re going to tweak their roster with small trades at best, while preferring to hold on to their top prospects. Surprisingly, it seems that Chin-Lung Hu is still on the “available” list.
thanks dodgerdude much appreciated. if im texas i like our deal much more than atlanta’s. kyle davies stinks, so i dont understand how kershaw comes up on our side. more like orenduff or an injured elbert.
trying to read a bit into Betemit’s appearance at 2d base yesterday, my guess is that Abreu’s going to be traded. KC sends Grudzielanek to Mets/Phillies opening a spot at second. I just hope it’s not for Dotel. What about Abreu, Delwyn Young and a pitcher for Greinke? Greinke can help in the pen where he’s been very effective this year and perhaps regain the confidence to start again next year.
Giving up Loney, Kershaw, and Ethier would be way too much for Teixera and Benoit. Teixera is barely an upgrade over Loney, and the only reason he is an upgrade at all is because he is more experienced and proven. Plus Teixera has Borass as his agent, doesn’t he? So you could forget about signing him to an extension.
BP has a great site (and I know this doesn’t come from them, but their sources) but Benoit can stay right where he is. that guy is a gas can that is always lit up!
I know you guys kill me about stats sometimes but I think these are relevant.
.302 .378 .576 .954 Home
.265 .359 .492 .850 away
Texiera for his career.
BORAS — He is the anti-christ for sure. I’m so tired of that guy holding all the teams hostage. I hope we never have to deal with him again! (that will never happen) So good bye to Texeria and A-Rod hopes for the near future.
oh really??? you mean we can give up three great young players for 1 and half years of a guy who doesn’t even want to be here and employs the devil as his agent???? where do i sign up?
“For what it is worth: (Baseball Prospectus)
It looks as if Cleveland is finishing up a deal. One source tells me it’s done while another is saying it’s “very close.” I don’t have details, though speculation is focused on their adding a reliever, perhaps Octavio Dotel. The Indians emerged as the leader for Dotel after the Dodgers pulled back–not just on Dotel, but it sounds as if the Dodgers have decided that they’re going to tweak their roster with small trades at best, while preferring to hold on to their top prospects. Surprisingly, it seems that Chin-Lung Hu is still on the “available” list”
I would much rather the Dodgers make small trades than the rumored (emphasis on rumored) trade for Teixera and Benoit.
pcj-beat you by 9 posts..
good stats on tex jungar… i had some idea the home/road splits were bad, but not that bad.
Likewise it should be pointed out: Loney for career home/away
.264 .319 .380 .699 home
.393 .444 .757 1.201 away
So really how I see it is
.265 .359 .492 .850 tex
.264 .319 .380 .699 loney
is the difference worth 3 top prospects? Even if it was for 5 years, let alone 1 1/2 years I say no.