Talkin' baseball
Looks like everyone is chatting away, with over 400 comments. Keep it up…
I have a feeling most ofyou will like this lineup, based on comments over the past few months:
Furcal, SS
Martin, C
Loney, 1B
Kent, 2B
Gonzo, LF
Nomar, 3B
Pierre, CF
Ethier, RF
Penny, P
Mark Sweeney is now here and D.J. Houlton has been optioned back to Triple-A Las Vegas.
Inside the Dodgers 
Yeah, I like the lineup. Kemp instead of Gonzo, and I think it would be perfecto.
There’s our answer, James Loney in the three spot! We’ll see Houlton back in September…Ethier is in the who the what now huh eight spot? I get it I get it, if Pierre can get on, he can steal a base and Ethier can drive him in. Well at least I’m trying to find a reason. That top of the order is so nice!
GO DODGERS!
I would prefer:
Furcal
Martin
Ethier
Kent
Loney
Nomar
Gonzo
Pierre
pierre should be hitting 9th with penny pitching. but other than that, nice lineup.
I was the last post in the last thread when talking A-rod, so I thought to bring it over…
I think A-rod is alot like Kobe. You love him or hate him type thing. I don’t think he will ever get the respect he should until one of his teams wins a world series. That may not be fair, but I think it is true.
Me, I would be concerned with A-rod at 30 million. Not because of 2008 or 09 but in 2010, 2011, 2012 we will be paying a 35+ year old alot of money and well, we see how that has gone. 5 years ago Nomar was awesome, gonzo hit 50+ bombs, Kent was a true middle of the order bat..times change fast in baseball. You put A-rod in the NL west with the ballparks out here and his numbers will decline. Still be solid, but decline.
I’m glad we kept Olmedo. He’s a class act, and I’m shocked how some people have quickly forgotten how valuable the guy has been for us over the last few years. I would have liked to see Hernandez or Tomko been the one to go instead of Houlton.
Don’t understand Ethier 8th, Grady must not like him, but at least JP is 7th… I wonder where Grady would bat ARod, maybe 6th?
Anyways, with Penny on the hill, i like our chances tonight.
Maybe Grady should have busted a LaRussa, bat Penny in the 8th spot and Pierre in the 9th spot.
I really think talks of aquiring ARod are a pipe dream. I can’t see the yanks not retaining him, no matter what he or the media says. I say we concentrate our search elswhere. That being said if he wanted to come here I would be glad to have him.
I think it would be a pipe dream as well. In fact, with the way Coletti handled the Drew/Maddux situation I doubt that any Boras player will be here for a while.
Even in what I said, A-rod would be worth the risk, because as other said in the last thread, A-rod in the center of our order would change things drastically for at least 2-3 years. Maybe more, but typical production in all athelets, not just baseball drops at age 34. 27-34 are the prime years in most sports. There are always excpetions, even those not chemichally inhanced.
It’s probably going to take McCourt stepping in at some point and telling Ned he has to do business with Boras. He’ll start to wonder why the Dodgers aren’t in on a lot of the available quality players and have to tell Ned to swallow his pride.
Now that I think of it, does anyone know off hand if the Giants had any Boras clients? I can’t think of any off the top of my head.
kpy85- You’re right Saenz is a class act but the bottom line is that he isn’t producing like he did a year or 2 ago. Right now the Dodgers need production with RISP and unfortunately that’s when Saenz gets most of his AB’s. It’s puzzling to me that Grittle keeps going to him over and over. Hopefully he will get a cluth hit or 2 down the stretch.
Besides Zito of course.
Aside from Robb Nen, I don’t see any Giant clients during Colletti’s time there. I wonder if there’s something going on there, considering Zito came on board after Ned left.
At first glance I thought Ethier was getting the raw deal hitting behind Pierre instead of vvice versa, but upon further study I realized that batting 8th, he’ll actually get better protection from Penny than Pierre…
i like it from furcal to Kent…
it should be…
Furcal
Martin
Loney
Kent
Nomar
Ethier
Gonzo
Kemp
i think it’s time for JP to have a sit…
I’m very disappointed that we kept Olmedo. After reading the article on the Sweeney thing from http://mikesciosciastragicillness.com/ I thought for sure Saenz was gone.
I like Saenz and he’s a class act, but he’s next to worthless. At least with Houlton, he could come in and pitch in the rotation, if need be. Saenz? At this point, he has virtually no use on this team.
As for the lineup, inexcusable that one of our best hitters has to hit 8th again. A freaking joke.
I think Ned Colletti tried to do what was best for the orginazation in keeping all the prospects and that’s fine, but. At some point he’s gonna have to give them some help with a big power bat who can carry the team until Ethier and Loney and Kemp hit their stride. These 3 guys will hit for power, 20 – 25 maybe 30 HR’s a year, but their still a year or two away. In the meantime a legit 4 hitter would have been nice.
Heck if we are going to trade with that team from the north then Bonds would have looked good in this lineup.
Ethier and Gonzo switch. Either is the only one producing right now he has to hit where he can drive in some runs.
yup its the classic case of too many guys past their prime and too many guys who haven’t hit their prime yet. not the best way to build the time. from his quotes i at least like the fact that grady is blaming the vets for this slide, even if i don’t like his reasoning that you essentially can’t count on the kids to do anything.
The roster move makes sense. We’ll see Houlton, Stults, and Hull in 21 days (along with others).
I was trying to figure out the 3-hitter, and I figured that it would be Loney. I project him as the 3-hitter of the future (with Martin 2, Kemp 4, Ethier 5th, Nomar/LaRoche 6th). But, even while I view Loney as the higher upside than Ethier, Ethier has the hot hand, and I would put him third, Loney 7th, and Pierre 8th (like or hate Pierre, 7 is a weird spot for him–let him get on, steal second, and have the pitcher move him over to third, so a flyball or groundball gets him in, or even a furcal squeeze).
van_19_cute–I saw a post from yesterday where you asked what I meant about Young developing more. What I meant is that Young has had more time to develop than Kemp. Kemp started last season in Jacksonville, jumped straight to the bigs, before going back to Las Vegas. But Young has been in AAA since 2005 (splitting that season with Jacksonville), and all of 2006 in Las Vegas, and is 2 years older than Kemp, who has played less than a full year of minor league ball above the Class A-level. He’s the same draft year as Loney and Martin, but did not come up quite as fast. The good news is that it means he should have been able to hone his skills more–the bad news is that he is viewed as not necesasarily as talented as those guys (or Kemp, who advanced even more quickly). That’s OK, considering that I think the organization believs that Kemp might be the best raw talent we’ve had in a long time. My point is that Young SHOULD be doing a bit better at this point in his professional career than Kemp is right now, though I still think Kemp will be better in the long-term. But, I like all these young guys.
leekfink brings up a very good point. alot of people see that ethier is a better hitter than kemp—at this point. but he shoud be. he’s a few years older and played college ball which often leads to a more polished player. kemp’s upside is very high of course but ethier is already starting to reach his ceiling while kemp has a ways to go. kemp really would be best served playing everyday but we need him up with the team.
“Yeah, I like the lineup. Kemp instead of Gonzo, and I think it would be perfecto.”
your probably right but I wouldn’t have mind seeing D. Young in there today, Kemp has struggled the last few days hasn’t he.
As much as i believe and agree that Kemp needs to play everyday to develope, i still think Ethier will be the better hitter of all the young guys. Kemp will hit more homeruns, but Ethier has the game to be a .300/25HR/100RBI guy on a consistant basis. His game reminds me a bit of Carlos Beltran.
The line up is better, but it would be even better with Young instead of JP. Young had 4 hits yesterday so today he sits. What happened to playing the hot hand. As for Sweeney ,he’s better than what we have. Hey Ned who’s next Moses? I hear he carries a big stick. 🙂
Gonzo shouldn’t be playing at all.
Since the all star break Gonzo ha been batting with a .224 average, a .238 OBP and has an OPS of .514.
How could gonzo be so bad after being so good in the first half. simply age? injury? Charris if you are there do you notice anything about his swing?
HE’S OLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can’t belive how Grady threw Ned under the bus the way he did.
I don’t agree that Ethier has reached his ceiling. He batted what, .342 before last year’s All-Star break…and started off relatively slow this year. But he’s hitting his stride, and I think he has the swing and patience to be a .400 obp type player eventually.
Kiper, I think your projected Ethier numbers are pretty close. But I’d put his average higher and his HR at about 20, since he’s got more of a line-drive swing.
His swing/approach actually remind me of J.D. Drew’s. Which is fine, because Drew had a nice swing and a good approach when healthy. The good thing about Ethier, though – I don’t have to spit when I think of him.
Gonzo is having the same problem he had last year here in Arizona; fatigue. You can see it in his swing, he’s flat and he’s late on everything. He had the same thing happen last year here with the D-Backs, after a hot start he faded, thus leading to his seperation from the DBacks.
LOGAN WHITE! LOGAN WHITE!
Nice chat today. It was starting to look like the bostondirtdogs.com website yesterday. It is nothing but a bunch of pessimistic average joes with a keyboard and an opinion.
Why do you think Ariz. let him walk? If he was still productive over a full year they never would have let him go.
That’s exactly why Gonzo should be effectively retired for the rest of the season except for pinch hitting duties and occasional situations against right handers. That would give Kemp and/or Young a chance to play. There’s no question that Young is a better fielder, and Kemp would have a chance to readjust his batting skills before we get into real crunch time.
Just think, Ned wanted to sign him (Gonzo) for two years. He turned it down and signed for one year.
I hear that call – LOGAN WHITE IN 2008!!!
As a JFC fan, I wish John was saying, “Ned will soon be gone”
Not Shaun.
A team like the Nationals is just the right team to send the DBacks into a slide. The DBacks struggle with lesser teams. I think the DBacks will go into a slide for the next few games, let’s just hope we’re prepared to take advantage of it.
I’m really happy with this line-up today. It’s great to see Little keep his word with basically delegating Pierre to the bottom of the order. Man, I try really hard to stay positive when it comes to Pierre (i.e., keep telling myself he’s a great guy, hard worker, positive influence in the club house, etc) but it gets tough sometimes. Seeing how flat the entire team has been over the last week didn’t make staying positive very easy. Being 5 games out added to the pessimism. Which I think is only natural when you love this team so much and know what they’re capable of. Which is why I think Chingon is way off when he says, “nothing but a bunch of pessimistic average joes with a keyboard and an opinion.” If we didn’t care and have valid opinions, we wouldn’t be here.
The San Diego Padres have just claimed Kei Igawa of waivers from the Yankees. They have until Sunday to finalize a trade for him. And we can’t find a pitcher. Come on Ned….
Sheesh, Kiper… don’t we talk enough trash on Hernandez, Tomko and Hendrickson? What would we all be saying if Ned brought us Kei and his 6.79 ERA?!
Thats incorrect. Dbacks are notorious this year for only playing well against bad teams (i guess you could say we WERE a bad team when they played us last week). I could be wrong but I’ve heard it mentioned a ton. Ethier is definitely a poor mans JD Drew. A little less patience I think. Drew had a year in Atlanta I don’t think Ethier will match, but other than that, yeah.
They are saying the Yankees are not likely to part ways with Igawa, so it doesn’t look like they’ll get him, at least according to Fox Sports.
I can live with that, the Padres can have Igawa, his 6.79 ERA and 20 million dollar contract. Doubt this deal gets done, but a part of me really wants it to happen.
Hey kevinpoush, do you see Ned doing anything to help improve our ball club? At least San Diego and Arizona are bringing people in to try to fit in. I like the acquisition of Sweeney, but we have to look at options for Tomko and Hendrickson..
i doubt the yanks will give up igawa that easily… they owe him alot of money and the pods have nothing to trade anyways.
Where is Young in this new lineup.?..Is his calf hurting?
It better be or he should be in left field…and why is Gonzo batting 5th?….Poor Ethier, maybe if he was a poor hitter he would be batting 5th.!! lol
It’s pretty frustrating to see nothing happening, that’s for sure. I liked the Sweeney pick up too and I’ve thought Proctor has done a good job for us thus far. With the uncertainty of Lowe, the youth of Billingsley, and the frightening Tomko and Hendrickson (though I can’t complain about either’s previous outings) it seems to me finding a starter someway/somehow is incumbant upon Ned. I’m not sure I see it happening though. He did say in his online interview that we may see Meloan up here soon…
jungar, Gonzo is just swinging it ugly right now, I don’t think its an injury as much as poor pitch selection, and trying to yank everything out of the park. When Gonzo was going good this year, he almost looked like he had a left-center approach with his swing. His hands were staying inside of the ball and he was hitting it with authority to all fields. Right now he either pounding the outside in the dirt by rolling over the pitch or he’s dropping his top hand a weakly popping it up somewhere to the left side. I think he’s just pressing and trying to do too much by muscling up on every swing. I personally wouldn’t have minded seeing Young back out their after his day yesterday.
A David Wells dodger sigthing will be par for Ned’s course. Why not, maybe he will be super pissed at the Padres for dumping him like trash and we can get a few good game out of him vs the padres. I haven’t watched him much this year but come playoff time who would you rather have starting? Him, Tomko or Hendu? A big freaking toss up if you ask me.
Personally, I’d like to see Ethier in the 5 spot too. But I think Grady has a rational reason (even if I disagree) for having him hit 8th. He’s probably thinking (hoping, maybe?) that he may be able to get Pierre going if he has the protection of Ethier behind him.
Thank You Charris. I agree but didn’t really play past HS so figured someone with more knowledge is a better choice to say it. You were dead on in your analyst of Nomar back in May.
I hate to say it…I would have liked to see The Killer Tomato Olmedo let go instead of DJ
Randy- me too. I was his biggest supporter in my circle of friends at the beginning of the year. I just can’t defend the guy anymore. I’m afraid his time is up.
no problem jungar, just because you didn’t play past high school doesn’t mean you don’t understand the game. You’re usually dead-on with your analysis as well from what I’ve seen.
About Gonzo, he is a class guy and a proven vet. He wants to be in the line up everyday and i can guarantee you that he rights his ship and gets some big hits down the stretch. I can’t stand the DBacks, i’m in Az., but i have always been a Gonzo fan.
Gonzo’s stance is off. Look at him, it’s not mechanics, it’s just his stance. Remember his big huge open stance that he’s been using for the last couple years until around the end of May or beginning of June. He closed it off a bit so now he’s topping balls he was driving, he’s not getting as good a look at the pitch as it comes out of the pitcher’s hand, and he gets behind on pitches he should be killing. Watch it tonight – his stance used to be way open, now he’s closed it off a bunch. He used to stand around 65 – 70 degrees from the plate, now he’s almost straight away.
Gonzo’ problem is THAT HE’s OLD!!!!!
He’s closed his stance because he’s having trouble catching up with the heat and anything outside, that’s why he’s hitting everything the other way but very weakly. He did the same thing last season, he has to go back to his stance, where he’s comfortable, and get to the impact point sooner, he’ll adjust.
Casey Fossum just got released from the D-Rays. Ned Loves working with the worst team in baseball. He’d probably a little better then David Wells.
I agree with you kiper, he will right his ship and the reason he’s squared his stance up is because he’s needs to consciously cheat for the away pitch because it has been killing him lately
“I hate to say it…I would have liked to see The Killer Tomato Olmedo let go instead of DJ”
Man, you guys are harsh (Corporate america harsh if you will!) The Tomato given us key victories for years, how soon do you guys forget.
Blue Crew Rocks!
Fossum, 5-8 7.70, 53K’s 27BB 15HR Any takers?
Fossum would probably be a better gamble then Wells but probably not much better then Bombko and Lurch.
This is what these blogs are for. I love it! Thanks Charris, I aprreciate the kind words. It’s nice to be talking baseball instead of ******** about baseball.
charris, you know your game, i appreciate the comeback on Gonzo.
I think Fossum could be a sleeper. He’s been buried in purgatory, Tampa Bay, for a few years, maybe a change of scenery will help. There is nothing wrong with his velocity or mechanics, and he is a lefty.
so.. you’re basically saying that we should keep seanz around for sentimental reasons? that’s a little nuts.
I just read that the DBacks have no interest in Boomer Wells, and that the Rockies are going to sign our old friend Elmer Dessens…
Well, let’s thank Olmedo for what he’s done in the past, but now he is FAT, and SLOW, and S****, and he should be GONE, period.
Gonzo’s other problem besides being OLD is that he’s WASHED UP, and he needs to sit more as we get to the end of the season and then he should RETIRE.
why do you think the Dbacks let Gonzo go?…because he was doing great?!!..I don’t think so…He performed well in the first half, and that’s it..Hopefully he won’t be back next year…but we still can look forward to JP for 4 more years!!!…Tell me Young isn’t hurt..please…without him we’re not as good..strange as that may seem…..I do worry about Penny tonight..He hasn’t been good against St Louis..Let’s hope that changes and his second half performance…so far, not so good…
Young isn’t hurt. The article in LA Times that followed yesterday’s game had quotes from him saying the win was a big one and he looks forward to continuing to help the team. His calves cramped up due to dehydration. It was hot as **** yesterday during the game.
It also said he was walking fine after the game.
I can appreciate Gonzo for what he contributed during the first half of the season, but now that he seems to be tired, slowing and not producing, we should give more chance for Kemp and Young to play in his place. Their development could be critical to us down the stretch – Gonzo is not our future and even not likely to help the rest of this season. So let’s take what we got from him earlier on, but be smart now and let the young guys play.
the dbacks let him go b/c they had quentin, who ironically has alternated between being injured and horrible. so i would say we kinda win on that one. old man should be sat more though, especially in the heat.
Why does grady wait until we hit “rock bottom” to see that Pierre was struggling, or how long it took Nomar to move down. Little makes moves real late that’s his nature and that’s what eventually will kill us in the long run.
Does anyone watch golf Tiger is about to break a record for the lowest score in a single round at a major. Wow you think Tiger can hit a baseball? I bet he has a better arm than Pierre, Oh wait my 12 year old has a better arm.
jspelk2@uic.edu–that’s the conundrum that the team faces this year as a whole. Lots of good (maybe even great) young players who might really be a year or two away. But they need playing time to get there, but the minors are no good because they have already delivered there, and are our best options at the big league level even while not at their potential yet. That’s the case with Kemp most espescially, but even Ethier, Martin, and Young, and also Young, Loney, Billingsley, and even Broxton to an extent. I still think we’ll get there.
Expect to see either Fossum or Wells get picked up. Fossum might be the safer bet, but I think that Wells might be the better bet. It’s not like we need him for long. He’s old and should retire, but he might just have seven weeks left–and if he’s ticked off, he could come through. Clearly, he knows as much about pitching as anyone not named Maddux, and unlike Fossum, he did have great stuff at one point. And since he’s a native Californian, he wants to finish his career in Southern California, so it’s here or Anaheim that would appeal to him.
I gave props to Tomko yesterday, who has done well since the break, and Hendrickson has been decent all season (or really, more like almost good much of the time, and then awful on a few occassions). But I would be willing to roll the dice with Wells for a couple of starts.
By the way–I think that this will happen. The Padres have 10 days to deal him or release him. No one will trade for him, because he’ll be released by the 18th, so expect to see a signing around the 20th. At that point, Delwyn Young will probably get optioned back to Las Vegas, before getting recalled 11 days later (along with LaRoche, Houlton, Stults, Hull, Meloan, Wilson Valdez, Tim Hamulack, and whomever we have catching at Las Vegas).
Thanks for the Tiger tip diehardblu. Wow! The Dodgers could learn from him.
When I heard about Sweeney(check his locker), I thought about a day last summer. I use to go to 42nd St. to a store called Universal News they sell papers from all over the world. I went about once a week to buy the Los Angeles Times(just like the NY Times) hoping to get more news on the Dodgers. I’ll just say the paper was expensive and hard to find. You had to get there early. I use to try to see the sport section(which was pretty bad) before I bought it. Most of the time there was a guy there who made sure you couldn’t do that. Baseball (usually) covers mostly the Dodgers & the Angels. That day I couldn’t see it beforehand. I bought the paper, I only read the sport section and throw the rest out(a real waste of money). I went to a pizzaria and opened it up. The only big story in the paper that day(I still can’t believe it) was about Mark Sweeney going to the Giants. I almost swallowed my pizza. I read it, even though I was diappointed and threw it away on my way home. Well I put up the “Winning Streak” Dodger pendant and told everybody it was the Dodger official pendant that’s hung in the executive offices. It’s a beautiful pendant and I hang it with pride. LET’S GO PENNY- LET’S GO DODGERS BEAT THEM CARDINALS.
i haven’t been to dodgers stadium…
im going there on monday…
can i ask u guys where is the location of my ticket…?
Section: 42RS
ROW/BOX: BB
SEAT: VIP 17
im a first timer so.. im excited…
High up on reserved level 3rd base side. Next time try to get Loge level infield best seat in the house.
my be first base side, I know even is one side odd is the other but I can’t remember for some reason.
tnx…
i’ll try to find it when im there…
We’re not going to call-up the entire Vegas team in September – only those who can really help. Think LaRoche (if healthy), Meloan & Hu (both need to be added to the 40-man roster). There are only a limited number of spots available.
section 309 in left center is my favorite.
van_19_cute
Even Numbers are on the First Base side.
I could see why you like the Loge level diehardblu (although, ironically, I’ve actually only sat there twice, once probably 20+years ago, and one a few weeks back). For the money, I say the Top Deck is the best bet. You’re high up, but always pretty much behind the plate, and always in the infield. And the seats are cheap. The concession stand lines are some of the worst, but there are grilled Dodger Dogs, which is all that matters.
As for the best seats in the house–the Dugout Club seats, bar none. But it will cost you all the money you ever had to sit there.
Kemp and Ethier need to be in the lineup every night. The lefty-righty matchups don’t make sense because Andre can hit LHP. Pierre really shouldn’t be playing at all. Since he has to be in the lineup (anybody know why?) stick him in the 8 spot. Not just because he is terrible. It would help his OBP hitting in front of the pitcher. Having Juan-for-5 on base more would actually help the Dodgers.
Olmedo needs to go. Well he needed to go a while ago but now is better than never. Just because he was a decent pinch hitter the last few seasons doesn’t mean anything now. Saenz (like Pierre and Nomar) are just taking up roster spots that could be used on guys who would help the team.
momoracci: more likely: LaRoche, Meloan, Hu, Houlton, Hull, Abreau (if healthy), and Stults. Coletti also mentioned previously in a chat that Xavier Paul and one or two others might have a chance to come up.
cosmow: That was actually Logan White who mentioned Xavier Paul. I have my doubts there considering he’s striking out a TON in Double-A. If there’s anyone from Jax that’s coming up, it will be James McDonald.
I think our September call-ups are anyone who has been at the Big League club this year (LaRoche, Valdez, Abreu if he’s healthy), a third catcher, and all the pitching we think we can get our hands on. There is a big question about Meloan. If we purchase his contract, that means we use an option year on him, which means he is out of options in 2010. That’s probably OK, but you never know, and since he started the year in AA, can he be much help in the big leagues this year? I think he gets the call.
I actually don’t see Hu getting the call. Same problems, but we have a bigger problem. If Hu is the heir apparent at Shortstop, Raffy is signed through next year, and is likely to get an extension, which means Hu could be kicking around the minors for a while, so we may not want to waste options on him so soon. Plus–in Valdez and Martinez, we will have enough utility infielders.
Why couldn’t Grady pulled a LaRussa and have Penny bat 8th? I would like to see that one day or used Penny as a PH one day.
good point it was white. he also listed anoher sleeper but I forget who. since you remembered that it was logan, do you happen to remember who else he said?
2 bits of news:
Octavio Dotel was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right shoulder strain by the Atlanta Braves on Friday.
—
James Loney is hitting third and can be expected to do so for the remainder of the series.
“He has a chance to be a run producer,” Manager Grady Little said. “One day you’ll see him in the middle of the lineups regularly, and that day might be now.”
“We’ll give him a shot up there. If that doesn’t look like a comfortable spot for him, we’ll change it
Cosmow–the problem with guys like Xavier Paul being called up for September is that there is limited room on the 40-man roster. We can make the space this year by putting Schmidt, Brazobahn, and Repko on the 60-day DL, which is exempt from the 40-man limit. That means that we have 3 spaces to play with (and, as I said before, one may get used up if we acquire David Wells [or Fossum, as max suggests]). We could have more if there is more bad news about Wolf or Tsao, and probably Kuo too. But once we put a guy on the 40-man roster, we either have to leave him there or put him on waivers.
The problem is that next season, we expect both Schmidt and Brazobahn to be back on the 40-man roster. Admittedly, there will be other spots that open up (Tomko, Seanez, Hernandez, etc.), but by the same token, we have guys that we will have to put on the 40-man roster or risk losing them to the Rule 5 draft (I think that the Rule is that if a player has been with an organization for 5 years and not on the 40-man roster, he can be taken by another team)–that’s how we acquired DJ Houlton. Now, I don’t know nearly enough about all the moving pieces of the various guys coming up through the system, but this is the nitty-gritty that Ned, Kim Ng, and Logan White have to figure out all the time. But, I think it’s a fair bet to say that we should not expect to add many guys to the 40-man roster. I could see 2 guys–which I predict to be Meloan, and I thought that we signed some catcher to a minor league deal who is not on the 40-man roster (we had signed Kelly Stinnett earlier in the year, but he’s gone now). A team almost always wants to bring up a third catcher in September. DodgerThoughts has talked about managers’ paranoia of running out of catchers–and even if we’re running poor Russell Martin ragged everyday, getting a third catcher makes life a lot easier for a manager.
I can’t see the Dodgers purchasing Valdez’s contract again. He’s not in their future plans.
In 60years of watching this game that’s the first time I saw a pitcher bat 8th.
Shea Hillenbrand? you gotta be kidding me.
OMG Shea? I heard that!
I may be wrong but didn’t Steiner & Lyons miss the Valentin brothers, Jose & Javier or are they half also.
WoW Raffy was out by a MILE.
It must be embarassing having a pitcher bat in front of you especially in a major league game.
so do u think we get a runner to 2nd base this inning?
NO
There are 6 players on the 15-day DL on our 40 man roster. From my reading, only one of them has a chance of playing again this season-namely Wolf; thus there are 5 40 man spots possible by moving them to the 60-day DL. Also, Hamulack has been out for the season since April so I assume there is a similar rule for minor league players that allows him to be not counted on the 40 man.
wow i was wrong
“the cardinals have not allowed a runner to 3rd base in 22 innings…(it’s here where I pause and say, great we will never score) and then Stenire continues in his slow drawl…but of course they were playing the padres” LOL and then I think, oh frack, were the dodgers.
5/51 now with risp.
so do u think we get a runner to 2nd base this inning?
that was a great case of winning the battle but loosing the war.
This looks like another game of “Who’s going to make the first “mistake pitch”?
And how about the throw to 2nd by LONEY?
I love defense. It is so underrated in all sports in being a key factor in winning. It’s fun to watch when it’s good. There have been good plays by both teams tonight.
That 1st unassisted DP by Wamsby was in the 1916 World Series against us. Not 1909 No, I wasnn’t around then.
If u were I would be totally impressed with your “blogging skills” Pierre
Our pitching has been very good this month.
Jungar___I can’t figure out if that was a compliment?
yeah….you always get me fired up for the game with your stories…
We worried about the injuries to the pitchers….Then everybody is doing a really good job….but either being outpitched or our hitters forgot …something.
pierre- The unassisted triple play was in 1920 against the Indians. In 1916 the Dodgers played the Red Sox in the series.
Now the top 3 pinch hitters have played for the Dodgers….MOTA, HARRIS & SWEENEY(in Dodger order)
I’ll check that out and get back to you.—Bleedinblue.
Wait a minute we were in the 1920 World Series.
Two bad lineups …
Who will blink first?
Oh I see I stand corrected Thank you.
Wainwright is over 100. Might help.
L_O_N_E_Y great shot
Way to deliver, LONEY!!!
Ethier should be batting around #5, and Gonzo should be OUT.
wow, i’ve been wondering when Loney was going to hit his next home run. He was long overdue, and that 2 run blast couldn’t have come at a better time!!!
saito coming in for the save, and once he does what he does, we’ll be back in business with 2 in a row 🙂
JAMESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS LONEY!
those of you looking for a lineup change, I agree that Gonzo is done for the year and should be a PH. Kemp starting the rest of the year batting 4th can do worse than Kent since his return. We also need to get our leadoff men on base. I wonder if Young can bat first in place of Pierre and move Furcal down to 8th.
Here are some minor leaguers who should get the call:
LaRoche 3B–16 HR, 43 bi’s, 306 Ave
Eric Cyr SP, 6-3 3.18 era
Meloan RP, 5-2 19 sv 2.18 era in Jacksonville
James McDonals SP, 5-1 1.10 ear in Jack
LaMura RP, 1-2 2.84 era
Orenduff SP, 7-4 4.12 era
Lucas May C, 22 HR, 78 rbi’s for Inland–long shot
Man that ninth inning can take months off a life! Penny was tremendous again! Beimel coming up huge in the eighth. Loney with the monster two run winner! Saito, we don’t need too many of those type of ninth innings. The heart can only take so much…Still have major offensive issues, but we got the job done!
GO DODGERS!
S__A__I__T__O and MARTIN
Will we ever get use to it. My nerves were eating up my legs and arms in that ninth inning. MARTIN did a great job in that ninth inning keeping SAITO calrm.(funny I can’t spellit) Worked him pitch by pitch, I personally think SAITO might need more work.
Any thoughts on the Dodgers signing Shea Hillenbrand to play for the 51’s? Looked up his stats since his leaving the Angels; he played for Portland and in 12 games batted .147. Do we really need him?
my boyfriend played little league with james mcdonald. his dad taught him how to catcher. were rooting for james big time back home in long beach….
that should read play catcher.
graffitiqenius:::: May I ask who James Mcdonald is?
Oh I see JAMES McDONAL SP? Can anyone tell me what an SP is? Does that mean SOUTH PAW? which means Left handed like LHP
max_power_05: “section 309 in left center is my favorite.”
Hey! That’s where my season seats are, max. How come you haven’t stopped by to say “hey”? Is it because you still owe me $20 for that Betemit bet that you lost? Though I must caution you, max – I ROOT for Juan Pierre, I don’t bash him.
Hey van_19_cute – You can take in BP from the Left Field Pavilion on Monday night, regardless of where your game tickets are. They open the LFP gates two hours before game time. I hope to see you there!
BTW: Section: 42RS (Reserved) / ROW BB / SEAT 17 is in the upper reserved area on the right field side almost to the RF foul pole. This may help: http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/la/ballpark/la_seating_pricing.jsp
Great win tonight! That’s two in a row. Let’s make it three, then five, then ten, then fifteen!
GO LOWE!
GO DODGERS!
SP=starting pitcher
Boy! When my brain sleeps…It sleeps.. Thank you Akagas
Hey pierreseastmeetswest – Not graffitigenius, but here is your answer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_McDonald_(baseball)
GO LOWE!
GO DODGERS!
53, I actually think i saw you at the game i went to. I wasn’t sure if it was you but you were wearing a Batting Practice jersey and had binoculars.
309 is my favorite section by far. I was in row Q.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b246/AEversW/Dodger%20Game/yes.jpg
thats me from my seat. Left Center is great cuz you can see the break on the ball and can read the ball off the bat fairly well.
Oops! Sorry, I see that you already found it.
Yup, that was me, max. I was wearing my BP jersey because it has more wins than any of my other jerseys or shirts – but it didn’t work that night.
What I like about 309 is that I can see the catcher’s sign (through the binoculars, of course), so I know what’s coming. This is where I have really come to appreciate Russell Martin. This kid is wise WAY beyond his years. Watching him call Saito’s pitches is awesome!
Stop by and say hi next time and I’ll buy you a (root)beer!
GO LOWE!
GO DODGERS!
nice wikipedia link fansince53. his dad was a good ball player as well, ill confirm with my boyfriend, but im pretty sure his dad played in the bigs for the white sox. my boyfriend speaks very highly of ” big james ” and the impact he had on him playing the game.
Fansince53 I don’t know if you’re still there, but I think you would agree with me that MARTIN was the man in the 9th tonight. I don’t know what he told SAITO after the first two pitches but it sure worked. Then when he looked tensed after the 2 hits and the run scored, MARTIN again took charge. I tell you he’s going to be a great one. If he isn’t already.
pierre – Like yourself, I have been a fan of this game for half a century and I have seen ’em come and and seen ’em go. But this Russell Martin kid is one in a million.
He plays the game with the mind of a 15 year veteran, yet has the enthusiasm and energy of the 24 year old kid that he is.
On many occasions this season, HE is the guy who should have gotten the win. I have never seen a catcher with as much knowledge of opposing hitters and control of his pitchers as I have with Russell Martin.
As I said, he is wise way beyond his years and could very well land himself in the Hall of Fame.
Hey Ned – If you’re listening, PLEASE sign this kid to a 5 to 7 year contract NOW!
GO LOWE!
GO DODGERS!
It would be good to see them sign MARTIN before he reaches free agency. I’d hate to see him go somewhere else, which we seen happen.
xxx
Russell Martin is a prize. I knew that when he first played for the Dodgers. He does have that spark which you notice right away. For such a young player he has so much knowledge and maturity. It’s hard to believe that he has been in the majors for a short time. Russell needs to be a Dodger for a long time. I was his #1 fan long before he became an all star. Everyone thought I was crazy but I kept saying, wait and see. He’s one of a kind.
My sons first favorite Dodger was Paul LoDuca (gone) then my son took to wearing #15 Shawn Green (gone) now my son is 12 and playing on a traveling team and he plays 2nd base and catcher, his #? 55!! Please, Mr.’s McCourt and Colletti, don’t do it to him again. Tie up Russell Martin long term NOW!!
Thank you.
hes a great player but we dont have to sign him to any deal like that right now fansince53. he is not going anywhere for a while, and trust me when its time he will be fairly compensated for being the best catcher in the NL.
graffitigenius: “he is not going anywhere for a while…”
I respectfully disagree with you graffitigenius. Russell Martin’s one year contract (signed in March 2007) ends at the conclusion of the 2007 season. It is a typical first year player contract ($387,500).
Sure the Dodgers can wait for the off-season to re-sign him, but if they are smart, they will re-sign him prior to the end of this season to lock him down.
History has shown that players who re-sign prior to their contracts expiring are typically your franchise type players who really want to remain with that team. I have seen teams that have waited until the last minute to re-sign their better players, only to lose them teams offering them more money or a longer contract.
Make no mistake about it, Russell Martin will command top dollar for his next contract, and justifiably so. Re-signing him as early as possible will probably cost the Dodgers a lot less than if they were to wait until the off-season to re-sign him.
I do agree with you that the Dodgers will make every effort to re-sign him, regardless of the amount. Not doing so would be insane. This kid is the heart and soul of the Dodgers (as was Paul LoDuca).
GO LOWE!
GO DODGERS!
Let’s face it — the Dodgers **** and will be lucky to end the season ahead of the Giants. And don’t give me the injuries routine — everyone has injuries, and sometimes lots of them. These guys who are being paid millions to get ONE hit every three days are a disgrace. The signing of that turkey, Jason Schmidt, from San Francisco started the year off way wrong. It was all down hill from there, including particularly Grady Little who couldn’t manage his *** out of a paperbag. To him, everything is JUST FINE.
McCourt — you are wasting your money.