A huge accomplishment
First off, sincere congratulations go out to Roberto Hernandez on his 1,000th game last night. He’s only been a Dodger for a month, but I’ve found him to be a very classy guy when I’ve dealt with him and to pitch in that many games is an absolute amazement. In trying to put that into perspective, Troy Percival, a successful closer for so many years, has 623. Derek Lowe isn’t even halfway yet at 492 (he was only a closer briefly but has never been on the DL in 10 years in the Majors). So needless to say, it’s a pretty cool thing for Roberto and we saved the lineup card for the archives because this has only happened 12 times in Major League history.
Today, we spent the early afternoon at the Staples in Hawthorne with Grady Little, Jonathan Broxton and Jason Repko, who were with their wives and several kids who went on a back-to-school shopping spree. It was great to see their faces when they realized they could "buy" almost anything they wanted in the store and the guys (and their spouses) were really great with the kids.
Although it’s only two games, it’s nice to see the team putting a little "streak" together. A big game tonight from Eric Stults would be great, as well as the offense.
Furcal, SS
Pierre, CF
Sweeney, 1B
Kent, 2B
Gonzo, LF
Martin, C
Ethier, RF
Hillenbrand, 3B
Stults, P
Inside the Dodgers 
Sweeney at 1st? I wonder what his numbers are against Fogg!
Lets put 3 wins together in a row!
you’ve got to be kidding me. Grady Little obviously is the kinda guy that thinks “If it aint broke try and break it.”
Here we go conniption fit!!!
#1: Luis Gonzalez is 1 for 16 against Josh Fogg
#2: Mark Sweeney batting third! THIRD! THIRD?!??!?!?
#3: Righties bat .306 against Fogg, while lefties bat .256. So of course you take Kemp out of the lineup! STUPID!
CONNIPTION FIT! Horrible lineup and stupid, stupid, stupid!!!!
Someone gives me tickets to a game and this is what I get? What kind of malarkey is this?
DammitDammitDammitDammitDammitDammitDammitDammitDammitDammitDammitDammitDammitDammitDammitDammitDammitDammitDammitDammitDammitDammitDammitDammitDammit
hahaha….I think Alex’s head exploded…RIP
is this supposed to be a joke, 12 runs in the last two games, 10 runs in the previous 5 games. That lineup was obviously working way too well so it neede to be fixed. WOW!
Sweeney is 1 for 4 against Fogg…this is without a doubt the stupidest lineup I’ve seen all season.
I can understand Kemp being out. His knee is probably sore….Don’t you wish we had Delwyn Young on the club still or evern Marlon Anderson.
Sweeney batting third is so stupid. There is a reason he is the “second greatest pinch hitter of all time”
Lol, I haven’t gone Scanners yet Max, BTW this is a horrible lineup!!!
HORRIBLE!
Wow is right. Max, both of your post had me laughing. if it aint broke, try to break it. to funny. And Alex being the hot head is great since he is typically the voice of reason.
Seriously guys ***! Grittle did it this time. Has Sweeney ever batted third in his carrer?
Who puts a player who is 1 for 16 against the opposing pitcher? Who does that? Even if Kemp’s knee is sore, put Sweeney in left. There is no reason Gonzo should be playing tonight.
Gonzo better hit 3 hrs tonight or I’m going to be very pissed off at Grittle!!!
how can anyone defend grittle today. Does Kemp need a day off? Gonzo batting fifth in front of Martin and Ethier?
SERENITY NOW!
SERENITY NOW!SERENITY NOW!SERENITY NOW!SERENITY NOW!SERENITY NOW!SERENITY NOW!
Is there any doubt left about Grady’s abilities? He is hands down the worse manager in baseball and this proves it. Well, I hope that the Dodgers pull it off in spite of Grady.
Loney on the bench, how do our young guys hit the 30 HR’s and drive in the 100 runs that everybody is sure they can do when Gonzo and now Sweeney are getting all these at bats? Unbelievable, I have seen it all…. maybe.
its not working!!!!!
This is kinda of lineup that makes me glad I still have some Vicodin left over from getting my teeth pulled.
Nevermind the fact Gonzo is batting 5th and Ethier 7th. Did I mention this lineup is horrible? It’s a darn shame this game isn’t on FSN because Kennedy would faint at the pure stupidity of this lineup.
Well, time to go get my son and try to explain to him why James Loney isn’t playing or Matt Kemp. I might as well tell him about Santa Claus too.
Sweeney has started 30 times in his career in the #3 spot. He is 37 years old.
Today’s Oldtimer: Willie Crawford
Willie Crawford was a mainstay in the Dodgers outfield from 1969 to 1976. He first electrified Dodger fans when he pinch hit for a single in the 1965 World Series less than two months after his 18th birthday. Crawford was a “Bonus Baby” signing with the Dodgers for $100,000. Willie never fully lived up to his early promise peaking with his 1973 season when he hit .295 with 14 HRs and 66 RBI in 457 ABs. But he did hit a key solo homerun with no outs in the ninth inning of Game 3 of the 1974 World Series pulling the Dodgers within a run of the Athletics. The name Willie Crawford was no less familiar to me as a 10-year-old than Joe Ferguson.
Willie Crawford #27!
Seriously, do any of you fellow bloggers and Dodger lovers ever wonder what Frank McCourt might be thinking when he sees something like this line up? At some point he has to pull a Steinbrenner and get in there and say “you will sit Pierre and play Loney and Kemp and Ethier every day”… Please, Mr. McCourt can you help us.
YUCK.
Can anybody give any reasoning for this line up? against a team were chasing.
**** and I was almost ready to go to this game tonight. Forget that now, the game is over before it’s even started. Kent is going to have to carry us tonight, he’s absolutely killed Fogg.
Fogg’s L/R split this year is an aberration; small sample size. Every other year either lefties hit him better or it’s even. Career BA vs. Fogg:
LH – .300
RH – .271
We should all write a letter to Mr. McCourt. Hopefully he can have a chance to read it inbetween counting his moneys.
i know moneys isn’t a word but it sounds funny.
The pessimist is waiting to hear the other shoe drop, something like Kemp on the 15-day DL with a sprained knee.
Kemp’s knee must really be bothering him. There is no way Gonzo and his 1 for 16 vs Fogg would be playing tonight otherwise.
hopefuly ***** can throw a perfect game tonight.
Serenity now. Insanity later.
Gonzo: 1 for 16 vs. Fogg
One for 16??? Forget the L/R splits…
oops. Stults. hahaha I said S luts.
old fogey…thats my fear too. It still hasn’t been said who got sent down to make room for Stults….i hope Kemp isn’t on the DL.
Regarding the lineup, I was going to say that it was impossible for me to imagine the thought process of batting Sweeney third. Unfortunatley I can imagine the thought process: “Well, gee, um … well golly, the 1st baseman has been batting third so I guess I’ll just insert a random 1st baseman and bat him third too.”
Until now I hadn’t been convinced that Grady is a complete idiot. (This board apparently thinks that a synonym for “idiot” that starts with an “m” and ends with an “n” is too offensive.)
You can relax Hull is on the roster in Vegas
That would be LA native, Fremont High School’s Willie Crawford. Willie’s ’74 regular season numbers were close to his ’73, as well.
I can’t believe this line up. Max you’re a genius. “If it ain’t broke try and break it.” Perfect! I think I’m going to go crawl under my desk and sulk the rest of the afternoon away in a mild state of depression.
Was Penny not available to play RF today?
Kemp “day-to-day” would be bad enough.
who cares about blowberto! he stinks too!
This lineup has only TWO hitters I enjoy watching (Martin & Ethier). Guess I’ll be playing Madden tonight instead of viewing this garbage.
alex4159: oh, I agree; keep Gonzo on the bench.
Guys, settle down! We will not always agree with the manager,and sometimes it get’s very hard to deal with it!But the bottom line is we are all Los Angeles Dodger fans and we must have faith, even when it is hard.Ain’t no mountain high enough!Let’s make it three in a row and
watch out Arizona the Dodgers are coming for you!
I guess its poker night for me.
I don’t need faith; I have intelligence. When you already are forced to start Hillenbrand, you don’t need to find excuses to start Sweeney also. This is just dumb.
I realize Loney is slumping, but he’s never faced Fogg before, who is the sort of semi-crappy pitcher a slumping hitter with good form (and Loney’s contact hasn’t been bad) might get healthy on.
HAHAHA! I like where your head’s at Jungar. Here we go:
CF Pierre
SS Duncan
3b Mueller
1b Sweeney
C Lieberthal
RF Penny
LF Repko
2b Martinez
P Stults
I think this looks just as healthy as the one Grady posted. Grady. I NEVER criticize you. You are making it very, very, very difficult for me to stay calm. You do realize we’re 6 1/2 and 2 1/2 out, right? AAARGGGHHHHHHH!
While i find some of your comments on this line-up hilarious…. Max that was classic! lol …. i think after all is said and done we will win the game as Fogg has not done particularly well in Dodger Town!
The lineup is literally a damned nightmare.
what’s to stop us now from starting omar vizquel at SS too? Just for old times sake, lets really go hog wild and just get ALL the exgiants as possible on the field. Even if loney went 0 for his next 100 I would still start him over someone who made a career out of pinch hitting. Oh wait, we already do that sometimes w/ seanz. This is probaby just grady showing his confidence in someone who can’t even remember how many outs there are!
how many runs do we expect out of this line up? How many can we expect Stults to give up?
i meant 3 1/2.
Momo, Madden sounds like a great idea.
I expect Holliday to destroy Stults.
i think stults is going to have some problems with messirs holliday, atkins, and tulo.
I can understand giving Loney a game off to give Sweeney a game. But, Ethier batting third would’ve been the move to compliment Sweeney’s inclusion to the lineup. If Kemp’s knee is bothering him, then that’s fine to give him a game off. I can’t imagine Grady wanted to start Gonzo tonight, but maybe his hand was forced with Kemp’s knee. I need Tony Jackson to justify this lineup to us. I’m trying my best I’m still baffled. Maybe, Grady will say “Well, he’s 1 for 16, so he’s due for big night against him, it’s a gut feeling”
jspelk – “Even if loney went 0 for his next 100 I would still start him over someone who made a career out of pinch hitting.”
I just have one thing to say-
“Im glad your not the manager!”
im glad your not the manager either 🙂
The Dodgers will do well tonite!C’mon ,snap out of it!We have a good team!Root them on!Go Dodgers!
Apparently Grady was happy with two wins in a row and does not wish to see a third…
I’m going to the cages to pound out my frustration.
AMEN, Alex! Grady has played Loney and Kemp in the 3 spot and yet he chooses Sweeney over Ethier?! I don’t get this at all. Even a “gut feeling” doesn’t justify this line up. Ok, if Kemp is hurting- fine. But can anyone imagine a more bizarre stacking of this line up? If you were told the guys in this line up would be playing tonight is there anyone on this blog who would think they’d be placed in this order?!
hahaha Alex i agree that Someone should have been up in the 3 spot rather than sweeney but where we would we have put him? 6?7?8? As that is where most of our production this season has come out of so it doesnt bother me that much that he is in the 3 spot, who knows maybe he will have a career night! I feel a cycle! lol
actually i mean im not suprised, this is the same man who batted seanz both third and cleanup this year after he completely disappeared, and let lugo bat third several times last year.
jspelk i never said anything about the lineup?
ndeschenes- i like your enthusiasm. i just wish it would rub off onto me.
Yeah he is also the man that took us from a horrible 05 to a winning season in 06 and into the playoffs. TERRIBLE!!!!!
no i know. my comment was really an exaggeration too. this lineup just really angers me, thats all. but im sure im not the only one.
Now that I’m mad. How come we still have grady’s brother coaching third. He’s holding up Kemp and their’s no play at home. not to mention the playoff fiasco.
I give martin and Furcal more credit for getting us back to form in 06′ not grady.
jspelk i understand the frustration and i am not that pleased with the lineup but i am sure as heck not giving up on the game already like some of the others here. That is sad when you cant even watch a game when you dont have who you want out there on the field!
i didnt mean you personally jspelk.
“I give martin and Furcal more credit for getting us back to form in 06′ not grady”
Yes i agree that they had great seasons last year which helped the cause, now why cant you say the same this year? why is it that we continue to bash Grady if he is not the guy on the field? (granted he does make some head scratching moves but besides this recent slump no one had anything to complain about we were 1o+ games above .500)
im not giving up on the game at all. im more frustrated to be honest that sweeney and shea are even on our team let alone them starting. if we had just kept marlon…if we had just kept betemit…its angering. i realize its in the past and nothings going to change it. and i really dislike the constant influx of exgiants. it took me long enough to get over kent. but i never said wow i can’t root for this team because of this lineup. ever.
Dear Josh,
I try not to be down on management. I continually say that I think Grady’s doing OK. But how can you expect me to do that when a line-up like this comes around?
I know that Grady likes getting reserves a start or two. But isn’t starting Sweeney kind of like saying that we need to give Saito a start every now and then to keep him fresh? It’s not like he’s a starter who doesn’t have a starting role on the club–he’s a pinch-hitter.
But, I can still live with the philosophy. But then, you have to wonder about rewarding Sweeney for the bonehead blunder on Tuesday. Yes, I know he’s sorry, I know he’s as mad as we are, but I really don’t want to see him give the ball to a kid in the stands as he’s running off the field after the second out (ala Larry Walker). And even if we do start him, why on the same day that we pull Kemp out of the line-up, who’s been hot, and at the same time that we have Hillenbrand at third? Can’t we wait until Nomar or LaRoche is back to throw Sweeney? It’s not like Sweeney was starting regularly with the Giants.
Or let’s just go all the way and start Martinez at second base and Lieberthal behind the plate?
Ughh.
(OK–this is not really directed at Josh, who I don’t expect to answer, but seriously. Uggh.)
Switch Gonzo and Martin and Sweeny and Ethier, then I would be content with the lineup. I understand guys need days off but the order looks wacky.
i didnt mean you personally jspelk.
Posted by: dahustlasbac@yahoo.com | August 17, 2007 04:27 PM
maybe you missed this post jspelk i was more talking to the others that have stated that already today!
Furcal, SS
Pierre, CF
Ethier, RF
Kent, 2B
Martin, C
Gonzo, LF
Sweeney, 1B
Hillenbrand, 3B
Stults, P
Im going to go see Superbad tonight! Sure beats the heck out of watching this game.
hahahah thank you max for validating my statement! lol that movie looks hilarious by the way i cant wait to go see it!
I am sure Loney is soooooooooooo much more tired than Russel Martin is.
Believe it or not, Sweeney started once in the #3 spot (and at first) for SF this season, on June 1. The Giants won 13-0. Sweeney’s box score line was 5 3 2 1 .
Alex melting down was classic. Max some funny commentary from you as well.
To quote Grady Gump:
“Life is like a box of 1st baseman…you never know what yer gonna get”
I told ya a career game. Maybe it will work for us to!
Go DODGERS!!!!!
JUST WIN BABY!!!!
dahustlasbac, I’ve been waiting to see this moving since i first heard about it. Michael Cera is a genius i think. He was brilliant in Arrested Development.
max, Arrested Development was the best TV show since Seinfeld, I’m still mad that it got cancelled.
“Illusions Michael, thy’re illusions. Tricks are something ****** do for money…(kids looking at Gob) or candy”
When I saw this lineup I said, “Wow that’s going to make a lotta people mad”. As I look up I see I was right. Well, it’s Eric Stults and another night of MUST WIN baseball. Let’s hope the bats stay alive and we can keep it going. I have a question, that I’ve ask a few times so I’ll ask it again, How come the Dodgers are wearing those blue, looks like a light jacket or wind breaker, covering their uniform with the little white LA on their chest, while they are at home? Shouldn’t they wear something with the word Dodgers across their chest? PLAY BALL!!
I don’t think I’ve seen a Dodger lineup that had as many players who would be best hidden at 1B (Sweeney, Hillenbrand, Kent) since the days of Greg Brock, Franklin Stubbs, Mike Marshall and Bill Madlock/Enos Cabell.
To answer a question way back about 20 blogs ago…Didn’t they bring Stults up because Nomar is on DL??
This lineup doesn’t make sense for reasons that have already been exhaustively documented in this thread. It doesn’t prove that Grady Little is “hands down the worse manager” in baseball, though. Give me a break.
It’s possible that our manager knows something we don’t. Regardless, I think there’s been a lot of overreaction here.
Ha ha. There’s someone that’s even more a pollyanna than I am! Now I can see how funny I seem to you guys.
Just hoping the streak continues tonight with this lineup. Braves – Dbacks underway. I hope the Braves can pull it off, and help us out against Webb. I realize that’s alot to ask, but I can dream, right?
Max. I saw it on advance screening. Your gonna **** your pants laughing so hard.
“Mclovin..sounds like a sexy hamburger.”
I hadn’t laughed at a movie so hard since Borat.
Knocked Up/40 yr old virgin was funny, but not like this.
If you liked American Pie or Dazed and Confused you will love it.
Cera steals the movie. (well so does Mclovin) The fat kid is funny, the cops get a little boring in the middle, but Cera’s delivery is just priceless.
And take your vicodin, what the ****.
By the way, just how big is the hole going to be between the 39-year old Kent whose hammy bothered him yesterday and the 37-year old Sweeney, a professional pinch-hitter?
Is tonight old timers night? I wonder how many old guys the Rocks will have in their lineup? Roberto should be off this team if management is serious about winning ,and not just taking fans dough.
Agreed 100 MILLION PRECENT! Arrested Development was pure genius.
David Cross was great too. Tobias is a never-nude hahaha.
“I just thought he liked cutt-offs”
Grady may know things we don’t – but I don’t like any of them. Kemp’s knee is sore or Loney has the flu or some such stuff.
As you all know, even a stopped clock is right two times a day; therefore, Grady may come out smelling like a rose on this move, but you have to admit that he really likes to go for the longshots.
I can’t root against the team, even though the manager is nuts, so let’s pull it off, Dodgers.
I’ve maintained all along this season that Ned and Grady should both either suffer the consequences or enjoy the accolades depending on how the Dodgers finish this year. If the Dodgers don’t make the playoffs, or even don’t make a good showing in the playoffs, both need to be fired without a further question. Given that attitude, I guess I have to give them the latitude to play whoever they want to take them to the dance.
Fliegel..I was just thinking that…other than Russell and Andre, are they all the “older guys”?
great to hear jason. I was expecting it to be great now im sure it is.
wow thats a pretty high endorsement for superbad. personally i view harold and kumar as the standard for those types of movies. 40 year old virgin is pretty good too.
Sometimes Grady puts together an odd lineup and it works. I’m not sure about having Loney and Kemp sit down.
Oh man I miss Arested development. Charris we seem to have alot in common, both baseball takes and our comedy. I can’t wait for the new season of Curb your enthusism.
It’s funny cause the name of my Fantasy Baseball Teams are either
Sernity Now
Bob Loblaw
***** Gil
Anchorman is my standard for any kind of comedy. Dumb and Dumber is up there too but Anchorman was just soo stupidly brillant. The Big Lebowski is up there too.
That’s funny guys. You already think the lineup won’t work. You’re talking about movies you’re going to watch tonight. Ye of little faith. Go Dodgers!
Bob Loblaw thats priceless!!!
Curb your Enthusiasm is great too.
“I’m teaching you a lesson to never teach your kids a lesson” -The one-armed man
What is up with Grady Little and Career Pinch Hitters batting 3rd or 4th…
They are career Pinch Hitters for a reason!
Great to see Gonzo back in the 5th Spot!
I guess winning two games in a row was more than enough for Grady Little…
I think this lineup has taken the spirit out of everyone. Where’s your fight??? You guys are talking television shows. Remember the Dodgers have won two TWO games in a row. We may be on a roll???
Grady’s motto…
If ain’t broke I will fix it!
By the way, given that EVERYONE knew that Hull was going to be sent down so Stults could start tonight, why wasn’t Hull put in in the 8th last night with a six-run lead and let everyone else in the pen rest?
Anchorman was brilliant, “San Diego is German for Whale’s ******”
good oldfogey. it made too much sense, that’s why.
mpdclarke (or should I say Carlos Mencia?): Dude, you’re stealing Max’s joke; see the second comment!
jspelk2: because Grady knows stuff that we don’t. 😉
hahahahah old fogey….you mean Ned Holeness?
dang you beat me to it max, good one fogey
Grady’s trying to finish last. He wants to make sure we get good draft picks we won’t sign. 🙂
I love all those Max.
Grady’s line up puts me “in a glass case of emotion.”
“And just when I thought Grady couldn’t do anything stupider, he totally redeemed himself”
yeahe Charris, Anchorman was great. Paul Rudd and Steve Carell really stole that movie for me.
QUOTE By the way, given that EVERYONE knew that Hull was going to be sent down so Stults could start tonight, why wasn’t Hull put in in the 8th last night with a six-run lead and let everyone else in the pen rest? QUOTE
Grady forgot that Hull was even in the bullpen last night!
“And just when I thought Grady couldn’t do anything stupider, he totally redeemed himself”
hahahaha.
thats easily my favorite line of that movie.
That and “Samsonite! i was way off”
well when i see Grady’s lineups I think this is getting to be ri-god-****-diculous. if
oh man…I loved Old School alot as well.
But yeah Anchorman is tops for me. “Come Esta, Bitchyaaas”
I may have to go home and throw on my Blackbeard Cologn or my Sex Panther by Odeon. It’s illegal in nine countries… Yep, it’s made with bits of real panther, so you know it’s good.
Have any of you seen Shaun of The Dead or Hot Fuzz? Those are great comedies as well. As well as anything Ricky Gervais has done (The Office, Extras)
“60 percent of the time it works all the time.”
Ricky Gervais’ The Office is BRILLIANT! BRILLIANT! BRILLIANT! Nice Max.
Speaking of Super Bad and the others- Freaks and Geeks, anyone?
YES! Freaks and Geeks was a classic too.
ridiculous lineup. grittle is no bobbycox. atlanta has andruw jones batting SEVENTH. if a guy like andruw jones can be demoted, why the heck aren’t we playing sweeney/lugo/etal further down the lineup?!?
grow some, grittle, and give our team its best chance to score:
Furcal
Pierre
martin
kent
ethier
Sweeney
Gonzo
Hillenbrand
Stults, P
even if we somehow manage to win tonight, the current lineup is lame.
can somebody tell me what was wrong with last nights lineup. they had no trouble scoring runs. but tonight they will.
great job grady.
Check the numbers boys….grady little has the highest winning percentage among all 30 active major league managers that have managed 500 plus games.
This Roberto Hernandez PR campaign is so silly. That is a nice acheivement and all Josh, but honestly Roberto should be playing against julio Franco right now. I dont recall seeing any appearance so far where he hasnt give up at least a run. Regarding the lineup, Im not convinced James needed a rest that bad to shove that down our throats. Its gonna be hard to ever support this guy considering the team he came from, not to mention the little league mistake he mad the other night. Hope to see Kemp back soon. Gonna go catch a movie or something hoping for a nice boxscore later.
chingon28: Grady has had a fair amount of talent fueled by big payrolls in his two manager jobs – the DODGERS and the BOSTON RED SOX. And Ron Gardenhire of the Twins is very close. Could pass Grady this season if Little keeps putting out lineups like this one, which he might get away with given that it’s only Josh Fogg they’re facing.
I agree blowberto is horrible why is he in the pen?
how about brandon webb. looks like he’s making a run at the cy young.
I used to me Max_Power_05 but now im using this email from now on!
Superbad at 8!
41 consecutive scoreless innings for Webb
webb has been a monster since the break. I hope he doesn’t break bulldog’s record.
who got sent down for stults?
eric hull went down.
was hull even with the team long enough to bring a change of clothes?
This lineup is the climax of Grady’s stupidity.
who’s better hull or Hernandez?
Complete Game Shutout for Webb 42 consecutive scoreless innings and counting
Hernandez is better diehard. and thats by default because Hull is terrible. By the way where did you play in college?
old fogey…. darren oliver and frank castillo in the rotation in ’02 and Byun yung Kim your saves leader(14) in “03 he couldn’t even make the post season roster.ortiz was not there in ’02 they had Tony clark who finished the year with 3 HR’s
sorry I left work earlier Chaffey then I transfered to small NAIA school
You can forget about being blessed with huge payrolls. the best I can figure is that wolf and schmidt make up about 22 percent of the dodgers payroll and he is forced to run tomko and hendrickson out there 2 out of every five days. Good Luck.
diehard you still haven’t given me any reasons other then the lineups for why Grady is a poor manager.
swood how do you like the line up? how can you defend that?
I said other then the lineup. I’ll be honest no I don’t like it but I’m sure if I got an explanation from Grady himself I might change my mind.
you don’t think a line up is the most important thing a manager does? Don’t just dismiss it. Put channel 9 grady is talkin
gagne just blew *another* save in boston. he’s been horrible ever since coming there.
fogey.. huge payrolls are great for Grady. How about the 10 million accounted for by the two innings he got out of Gagne?
What happened to Matt Kemp!!??
I live in Virginia diehard my channels are different from yours. Anyway what is he saying did he give an explanation for the strange lineup?
no all he said “We’ll take it one day at time”.
From the Press-Enterprise blog:
Matt Kemp underwent an MRI on the right knee he slammed into the wall trying to make a catch on Wednesday after it became swollen yesterday. Kemp is out of the lineup, but available today.
Absolutely no help from Atlanta tonight against the Dbacks. Webb got a complete game 2 hit shutout. I hope Stults has a good solid start, and doesn’t give up alot of runs, and no dingers. GO DODGERS!
what? we’ll take it one day at a time? I want a reason BESIDES the lineup why Grady is bad.
that’s grady’s cryptic way of saying he doesn’t think ahead? Anyways, wow. Gagne is going to be run out of town on a rail at this rate.
how about the way he handles our pitchers, the way he lets Martin play he’s young of course he wants to play every day but that guy is our franchise player and will be for a long time,he has ZERO PASSION that is huge especially in a long season. There is a reason why bobby cox has the all time record in getting thrown out. I’ll keep pointing things out as much as I can. Any help is appreciated.
That’s besides the line ups which include the defense he throws out there with gonzo and pierre
Grady –
2002 – two aces, Pedro and Lowe. The real Nomar, Manny, Damon at lead off.
2003 – Pedro, Lowe, Wakefield. Nomar, Manny, Ortiz. Career years from Mueller, Nixon (better than Ortiz!), Varitek.
I assume you know the Dodgers. (The big payroll helps you absorb the loss of a player, even a Gagne.) Point is, you got better players, you win more. Ask Joe Torre.
diehard I think its hard for us to tell passion from a box in our living rooms. plus I don’t think his handling of the pitchers has been that bad at all, sure there are a couple wrong decisions here or there to leave a pitcher in or take him out but you are gonna get those after you’ve gone through 120+ games in a season. The reason he plays Martin all the time is because Martin wants to play every day and Grady has zero confidence in Liberthal.
what the heck im watching the games on extra innings and I have to get the rockies horrible telecasters. This stinks.
well yeah but grady makes the lineup card out, not martin. and if you have zero confidence in your backup you tell your GM you need a new one because your starting catcher just can’t play everday.
how come I see passion from B.Cox, L.Piniella, T.LaRussa,T. LaSorda, J. Leyland. I see passion from our young guys. You can see it!
Joe Torre is over rated. With that roster, and payroll, the ‘Evil Empire’ should win every year with a 2″x4″ as a manager. Like I always say; My two favorite baseball teams are the Dodgers, and whoever plays the Yankees that day!
Of course Martin wants to play every day he’s 23 I want to see him catch until he’s 33-34 at this pace with grady he’s bound to hit a wall.
First of all If Martin wasn’t in the lineup all of you guys would be complaining. Second of all you don’t see what goes on in the club house and different managers express there passion in different ways diehard.
i wouldn’t be complaining, and i think the fault on grady is two fold. Not just for not resting martin. Liebs *is* a capabe backup, he’s a former allstar and has good pop for a catcher. But he’s been used so sparingly that he hasn’t been kept fresh enough to play well.
How does grady express passion? they close the door all of a sudden he has a personality? I don’t buy it. Why did boston run him out of town and then won the world series?
I can’t tell you how Grady expresses passion because i’m not one of his players, but I’m sure if you asked anyone in that Dodger clubhouse they would know exactly how. Grady was one game away from the ws with Boston and if he had come back the next year they might have won it then.
Houston up 1-0 on a Berkman homer in the 3rd.
Struck out the side! Bring on more!
KENT is on FIRE!
kent’s the man!
KENT is not in a FOGG.
Way to go Kent!
Ah, screw it Grady is a genius lol
Juan Pierre thought that was a bad throw from Clint Barmes!
ETHIER flies in da gonz
ok i was wrong nice job guys.
This guys not over the HILL
P I E R R E now has 30 RBI
Awesome! Some rare RBI’s for Pierre.
P I E R R E now has 50 SBs
The always amazing Superman, Mr.Los Angeles Dodger, Jeff Kent does it again!I’ll say it again, not only is he the greatest second baseman of all time, he is one of the greatest baseball players and leaders of all time!Arizona, we are gunning for you!You beat us when Superman Jeff Kent was hurt, next time watch out!.All our Dodger players are good and ready to take on anybody!As I said yesterday, watch out everybody, The Los Angeles Dodgers are coming!
We don’t seemed to be wasting much time.
A 5 spot is good for an innning. I like it. I like it ALOT!
I really wish Sweeney werent batting 3rd. ugh
50 pitches through 3. Stults won’t last long at this rate.
We could use some more of Fogg.
What is this? Stults weakens in the 3rd and Fogg comes back strong?
THAT’S BETTER
we should dfa saenz and just use stultz to ph
9 K’s through 5. Not bad at all…
Berkman hit another one out in SD. Stro’s up 3-1 top of the 8th.
Not bad…that’s great, you know who else is great? Lance Berkman, he just hit another HR, 3-1 Astros over S.D Top 8.
Fogg is pitching a settle down wolflike game.
N I C E
stultz can hit for himself then proctor can come in, or stultz can just stay in
Helluva job by Stults. Looks like the boys in blue have a good quality L/H starter back in the rotation.
S T U L T S was stupendous.
Final from SD Stro’s win 3-1.
M A R K that down as another run.
Nice to get another insurance run.
Uh oh Broxton …
*phew* settled down nicely.
Broxton had me worried for a second. Then he comes back with a roar to strike out the side.
B I G B A D J O N
4 run lead, save your legs Russ. it’s a long season. don’t need to be going there…
Oh no!
To me with a four run lead everything should be bumped back, Proctor should’ve pitched in the eighth with Broxton in the ninth. Gotta love Saito!
Saito saves another one! That’s 3 in a row!
T A K A S H I
agree alex. or save proctor for tomorrow (2 innings?) and bring in beimel then broxton.
it’s disappointing to see that we’ve still burned our ‘pen despite 2 strong SP starts in a row. we can count saito out for tom’w for sure now.
The pitching decision did seem bassackwards, didn’t it? Proctor should have come in before Broxton, and possibly give Saito a rest. Still a win. Here’s hoping the streak stays alive tomorrow. GO DODGERS!
I think the problem was they got Proctor up twice tonight. In the sixth inning, he was warming up and then he sat down. He got up again in the seventh, it’s an excuse I know but regardless we got the victory. It goes to show you once again how special Saito is, that ninth inning is tough to pitch. Eric Stults came up with a ridiculous game tonight and he’s the player of the game.
Congratualations on a mighty 6-2 victory by our beloved Los Angeles Dodgers!Fans and team let’s believe that we are a team of destiny and get Superman Jeff Kent his World Series Ring!Furcal and Pierre,you guys were fantastic.The whole team was and is great!Arizona, don’t feel so snug in first place because We are coming after you with vengeance!Ain’t no stoppng us now!
Make that a mighty 6-4 victory!Ain’t no mountain high enough!
I tuned in late only to be blown away by Stults’ line. What a performance.
Oh, and Proctor is terrible. Betemit isn’t very good, either, but why throw him away for an overworked, largely ineffective middle reliever?
Bit harsh, 11 2/3 innings 5 ER’s is not horrible, it’s not good, but you have to think of the circumstances in which he gave them up, also he’s come up big for us at times and none of the runs he’s given up have cost us the game a.k.a zero blown saves. So he’s far from terrible, he’s just a middle reliever, he’s not here to cure cancer. He’s going to give up runs, all pitchers do. Just hopefully not in critical situations that cost us the game.
Look at these peripherals for Proctor:
4.61 BB/9, 1.36 HR/9
This is terrible for a reliever. I’m not going to apologize for the guy just because he hasn’t blown any games.
Edwin Jackson-with another solid outing tonight. 6 innings 2 runs, but got no support. Walks were high as his command wasnt there, but he battled like crazy and ended up with a nice game. That makes 5 quality starts in his last 6 outings.
—
As most of Tampa Bay has turned its attention to grown men in short shorts sweating at Walt Disney World in preparation for the upcoming NFL season, the good fortunes of one Devil Ray has gone practically unnoticed outside of Tropicana Field. Yes Edwin Jackson deserves a little credit for putting together a few decent starts in the second half to make people wonder if we’re finally seeing what the Rays saw in him when they traded for him last season.
It’s hard to get truly giddy for a pitcher with a 3-11 record, a 5.84 ERA, an opponent’s batting average near .300, and a WHIP higher than Ben Zobrist’s batting average. But since the All-Star break, Jackson has put together a few decent starts to set a career high for wins in a season while dropping his ERA nearly a point-and-a-half. It’s not much of a victory, but for a man who has won only nine of his 37 major league starts, it’s a victory nonetheless. Think of it as a little bonus, like getting that extra quarter in the vending machine change return or finding out the drive-through cashier accidentally super-sized your meal free of charge.
With Jackson’s most recent start, a 4-0 win at Texas this past Saturday, many people wondered if the 23-year-old was finally getting on track. With how bad the Rangers are, you absolutely should beat them. But it was the way Jackson pulled out this victory that raised eyebrows and hopes. He went the complete nine, shutting out the Rangers in a ballpark where a strong enough fart can launch a ball into the right field bleachers. He allowed just four hits, struck out eight, walked only one batter, and in a rarity amongst Devil Rays starters this season he managed to do it all with just 110 pitches. The performance capped off a post-All-Star stretch of six starts with a 2-2 record, a 3.00 ERA, and five of the six starts lasting six innings or more. In a season where Jackson received every form of criticism, most of it warrented by his performance, it’s only proper to give him credit for a good month of pitching.
And give Jackson credit for realizing there wasn’t a better opportunity than now to prove the Rays and the rest of Major League Baseball he has something to contribute. Following the win at Texas, Jackson told the assembled media, “This whole situation could have been a lot different. Maybe I could have been in the pen or whatever. When I didn’t go to the pen for the second half, I just told myself I won’t give them a chance to put me in the pen anymore.”
Jackson doesn’t like the bullpen, rather he doesn’t like the mental changes one has to make going from the rotation to the bullpen. Considering he was an outfielder converted to a pitcher just six years ago, he’s had plenty to think about on how to be a starter. Adjusting his approach from throwing 100 pitches every five days as a starter to throwing 100 over a couple of weeks as a reliever is another issue and one he doesn’t handle well, a point he eluded to me in a conversation after a tough loss last season.
This season though, Jackson didn’t have much of a choice in turning around his season. The Rays didn’t either. After numerous call-ups and demotions to and from Durham last season, Jackson was out of options and an ineffective fifth starter in Tampa Bay. If he didn’t get a grip on his game, the Rays could have tried to pass him through waivers where another team likely would have snapped him up. Despite Jackson’s troubles, he’s only 23 and there are more than a couple of teams willing to plunk him down in AAA until he figures things out before seeing if he could finally cut it in the bigs. Then again there’s always the chance that another team wouldn’t want to give him a chance, and at 23 Jackson would be looking at a sudden career change. Not wanting to fall into that “overblown prospect” heap littered with names like Joe Charboneau and Todd Van Poppel, Jackson has made some of his potential turn into reality recently. Also to his credit, Jackon’s not getting all caught up in the hype of a few good starts.
“It definitely feels good,” Jackson said following the win in Texas. “I have to tell myself I can’t get too comfortable. I’ve got to keep it going. … I was happy, don’t get me wrong. But once it’s over, it’s over.” Right there in that statement lies the terrible battle Jackson faces every time he takes the mound– inconsistency. In the middle of the previous six starts is a forgettable 3 1/3-inning stinker in Baltimore, and prior to that you can find two or three bad starts following every good start that made it appear Jackson was finally getting it together. Jackson can dominate a woeful Rangers team in the Arlington heat, now can he beat a contending Cleveland team in the 72-degree comfort of Tropicana Field? That’s the big question, which will be answered tomorrow night. That answer will only bring up more questions about where Jackson fits, if he does, in the Rays’ plans for 2008 and beyond.
I’m not saying Jackson should be considered an “upper eschelon” pitcher for the Rays like Scott Kazmir or James Shields are considered. I’ve even suggested if the Rays could move him for an impact player, as it was rumored they would with a deal with Seattle last month, I’m all for it if it’s for the greater good of the team. But all I’m asking for is a reduction in the hating of Jackson just for a couple more starts. After all, everyone deserves a second chance.
Here we go conniption fit!!!
#1: Luis Gonzalez is 1 for 16 against Josh Fogg
#2: Mark Sweeney batting third! THIRD! THIRD?!??!?!?
#3: Righties bat .306 against Fogg, while lefties bat .256. So of course you take Kemp out of the lineup! STUPID!
CONNIPTION FIT! Horrible lineup and stupid, stupid, stupid!!!!
Posted by: alex41592@aol.com | August 17, 2007 03:44 PM
But it worked…. the sky is not falling Alex its lastyear all over again… no true reality show is complete without a full implosion of Players Fans,Media and management….
Glad Stultz showed up tonight and delt the Rockies the way they are supposed to be delt. This guy Has real potential and he gets run support with his bat.Gotta love the pitchers who can put runs on the board for themselves.
holy **** we won!!!
im still glad i went and saw Superbad. That movie was super awesome.
Great performance by Stultz!!!
After a more or less mediocre AAA record this season, he stepped up and dealt himself right into this pennant race. If he can keep it up and get himself and us a couple more wins, it would be a big plus. I had thought that he was strictly a junk ball pitcher, but a 92 mph fastball is not too shabby if he can locate it right and mix it in with his off-speed deliveries. Looking forward to his next start.
Okay guys,let’s go for 4 in a row!The expectations were so high for this team, when we were in first place until adversity hit hard when Superman Jeff Kent got hurt and the team totally lost it’rhythm.But we knew all along that this team has something special!Ned Colletti,you should have never let Jeff Weaver go,but that’s last year.Since, we should always try and call a spade a spade,on the other hand,Ned Colletti has made some very good moves!The recent acquisitons of Shea Hillebrand and Mark Sweeney were fantastic because you have 2 seasoned veterans and great character guys that really are good for the younger players and solidifies perfectly the winning chemistry of this team!As well, we have two of the best set up men and closers in Jonathan Broxton and Takashi Saito!Let’s go,the amazing never say die Los Angeles Dodgers, all the way and win The World Series!
Yes, those two recent additions certainly complement those other stalwart veterans with so much winning chemistry named Saenz and Martinez. Give me a break.
So what you guys all considered a “horrible” and “stupid” lineup acutally came through for one of the best run outputs since we’ve been in this slump. Man what was Grady thinking?????
ndeschenes…do u honestly consider Hillenbrand a “great character guy”?
And swood, the only reason most of us on the board think that line-up was both horrible and stupid was the fact Sweeney was batting 3rd. In the 2nd with JP on he had a 3-0 count and ended up with his second out in as many innings. He’s not a #3 hitter.
This will be one of those occasions when I will miss tonight’s lineup since my daughter and I are going to the B’klyn Cyclone/SI Yankee game at that crazyhouse, Keyspan Park. The game starts at 6:00 PM ET so I should be home some time after the Dodger game starts at 10:10PM ET. Last night’s game? I must say, it was one of the best games this year. I was at Shea Stadium, last year when STULTS beat the Mets, and I’ll see him in person again this year, if he pitches on Friday night. I’ll be there for all 3 games. Last year I thought that Eric was ready, but it didn’t work out that way, so I wish him luck this year. Well we turn the page on last night and we have another MUST GAME tonight. COM’ON BILLZ!!!KEEP IT GOING BOY’S IN BLUE.
jungar: “Serenity now. Insanity later.”
You almost had it right jungar, just backwards.
The first 50 (or so) comments on this thread bashed and trashed the Dodgers of the likes I have not seen yet this season. This was Ground Hog Day at its finest. Yet when this “…stupid, stupid, stupid!!!!” line up (as one poster described it) wins, and with authority, the very Ground Hogs that constantly put down the Dodgers have vanished like a fart in the wind.
Not that any of you guys even care, but aren’t you even a little suspicious as to why many of the veteran posters from last season who helped make “Inside the Dodgers” the greatest MLB blog on the web no longer post here?
Here is a very difficult challenge for all of you Ground Hogs – Why not hold off posting until after each game? This way, your same thing, every single day, day in and day out, daily rants, won’t seem so ignorant when the Dodgers prove you wrong.
I sincerely hope that the guy (or gal) who had tickets to last night’s game who was so very disappointed with Grady’s line-up went to the game anyway. If not, you missed a GREAT one.
Last night’s win was truly a team effort. Let’s keep it rolling, boys!
GO BILLINGSLEY!
GO DODGERS!
I know Shea Hillenbrand has had his moments,like all of us, but I believe,as Ned, he can help us down the final stretch drive!Eric Stultz,you were magnificent last night!If I was Arizona I would be nervous, because they have a charging bull coming at them with Superman Jeff Kent leading the way!It’s all the way for the Los Angeles Dodgers!
hillenbrand a character guy?
He once called Theo Epstein a homosexual, only he didnt use that word. (F****t) Before the Red Sox traded him, he also compared himself to Jeff Bagwell. Laughable.
Also, when in Toronto, he prioritized the organization after he adopted a little girl, and the organization did not praise him for doing it. The same year he was angry for having to share time at first with lyle overbay. He called the team a “sinking ship,” got into a big argument with his manager John Gibbons and was even challenged to a fight by Gibbons before the game started. He walked out on his teammates and did not sit in the dugout that night. He also later ripped off the Canadian flag from his cap during a “Canada day” game.
The blue jays traded him to the giants for Jeremy Accardo, another in the Giant’s long line of failed pitching trades.
I don’t understand Ned’s quest for “character guys”, he should be looking for good baseball players, but hillenbrand is certainly neither a character guy nor a good baseball player.
Anyone know anything of LaRoche’s injury status?
Last Night’s lineup was bad, very bad. Even though we won, you can’t honestly say that lineup would win more than 3 out of 10 games. No matter what Grady does, even he can’t make us lose every game. That’s not a bash on Grady, its just the reality of baseball. You can’t always predict which way a single game will go, you can only put the best lineup possible out there and hope for the best. I think many of us will agree that last night’s lineup, even though it won, is not the best, 2nd best, or even 6th best lineup this team can put out there. Can anyone honestly say they’d like to see that lineup posted every day from now till season’s end?
prioritized = criticized*
hillenbrand a character guy?
He once called Theo Epstein a homosexual, only he didnt use that word. (F****t) Before the Red Sox traded him, he also compared himself to Jeff Bagwell. Laughable.
Also, when in Toronto, he prioritized the organization after he adopted a little girl, and the organization did not praise him for doing it. The same year he was angry for having to share time at first with lyle overbay. He called the team a “sinking ship,” got into a big argument with his manager John Gibbons and was even challenged to a fight by Gibbons before the game started. He walked out on his teammates and did not sit in the dugout that night. He also later ripped off the Canadian flag from his cap during a “Canada day” game.
The blue jays traded him to the giants for Jeremy Accardo, another in the Giant’s long line of failed pitching trades.
Posted by: dodgerdude17@yahoo.com | August 18, 2007 11:12 AM
Well if that’s not strong character then what do you call it? The fact that he says/does things and the media catches wind of it is just his youth still.Kent/Bonds? Penny/alot of people? All strong on character and Kent is older and wiser now so he tends not to show it so publically now Penny is getting better at it as well.
Amazingly enough the lineup that everyone was down on yesterday worked. And no one can give Grady credit for it by saying it won’t keep working or not saying anything. Come on guys. The Dodgers have won 3 in a row. Pierre played great, Jeff Kent is back again. Hillebrand and Sweeney worked okay along with Gonzo. Grady is there in the clubhouse and dugout. He knows the guys. If we could all be flies on the wall we would know what goes on but we aren’t. That lineup everyone was nasy about yesterday worked along with the terrific pitching of Stultz. And how much can you guys get down on Russell? Let him play. The guy hit two home runs in one game. Is that something that’s done everyday? He’s not just a utility player, he’s a star. I don’t care what you guys keep saying. He’s only been playing a couple of years and he’s played in the allstar game. How many players have done that?? Kiper?? You always have the stats. And Van, you keep saying that he’s tired and needs to sit it out. So Lieberthal can play? Grady’s two craziest lineups worked. All you guys were growling and threatening to watch television or go to the batting cage. If you did you missed one of the most exciting games in a long time. Here I go again…let’s cheer the Dodgers on!! Three in a row. The offense was great, the defense was awesome!! All those DPs. And let’s not be down on Pierre anymore. He’s doing really well. And Saito?? I can’t say enough about him and no one gives him enough credit. Whatever went on yesterday during the game worked. Was that not a great second inning?? Maybe you guys didn’t see it since you were watching reruns of Seinfeld. Go Dodgers!!!!!!
I was hesitant to go to Friday’s game ’cause I was feeling a little under the weather. Working fulltime and taking the train/bus and attending the games is tough by the end of the week. Anyway, I am glad I did go to the game. Noticed that some of my friends that sit around me were missing. They missed a great game! Congrats to the Dodgers on their 3rd win in a row and a great perfomance by Stults!
Noticed that some here call Stults “Stultz” I also thought it was with a Z.
Glad to see Edwin Jackson doing well lately. I remember attending that game in AZ where he faced Randy Johnson on his 21st birthday and won. I had taken the bus with other Dodger fans back when this radio station had some Dodger road games.
Thanks to Josh for always posting the lineup and giving us some inside news.
Emma
I’m very happy they won, I was extremely impressed by Stults’ game last night. It was a great team effort to win that game. That doesn’t change the fact the lineup was poorly constructed. It worked out, but come on? But, with Kemp hurt I understood Gonzo had to be in there and he got a nice double down the line when the odds were horribly against him. Sweeney batting third…well I’m not going to go down that road again. It’s a new game and I really hope Kemp is in there against the lefty tonight along with Ethier. My loyalty is always with the Blue and I always want them to win. I just want them to be given every opportunity to win and I feel that was not given to them last night. But, they still got it done.
Wil you guys get off Grady for a day thanks to that lineup he put out there last night. He knows what hes doing! In Grady I Trust. haha.
diehard if your there do you have anything to say about Grady now? Can he keep his job now? Does this change your opinion of him?
yeah i love how grady is the “worse manager in baseball”
me, i pretty much don’t think managers make any difference. Torre was a “terrible” manager in Atl and Stl and then was the “best” manager in the game for the yankees and now he is just so so for the yankees.
It’s all about the talent and makeup of your team IMO. I would say at most the manager is responsible for 5-10 games a year.
fisher…
really? u can defend a guy that calls their GM a homosexual and then quits on their teammates?
I’m not saying I care about “character” per say, I’m just trying to point out that Ned seems to pride himself on acquiring “character” guys, and hillenbrand is certainly not that. I personally don’t care about character as long as a dude can play baseball.
What can we say!Gutsy,phenomenal win by our Los Angeles Dodgers!Way to go Ramon Martinez,fanatastic display of courage!That was Dodger baseball!Yes, there were scary moments, but the pride they showed make us proud to be Los Angeles Dodgers fans!Scott Proctor, you have had a couple of tough,depressing outings but take heart,The Los Angeles Dodgers are coming!Takashi Saito,unbelievable!Arizona,were on your trail,watch out!It’s is all the way for the Los Angeles Dodgers!
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