LaRoche in LA…well, SD
Andy LaRoche is the latest to join the team and he’s in the lineup for the finale against the Padres. The lineup includes mostly guys under 30 years old and six home-grown Dodgers. It could be similar to what is out there next year, though obviously Nomar is still very much in the picture for 2008.
Furcal, SS
Pierre, CF
Kemp, RF
Kent, 2B
Ethier, LF
Martin, C
Loney, 1B
LaRoche, 3B
Billingsley, P
Inside the Dodgers 
Nice lineup. I want the guys to play loose and confidently. This season is down the pipe, but they can start enjoying the game for the last month, the young ones can learn the ropes some more, everybody can learn about pulling their weight and playing as a team.
Wonderful to see the farmhands in there. Except for my obligatory gripe about the man in the 2-slot 😉 this lineup is good.
That lineup is beautiful…just beautiful. 6 kids in the lineup with Bills 25 years or younger and all have tremendous talent. Now hopefully we can put last night away, how bad was that ump? And how flat were we? Do not want to talk about that game anymore.
The only thing better than this lineup would be if we fired Colletti and Little even before the season ended. That would show the team that things will not continue in the shi*** way they’re used to this season.
Same here love the lineup, hope to see LaRoche in there for most of the remainder of the season. That ump last night was horrible!!! Glad Martin showed some fire eventhough it got him kicked out of the game. Anyone feel the small earthquake just now?
Firing Colletti and Little would really fire up the fans after the miserable experience of this season.
Please, Mr. McCourt!!!
did anybody in SoCal feel that earthquake like five minutes ago?
I felt it, I thought we were due for one…
Hopefully last night was the end of the line for Shea…
What’s the point. Grady will just swap in Gonzo, Saenz or Martinez next time we need to switch righties for lefties.
Let’s just let this line-up ride out the rest of the season.
Yeah! Now THAT’s a lineup!
Still doesn’t answer why LaRoche wasn’t just called up yesterday.
http://www.mikesciosciastragicillness.com
w0w!
this is the greatest lineup so far!
i would love to see HU at SS…
if all the people said was true that Hu is a great defender… it means we will not lose anything if Furcal is out of the lineup coz Furcal is not contributing offensively!
maybe they can sit him for the rest of the season to heal his ankle… or maybe next season we can trade him for a starter!
Right on, Van 19 – agree with you on Furcal and giving Hu a real try.
You can’t complain about this lineup, & even if La Roche makes an error or 2 in the process of him playing third base FROM HERE ON OUT (I know he won’t play everyday but when he does), at least he can learn from them unlike the PVL guys, I’m stoked about this line up I have to admit.
Can you imagine what must be going on in the minds of all the old WORN OUT VETERANS…
They can see the writing on the wall, & I’m sure they know that they won’t be on this time for very much longer….
Now, if we could just do something about Piece of ****, Pathetic Pierre …
The thing with Pierre is that management has to be willing to break the cycle – meaning his consecutive games played streak, which Little has not been willing to do. Once that was done, he could be tried in LF or sat down occasionally, all to the betterment of the team. I doubt if anybody out there is willing to take him off our hands.
I like the looks of this lineup today. Now, I just hope all the demons, and bad karma from last nights game have been exorcised, and are out of their hearts, and minds now.
GO DODGERS!!
messagebear,
Even when the Dodgers were winning in the first half I didn’t think that much of them..Agree that until the GM and manager are gone from this team we GO NOWHERE…The depressing point about this is that the two satellite LA teams..the Angels and Padres are far superior in how they handle their teams and personnel…Among other things the Pads let Hilly go..(wonder why) and they don’t pick up stupid old veterans…They are smarter, better up the middle, better pitching and just a better overall team…I don’t hold out much hope for next year either with our management..We have some good young players but they won’t be enough..We need some power on this team..We are the only team without any real threats in our line up day in and day out…Oh, maybe one day a guy will get hot, but they aren’t scary..and I realized Ned doesn’t get it..Boy, he fooled us the first year…and now he’s embarrassed himself and the Dodgers this year with his signings and DFA’s of all the wrong people..What kind of a “championship” caliber team has a Pierre up the middle in center field?..No one…no good team would have signed him….I’m totally fed up…so much so I couldn’t even watch over half the game last night…Forget this season…it’s the ones after this that are concerning…One good thing…Meloan looked great…
and BIG surprise….2 on and one out…the big DP from KENT..pathetic just pathetic.
why can’t grady let Furcal, Jp and kemp steal the base?
this guys are fast… They need to be aggressive on the base…
look there is a DP for Kent…
bad play!
It is time for the fans to start sounding off about Colletti and Little. I wish they would show up with signs at the DS to get rid of them both NOW. Maybe McCourt would get the message if there was a real revolt.
I don’t think that Furcal is any longer a base stealing threat. Attribute that to his ankle problem. If anything, maybe Pierre should be batting lead-off – at least he can steal.
Furcal is hurt but with a catcher just coming of the DL u like ur chances on stealing that base!
messagebear
I doubt they are going to do that…I was going to write to McCourt but don’t know if it will do any good….It’s just the overall handling of this team..the only good thing is they kept the kids..other than that they have failed miserably..What’s also amazing is if I had been in the room with Coletti and whoever else was when they decided on signing Schmidt, I would have said NO NO NO…Even before he was hurt, I thought it was a bad signing..He hadn’t been good in at least the last 2 years..not dominant and very hittable..whether he was hurt or not…a Bad Signing..and the next thing is he depended too much on the Nomars, Kents, Gonzalez’s…when they aren’t the players they WERE…Kent is the best of course, but the others are sad…
ethier is sinking fast coz he keeps swinging the bat early on the count!
he needs to take pitches!
messagebear
We think alike..I was wondering why Pierre isn’t leading off…at least if he gets on he can steal second…wondering why dear ol Grady hasn’t made that change…
van 19
Ethier has not been good lately…in fact, he’s looked awful..
grady hasn’t made that change coz when Jp is batting leadoff he can’t hit!
maybe he got used of batting 2nd now!
drpdedblnd
yeah that’s becoz he keeps hitting the f*cking first pitch!
he is a good hitter… he needs to take more pitches!
Everyone was so excited when we swept the NATS…by one run each game…whooppee…try beating a good team…then we can get excited…The Padres own the Dodgers…totally embarrassing.
van19
They all say the right things after the game..and continue to do the things they shouldn’t during their at bats..It’s unreal.
i don’t know if bills is trying to pitch or to srike out people!
he hasn’t hitting the spots so far!
SPICCOLLI!!
Something smells bad about this umpire crew!! Starting off like last night….
Nice catches from Ethier and Kemp…but Bills better get better or they may be hitting them out over the wall soon..
hey…
LaRoche is just trying to warm up! LOL
The 3rd “strike” to LaRoche was WAY outside.
Run Rabbitt run!
can’t hit with RISP!
bad start really!
Difficult team to watch these days..
momoracci That’s what I mean. The balls thrown by the opposition that are clearly outside are called strikes. Chad can’t even get get calls on the corner.
Not executing for a change..same ol same ol
the padres are the biggest joke in our division!
yeah they have good pitching!
but when u look at the offense it’s just so amazing that they are on the first place!
w0w…
what was that!?
are we the biggest joke rayt now?
Oh goody, we have Nomar for next season. Get rid of him with the other over the hill established veterans. Try to bring in someone under the age of 40 who is in their prime , not totally washed up. Look at Arizona, they know how to run a young team. That and they don’t have a pinch runner in centerfield.
van19
You are wrong..their offense is much better with Bradley now..and they have Gonzalez, Cameron, Greene, Bard..and several others..but they play fundamentally sound…unlike the Dodgers..We are a joke…Good teams don’t get out like Kemp just did..
Frustration.
Pads have hit 135 home runs
Dodgers 98
drpdedblnd
Bradley,Gonzalez, Cameron, Greene, Bard?
do u really think that this guys are better than..
Kent, martin, Kemp, Loney and ethier…
yeah they are struggling…
but we have alot of guns in the lineup!!
the only problem is they don’t have an amo rayt now!
drpdedblnd
i don’t care about HR!
our team has a talent to hit the ball… but they are on a
very poor season!
with that said… even they are struggling i can still say that the dodgers have a better team than the padres! (execpt pitching)!
isn’t it fun when a single is always a double for the opposition?
LOL van19…our team is inept..some good hitters, but nothing going on..as a team we are not good.
And Pierre’s joke of an arm and Gonzalez running on it..Are you watching NED????
The other thing the Ds need is a manager with some fire who knows how to get his players to perform at their best. Grittle won 94 games in Boston because of Manny and Ortiz , Pedro and Lowe etc. He can’t motivate these guys at all. My vote is for Girardi or Gibson, even Mickey Mouse would out manage Grady.
van19
When it shows up on the scoreboard I may agree with you..so far it hasn’t shown up..We have some good young players, but they can’t carry the team yet..We need a middle of the lineup slugger..an established hitter but not an old vet…someone like (not available) Aramis Ramirez in Chicago..something like that…established but not old.
fliegel
I would love Gibson..but that’s too bold for Ned…that would be great…or even Hershiser…
drpdedblnd
don’t worry we’ll get A-Rod next season! LOL
At least Bills is giving us a good effort so far today…
LOL van19…dream on
Amazing how we make most pitchers look like Cy Young?!D
Loney must have heard me..way to go James
Ok…vote…Do we score a run this inning?
So far, so good. Chad’s doing well, and keeping his team in the game. Now if the bats can wake up……
LaRoche looking awful….
i can’t blame LaRoche!
he is just starting!
i hope this bad outing will not keep him off the 3rd!
I think Laroche is not used to seeing junk balls like this.
LaRoche wasn’t so good the first time he came up…hopefully he’ll improve..He isn’t as exciting to me as the other young guns.
This team continues to not hit substandard pitchers well…they only hit the worst relievers or bad pitching..frustrating..
im not worried about LaRoche…
he is still a very good player in my opinion!
the thing that i hated most in this season is not putting LaRoche from the beginning of the season!
or giving LaRoche the Job when betemit is traded…
well they didn’t and LaRoche gets hurt again!
drpdedblnd
he is injured!
do u expect him to contribute big when he is injured when he first called up?
hey i think furcal heard me!
he is 3-3… LOL
but here comes Mr.Clutch..Pierre…let’s see how he does
WHAT A SURPRISE…MR CLUTCH PIERRE DOESN’T COME THROUGH AGAIN!!!!!
drpdedblnd
u jinx JP’s at-bat! LOL
For the life of me I cannot understand why they didn’t use Bills to sacrifice Loney to third
More wasted opportunities……..
Pierre is not what this team needs or needed. Try and get rid of him in the off season and bring in someone who can hit and throw.
alex,
there is only one answer to that question!
“Grady”
alex
That would require a good manager…One thing we don’t have.
These kinds of games favor the Pads…If we get swept, Grady should walk to Chicago with Ned.
Since the Dodgers didn’t appreciate LaRoche’s walks during his last call-up, now he’s being too aggressive.
Bills doing his job…Can we find some runs anywhere with our offense?
Without a doubt the Dodgers have the highest paid hitting coach for all the good that it does. It just goes to show how refreshing it would be to wipe the slate clean and get rid of the whole staff along with Colletti and Little. We’ve talked about the third base coach endlessly; our so-called bench coach isn’t of any use either except as an old pal to Grady. No wonder that this team plays with no excitement at all.
i think the advice they gave to LaRoche is to be aggressive…
the first time his here he gets alot of walks!
bad advice to give to a good player!
That’s beautiful, Bills!
At least we have one pitcher who wants to keep pace with his counterpart in a tight game.
Nice 1-2-3 inning from Chad. Furcal finally has a good game going 3 for 3, but nothing to show for it …yet.
i will be amazed if kemp will sit at least 1 game for the rest of the season!
he can hit on that 3rd spot!
Kemp doing his job of hitting..will anyone else help us?
good chad today. at least we got that going for us.
3-0 count swinging?
3-1 and 3-2 is both fastball! that’s for sure!
that’s a productive out but we need to score!
Ethier better get this run in…
Cubs just had a come from behind win. Be nice to pull one out here today going into Wrigley on a high note.
well, well, well, Ethier comes through..nice
Ethier with the clutch hit!
nice!
let’s get more runs!
Finally!!! The scoring drought ends. Thanks Andre!
i can’t understand our players!
every game there is always one person who keeps swinging on the first 2 pitches!
look at martin!
when martin works the count he always get good results!
it’s either a walk or a hit the other way!
but when he try to hit that ball early on the count the result looks ugly!
LaRoche needs a good at bat here.
LaRoche looks awful swinging
drpdedblnd
hey it’s his first game!
don’t expect too much…
he is a good player!
Much better at bat by LaRoche, that’s the AB’s we saw earlier this year.
bases loaded with Bills up…doesn’t look promising.
C’mon Bills help yourself out!
i mean first real game!
coz when he first came in the bigs he is hurt!
van19
I hope you are right..I know he was good from what I heard in AAA…but let’s see how it translates.
Why do they let Bills swing?
Oh well! One beats none.
drpdedblnd
he knows how to take pitches!
it’s just amazing that he is swinging that bat aggressively today! maybe that’s the advice they give to him!
why do they let bills swing?
coz he is pitching well…
our bullpen has been awful the last 2 games!
Germano is scared of throwing LaRoche a fastball down the middle.
bills
don’t let that bases loaded affect you!
Will some one tell Grady the bases are loaded and you are ahead in the 6 inning and Ned picked up the greates pinch hitter ,so the pitcher could bat what did he expect a grand slam
van 19
I didn’t say why do they let him hit, I said why do they let him swing?…
nice DP!
Great play by Andy…nice kid
AWESOME defense by LaRoche.
That was a great play by LaRoche, Kent and Loney on the stretch to turn that DP
Anyone know why Beimel has been so lousy lately?..The last few games he has not been good
Talk about a timely twin killing!!
drpdedblnd
so they can score!
if ur not swinging the bat ur not going to score!
Germano is going to attack that strike zone with a pitcher on the plate!
but Bills doesn’t hit the ball van 19…he has some of the worst swings I’ve seen..
OK Let’s get some insurance runs…….PLEASE!
drpdedblnd
well sometimes u need to take some chances!
bills is pitching well…
they can’t take him out yet!
he is on the plate with bases loaded… it’s either strike out w/o swinging or take ur chance and swing that ball..
swing that bat*
Just saw the Cubs post game interview with Piniella. Says he’s looking forward to the Dodgers coming to town to play. I hope the Dodgers hit a bunch out there.
nice game for furcal!
i think he heard me! LOL
What do you know?..We got a break!!!!!!!!!!!!
now JP steal that base!
Not pretty, but it’ll work!!
Kemp does it again..way to go Matty
He has to steal. Take the DP out of the picture.
kemp is the man!
this kid can hit and hit and hit and hit!
Kemp in the three hole has been a complete and total success. One of the best decisions Grady has made this season.
I threw most of you a softball for a jab at Grady if you want to bite…
Way to go boys…Kent comes through too….for a change we can score…We should have won the first game too…could have been 2 out of 3…but we have to hope to wrap up this one and on to the Cubbies…who are tough
Kent follows Kemp with a RBI base hit, looking good
the first 2 games is a disaster!
becoz they didn’t play clean and great baseball…
errors are very costly!
let’s get this W!
I like it.
I like it ALOT!!!!!!!!!
Keep it going, and hammer them…
I should’ve gone to today’s game rather than last night’s…
Hey boys did you miss me? Our team lost 3 out of the 4 games we played in Richmond this weekend =(. We are still trying to come together as a team. I was so depressed when I saw the Dodgers lost the first two of the series =(. Hopefully we can close this one out and salvage a game. Looking good right now. GO DODGERS!!!!!
The Kids are doing it today…my favs..Loney and Kemp…go kids
That was a gigantic double by Loney after Ethier and Martin failed to come up with a productive out.
drpdedblnd
i told u we are good!
they are just struggling!
we have a much better players than the padres!
what our team need is to execute!
bills can’t find his helmet? LOL
Remember how management kept Bills in the pen so they could start Tomko and Hendy? It just goes to show how we could have been much better with the correct management decisions. Oh that’s right Tomko and Neddy are tight.
9 K’s for Chad! Nice game.
We’re watching a beautifully pitched game today. We only need a couple of more young pitchers like Bills coming up in the next year or two.
i hope grady will let bills get the shutout complete game…!
even if the pitch count goes to 120!
i think a complete game gives the pitcher a big amount of confidence!
I have to post these numbers because they’re ridiculous
Chad Billingsley this season against the Padres:
19 2/3 innings 2 earned runs 29 K’s 4 walks
Wow!
Just got back from Richmond County Savings Bank Ball Park of St. George S.I. home of the S.I. Yankees who lost to the B’klyn Cyclones 3-0. Just in time to find the Dodgers up with 2 on. Seen Ethier and Martin pop up and L O N E Y Knocked in the 2 runs to put us ahead 5-0.
alex!
how many wins?
I read your comments, fliegel, and I agree. That’s only one example of how this management team has lost the season for us. They didn’t necessarily do it in the last couple of weeks; they screwed up from the off-season and right on even when we were still in first place.
Billingsley is 2-0 against S.D this season and if we hold on he’ll be 3-0. Unreal numbers by Billingsley.
great numbers!
if they have peavy we got bills!
grady should have let bills pitch yesterday!
maybe it would be a shutout for both pitchers and we win at the 10th! LOL
I agree with you too messagebear, if they don’t make the post season then Ned and Grady should be replaced. Too many bad decisions to overlook or overcome by these two.
I figured they’d bring in Proctor. Hope he does as well as his last outing….
Bills would be a future Cy Young winner!
That’s a crime. 0-2 pitch and gets a single…great Proctor…now 2-0 on next batter
I hate Proctor
Proctor needs to execute his pitches!
he is a good pitcher! and he need to pitch great!
Proctor what an idiot.
he’s out of the game now..Beimel in and he has been terrible lately…Why not bring in Broxton first in a game we NEED to win…unreal..
broxton not beimel!
beimel has been awful this week!
i hope he starts to pitch well again! he needs to start pitching well right now!
Proctor is terrible.
If they give this game up…I cannot watch anymore..
What’s wrong with Broxton? Did he work yesterday? I shut off yesterdays great game to watch somthing interesting like a survival guy eating termites.
Here we go. Never a dull moment.
man! beimel is not hitting the spots!
This is awful….Beimel is awful..can’t throw strikes anymore…watch Bradley come in to pinch hit soon
Grady’s trying to lose this game also.
nice!
that was the beimel we know!
whew…one out…
Big out by Beimel!
now get the comebacker and turn it into a DP! lol
but no first pitch strikes..they need to do that
If Beimel screws up, Brox will be there. Be nice to have him fresh for Chicago. We’ll definitely need him there with the Cubs ability to make late inning comebacks like today.
Still thrilled we gave up Wilson for Proctor…NOT
can’t wait to see Loiaza pitch!
i hope he’ll do good!
ugh someone tell me why bills was removed again?
bullpen=awful!
except broxton and saito!
and someone tell me why Grady didn’t put Broxton in to start the inning…?? I hate when he has to come in with men on..When can we get another manager??..If we lose, it’s all on Grady for a change.
I can’t understand Scully expecting Broxton to come in with the score 5-0. I was not supprised to see Proctor.
He’s throwing FLAMES!!
bills was dominating, if he get in trouble THEN go to brox or whoever. this dumb. not that i expect anything less….
pierre
Because this is a game we REALLY need…we can’t leave it to Proctor who isn’t reliable…
Joe i was not surprise to see proctor too…
but we need this win! we need to put our best players on the game!
This is a must-win game. And Proctor is anything but reliable.
Grady never learns, you go with your best. these games are too important not to.
Grady is by far was one of the worst “High Profile” managers ever to step on a baseball field. The man was FIRED from the Boston Red Sox. FIRED FIRED FIRED. He does not know how to manage a ML ball club.
People may cite his winning record, but the counter to that claim is that he has been GIVEN good tools with which to work. It’s not like he’s been put in charge of Tampa Bay or Kansas City.
He does not know how to charge up a team and motivate them to win the big games. That man is slow and his personality shows through on the players.
Big John!
in ur face Cameron!
it’s broxton’s house not urs!
NOTHING under 100mph!
Think he’s pumped?!!
blondeca..
Totally agree with you…Have you ever heard his post game comments?…pretty stupid..”we’re real proud to have him”..lol
what’s with the ump?
this umps are rooting for the padres!
SIT DOWN!
YES! BIG JOHN!
Brox comes thru…What a pitcher…!!!!!!!!!!!! way to go Brox.with a slider to strike him out..
Big John cleans up Grady`s mess!
that’s what im talking about!
“welcome to Big John’s House!”
Brox could have saved our season for now…Love Big John…and Saito…that’s it for the pen right now.
That’s the guy who should have started the inning . Instead Grady wastes 2 other pitchers. His decisions are terrible. He and Ned are a matched set.
You better expect Proctor to come in in that situation until( I hate to say it) he proves he can do it.
Now THAT’S INTIMIDATING!! AWESOME work by the BIG man to keep the shutout alive!!
drpdedblnd,
the one that truly stood out for me is when he said the Sun would come out tomorrow.
What people don’t realize is that the managers attitude translates to the players. He does not have that in game killer instinct. I’m not saying that we have to have a manager that yells and screams and gets kicked out every other game, but I’d like to see one those is on the edge of the dugout motivating these guys. A guy who isn’t afraid to try something and continue to try it again.
I can hardly recall the last time I saw the team try a hit and run, or a run and hit.
Grady seems dead = the team seems dead. Perhaps he could go take over t-ball team, his calming personality could do those 5 year olds some good.
Our future closer is coming into his own.
Correction: until he proves he CAN’T do it, which I hope he can.
oh and by the way, I thought that Bills should have started the inning. He was hardly working, and if he got into trouble, then you bring in Broxton or Proctor. Grady moans and groans about his pen being over worked, and then he pushes the over worked guys out there again and again.
if saito signs for another year it would be great… real great!
next year our long reliever should be Meloan!
Meloan, Broxton and saito! how about that?!
blondeca
Agree again..I would love someone like Kirk Gibson( someone mentioned today) or even Orel Hershiser…or Girardi…just someone with a little life…that knows how to manage without doing and saying stupid things..It would really change and help our team…Only problem is I don’t think it will happen…sorry to say..
Hernandez warming up for the 9th? I guess Grady feels sorry for the Pads and wants to give them a chance. 🙂
It’s not the shutout, it’s the win we want and Grady doesn’t want to go to Broxton until he has to.
Ok, now that we’ve gotten out of that jam. Here’s the levelheaded view of why Broxton was not put in the game to start the inning. With the lead 5-0 you can start the inning with Proctor/Beimel and if they can get through the inning. Broxton can pitch the ninth. That plan was foiled when Proctor put the first two men on base. So Broxton took care of business. Now, the argument regarding Billingsley coming out of the game, that I agree with, if he gets in trouble, Broxton can clean it up.
Now, there is no reason to pitch Saito with a five run lead in the ninth. I understand this is an important game, but what if we have three or four close games in Chicago and we need Saito all four games. If he pitches in a non-save game today he won’t be available when we’ll really need him later on. Regardless I respect all your opinions, just throwing out why Grady made the decisions he did, so maybe you understand them.
if hernandez comes in it just shows that grady doesn’t learn from his mistakes!
actually he already had alot of mistakes and doesn’t learn from it!
man… he is crazy!
I understand your points alex41592, but Saito hasn’t pitched in the last 2 days. This is an important game if Hernandez screws it up it might be too late for Sammy.
OH MY G>….He is bringing in Hernandez…FIRE GRADY NOW!!!!!!!!!
Grady is more of a politican and not a manager. We need someone who will walk away from the media after a bad loss, instead of giving them some sort of cute little sound byte.
I sort of disagree with those saying that it was OK to use Proctor. The Dodgers need to make a statement in this game. They need to deflate the Padres, not give them a glimmer of hope. This is the killer instinct that I’m talking about.
This is real stupidity..Hernandez shouldn’t even be on the team.
Oooooh Nooooo! Cross your fingers, and toes folks.
GRADY SHOULD BE FIRED TODAY
what’s funny, is that Grady is going to end up using so many more pitchers and tire the bullpen out before the 4 game series in Chicago.
can this be the start of a disaster?
if the 2nd hitter gets on base saito needs to be in it!
then he’ll bring Saito in in a bad position…I cannot stand Grady
got lucky there!
whew!
Look I love Vin more than any announcer in my life. But, you don’t bring Saito in when you lead by five. You just don’t. Love Vinny!
Well, he lucked out..
Well, what do you know?..Hernandez got it done..wonders never cease.
Alex stop defending ALL of grady’s moves. You can spin numbers anyway you want, grady is the worst.
And Hernandez sets them down 1-2-3! Saito is fresh and ready to go tomorrow afternoon.
It worked!!
Diehardblu, have a nice day
Alex
You also don’t bring in Hernandez who has been terrible in a game you HAVE to win…He lucked out today, but I wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him…lol
So to review:
Chad Billingsley this season vs. the Padres
3-0 19 2/3 innings 2 earned runs 29 K’s 4 walks
Looked to me like Proctor was more worried about his velocity, than his control today. He was all over the place. oh Well! A much needed win, nad a good chance to gain some ground if the Rocks pull it off against the snakes.
wow..what else is new…grady is being bashed for not bringing in saito with a 5 run lead in the 9th and a series with the cubs coming up tommorow…
You can hate grady all you want, and his moves (which should be plenty of ammo anyways), but criticizing him for not bringing in saito with a 5 run lead is ridiculous. But i guess when you hate the grady so much, you’ll find anything to nitpick.
Another player given up by Ned that has been hitting home runs for the Marlins…
Cody Ross…another mistake by Ned…
WE WIN************ I believe Grady knew what he was doing, Proctor & Hernandez have a job to do. This is why they were hired. Broxton & Saito have taken on a big load all year, we can’t expect them to be iron men. And it is still 2007, some of you people are thinking too far into the future, we are not mathematically eliminated from this race yet. Right now BROXTON is our set-up man and SAITO is our closer, the longer it remains that way the better off we are.
The young guys got it DONE. I would enjoy this more, anticipating them playing instead of the washed up veterans, if I could count that the washed up Colletti and Grady team would be gone as well. Yes, we need someone with some fire in the belly and the killer instinct to lead this team. Why can a number of us recognize guys like Gibson, Hersheiser and Girardi as good fits for the Dodgers, but not McCourt?
Frankie brought in Grady because of the ex Red Sox tie. The bottom line is that Frankie wanted to own the Red Sox and “settled” on the Dodgers after he was REJECTED by the Red Sox for ownership.
Even though I’m not a huge fan of DePodesta, it was the one move that Frankie made that actually made sense. Frankie is a reactionary when it comes to this team. DePodesta really didn’t get much of a chance, and canning your GM and Manager around the same time just makes little sense. It leaves the team without any continuity.
Let’s hope that Grady is let go this off season.
casino!
saito is a little rusty if he hasn’t pitch 2-3 games in a row!
we need a ready saito!
and he is not tired yet!
u can ask him if he is tired! he will tell u he is 100% ok!
it’s not about bashing grady!
Allright! The Rocks pulled it off beating the Snakes. We gain a FULL game in the standings.
Now lets go into the windy city, and beat up on the Cubs!!
GO DODGERS!!!!
Extra!Extra!Read all about it!
The Super Los Angeles Dodgers defeat The San Dieo Padres 5-0 right in San Diego!Super pitcher Chad Billinglsey delivers a Sandy Koufax style game, showing his true champion character!Super Manager Grady Little leaving in Chad to bat in sixth inning, showing tremendous confidence in his champion pitcher!Superhuman Rafael Furcal for his three hits and three stolen bases!Super Jonathon Broxton for his super eighth inning!Always,Superman Jeff Kent for his RBI sing and super postive presence!Also,Super Andy Laroche, who will strike fear in the other teams,following Superman Jeff Kent’s cue!Honorable mention to Super Matt Kemp and Super James Loney!Arizona and San Diego,don’t forget now, you have got to come to Dodger Stadium and play us!Scared!Worried!Nervous!I would be!When it is all said and done,It will be The Super,Mighty,Los Angeles Dodgers in First Place With The Pennant!Ain’t no stopping us now!
van!
you ask any dodger player on the team if they’re tired…they will tell you they are 100% ok as well….
not bringing in saito with a 5 run lead was not a “bad” decision in my opinion..that’s what my main point is. If grady would have brought saito in with the 5 run lead to get some work in, I would have been okay with that as well.
My point is that that leaving him out or bringing him in is not a move that would grady deserves to be bashed for. If you want to bash him for the lineups or whatever “idiotic” decisions he may make then so be it. But if you think not bringing saito in with a 5 run lead is conclusive proof that grady is the worst manager ever, or even a move that would strengthen your argument that he is “brain dead”, then you might need to dig a bit deeper and find another reason cuz that one doesn’t really cut it in my eyes.
But then again, what do i know? I’m just a fan..unlike some here that would be perfect internet GM’s or internet manager, or nintendo champions of running a team 😉
You guys are too hard on Beimel. He’s got the best sinker of any left handed reliever in baseball. With a top four of Saito,Broxton,Beimel, and Meloan I feel very confident with out bullpen right now.
That is if Grady realizes that he needs to use Meloan in the 7th inning and not Proctor! I still think Proctor is a good pitcher, but Meloan is clearly the better option.
casino…
i know what u mean…
maybe ur right alot of people here is saying anything just to attack Grady! not me!
in my opinion! saito should be there to get some action!
ur actually being so rude!
everybody here has an opinion!
what do u care if some of the people here wants to attack grady?
saito should be in this kind of games! not becoz it is a must win game but becoz we are facing a division team!
me being rude? how so? I’m just expressing my opinion, just like you are, or anyone else. If you think grady made a monumental mistake by not bringing in saito in a non-save situation, good for you. I believe otherwise and just because i’m not with the majority, doesn’t mean i need to keep quiet about it if i felt differently in an attempt to “not be rude”.
Why do i care if people want to attack grady? I don’t. I have different opinions on particular issues/topics just like anyone else.
I can spin that question around and ask you, Now, what do you care that i feel differently about certain attacks against grady? Grady has made a lot of moves in the past that were questionable, and he’s been called out on it by a lot of people on this board and rightfully so.
see u don’t care..
and if u don’t care about certain things u don’t comment on it!
u actually want to build some argument here…
don’t worry just post some interesting comments and alot of people will answer to yours post!
ur like grady! not putting ur best players on the field day in day out! instead u would love to see a washed up like a hernandez type of guy!
I picked up the game late and didn’t know FURCAl stole 3 bases. That should be a very good sign he’s ready to go 100%. I’m sure everyone is happy about that.
Joe
we can only hope that furcal can continue to hit well…
coz if furcal struggles again! i would rather see Hu in the lineup!
if what people is saying is true that Hu is a great defender i think we are not going to lose anything!
Furcal is not contributing offensively until now! i just hope he can continue contributing!
van..don’t put words into my mouth please. I take offense to you calling me rude because i don’t share your opinion. If i voice a opinion about something, that means I care about that topic, and that is why i post.
I don’t know where how you get to say “i don’t care” on my behalf or how you call me “like grady”.
I particularly don’t get how you say i’m “like grady” by not putting our best players on the field and having a washed up guy like hernandez in there to play? You have me puzzled on that one and you have me scratching my head on that one.
If you’re going to label me, or put words into my mouth, at least find proof that “i’m like grady” before arbitrarily proclaiming such. I may not agree with the saito situation with a 5 run lead, but that doesn’t make me “like grady”.
I usually read some of your posts and I agree with most of them. But im sorry, you speaking on my behalf does not is not appropriate, and i don’t know where you get your assumptions from, particulary speaking on my behalf thinking that “i don’t care”..
Please, get your facts straight before putting words into my mouth and speaking on my behalf. Otherwise, please don’t talk about me.
Van 19:
I’m glad that Furcal was showing what he’s capable of. It may be that having Hu on the team is pushing Furcal a bit to deliver his best. If so, I think that’s great.
casino
ok.. i don’t want an enemy here…
im here to talk about the dodgers and have some friends…
if i say something that badly offended u… i apologize…
messagebear
yeah! let’s hope he can continue hitting well!
van..you don’t need to apologize about anything. We don’t share the same opinions on the saito 5 run lead situation, and i wasn’t expecting everyone to agree.
no! actually i need to apologize…
im pretty much a bit judgemental…
maybe it’s becoz of yesterdays game and the way the season is going! i was really frustrated!
anyone whom i offended deserves an apology!
Go DODGERS!
Pitching Matchups for Chicago:
Monday: Loaiza vs. Zambrano
Tuesday: Penny vs. Trachsel
Wednesday: Stults vs. Lilly
Thursday: Lowe vs. Marquis
Drpdedbind: It’s easy to criticize (like you do almost constantly) but who would you have cut on 4/17/2006 rather than Cody Ross?
Looking at the pitching matchups with the Cubs, I’d say it looks like a 2 – 2 split. If we play our youngsters like our today’s lineup, we could maybe generate enough enthusiasm and fire to take three. We absolutely need to at this point, or we’re just treading water.
Just an historical perspective for a moment:
With 26 games left, we need to go 17-9 the rest of the way to match last year’s record. That’s very doable. And while that’s not as good as we hoped, and may not be good enough to make the wild card, much less win the division, we can still say that this has been a good, if underachieving, year. Remember 2 years ago, we were 62-73 at this stage of the season–with the only hope being that San Diego was an even .500 club, and maybe the division could be won with a losing record. In 2003 we had the identical 71-65 record that we enjoy now–but were 12 games behind the Giants, en route to an 85 win season that really could not be called a disappointment, because the team was not that great. This year, we have been in the mix all year long and a little hot streak would thrust us back into the middle of things–with a core that should give us huge amounts of hope for the next several years.
We’re not where we want to be this year, but I would take this year over almost all of the last 10 years.
I had to take care of matters after the game, I’ve just got back and read as much as I could of the comments. I think on this blog most of you are against management. I agree with a lot of things, I would like to say that in the off season a lot of bad moves were made, but I really can’t say whether they were poor judgement or just bad luck(Schmidt & Wolf)(as for Pierre I guess they felt they were weak in what he contributes and except for age, he’s just a newer version of Lofton). Lately I think they are trying to correct what went wrong, with the hiring of the pitchers and yes they want to go down the stretch with experience players. I think they’re also trying to mix the old & the young. I think the’re looking for a solution and I think most of you don’t agree with the way they are going about it. Sometimes I can’t forget how we shot to the post season in the last minute, last year. Personally, I would like to see how this season plays out, before I pass judgment.
i just got home from san diego and **** that game was amazing! Billingsley pitched great and Kemp and Loney really carried to day. I was surprised to see LaRoche i didn’t know he got called up until i saw him walk onto the field to stretch.
Pet Food Park isn’t that bad but nothing beats Chavez Ravine.
Bills is starting to get it now.
I thought this weekend’s series in San Diego was a success and I explain why on my blog (Words From The Park – park.mlblogs.com)
For those of you who think we’re done I beg to differ. We are only four games back, a defecit that can be made up in a week and a half. In about three and a half weeks AZ gained about ten games on us when we were going through that losing slide and they were winning almost every day. We still have all of September and trust me we are not out of it. We were up on SD by 4 games at around this time last year and they won the division. Hopefully(although doubtful) the Loaiza pickup will give us a spark… I want 3 out of 4 from the Cubs.
I didn’t read yesterday’s comments during the game. Reading them this morning, several of you sounded absolutely ridiculous toward the end of the game. I know there are those of you here that will see that Grady can do no right, and that want nothing more than for him to be fired. However, bringing in Proctor, Beimel, Hernandez with a 5-run lead is not a bad managerial move. Bringing in Broxton and Saito when they are not needed IS a bad managerial move. I know this game was a “must-win,” but from here on out EVERY game is a must win. By your logic (or lack thereof), Grady would have to bring in Broxton and Saito in every game from here on out? Or is a 6-run lead enough of a cushion to use other relievers? Although Grady used 3 pitchers in the 8th, he managed it well. He kept Proctor and Beimel on a short leash, understanding that he could not allow runs to score before he went to Broxton. Broxton got his 2 outs and shut it down. If Grady had allowed the Pads to score 3 or 4 runs before having Broxton shut it down, THAT would have been bad managing. But, if I remember right, the Dodgers got a shutout. So what are you complaining about again? Oh yeah. That Grady doesn’t use his two best relievers in every time he has any lead in September. Because that’s what EVERY REALLY GOOD MANAGER DOES – uses two pitchers out of the bullpen every day down the stretch. Got it.
exit,
Where’d you sit? I used to frequent Petco when I lived in SD. Beautiful park. But, as you said, I’d much rather be at DS.
Hobbie, I’m glad you enjoy my posts and agree with me about Grittle and the pinch runner in CF
What puppyhead01 said regarding relievers.
Also note that except for the 4-game series against the Cubs, *all* of our remaining games are against the division. We can hardly use Broxton and Saito in each of those. Or even in each of those against the two teams ahead of us.
We’re going to need the Padres or the Snakes to do us a favour and play iffily for a few games, and then we will need to go out and play real well to make up some ground against them.
We’ll see.
*big anti-whoop for Nomar still being on the team next year*
I know you guys love to complain about Pierre and I just wanted to say this…It’s not Pierre’s fault, It’s Ned Colletti’s fault for signing Pierre. Ned knew this was going to be what he got when he signed Pierre considering Pierre is right around his career numbers. Pierre hurts us in so many ways and he is better suited as a pinch runner rather then an every day outfielder, and yet Ned gave him a 5 year deal to play CF. Pierre plays hard but he can’t help he has the worst throwing arm in baseball and his bat has no power. So the next time you hear vin scully say, “And with any other CF out there they would have held him, but instead he tried to tag and score because it was Pierre who cought the ball.” think of Ned.
Nomar is, of course, signed for next year, and it seems very doubtful that we could trade him to anybody else. Unless we maintain the current management which insists on giving old veterans the first opportunity, Nomar should only see a utility role next season. In my opinion Nomar has never been fully healthy since he went down late last season, although he wouldn’t admit it. That’s the only thing that can explain the drastic drop-off in his power ratings. I wonder if even the Red Sox anticipated his reduced value when he was traded to the Cubs. It was a great half of the season that he contributed to us last year, but I look for nothing of value from him in the future other than the fan appeal that he maintains with the Dodgers.
Also agree with your “Pierre” statement totally, swood.
Ned gave Nomar a no-trade clause so whether or not he is tradable is completely moot, sadly.
Assuming that Kent doesn’t retire, we should keep Abreu as the utility infielder for next season, with Nomar as another utility option and the primary right handed pinch hitter. That would enable us to give up both Saenz and Martinez. If Marlon Anderson were available, I’d like to see him back as our lefty pinch hitter instead of Sweeney. Gonzo should be gone, probably of his own volition. Wish I knew what to do with Pierre, but we’re probably just stuck with him for at least another year. If we can get any power bat at all, I would like it to be Hunter in the FA market, and that would require some kind of change with Pierre anyway.
Waiting for the lineup announcement today – dare we hope that Grady will keep Gonzo sitting on the bench?
I think that Boston traded Nomar because (believe it or not) he was cluhouse cancer, mostly due to failed contract negotiations and the knowledge that the Sox were pursuing ARod to play SS. In 2004 he also became horrid on defense, was unhealthy for a good part of the time, and was the last one on the field during a bench clearing fight. The fans turned on him real quick. Thats why he was traded.
next year we need to get a leader. we got kemp in left, pierre in center, and eithier in right. yes pierre hasn’t done to well for us this year but hes gotten on base and with all of his steals his gotten himself in scoring position many times. if furcal can get a fully healthy ankle he will be a good help. loney at first, martin catching, and probably nomar at third. if we can get a good FA infielder he will be willing to go to play 2nd then we couldbe good. get a abreau to play back-up and a few effective vetrans to do the same. as for pitching, saito need to be the closer next year. then have broxton as the main set up man and bring in meloan for close games. thet gives you 2 or 3 mediocre guys for the mop up roles.as for the rotation, it should be topped out by penny and lowe. with billingsley and loizia in there, as for the last man, im guessing schmidt if he’ll be healthy or maybe kuo or stults if they can do it. if not we’d probably have to go out and get another vetran. all in all, in the offseason we need to get a big bat for the middle of the order than can give us decent power and drive in a lot of runs. even a 20homer guy would be fine, as long as he brings in 100or more runs