Today's game

Now that was a weekend I’d like to quickly forget…there’s nothing more that can be said on that front. Three runs in three days won’t get it done, no matter how good our pitching can be, so let’s hope we can get well soon in Cincy before returning home.

Speaking of getting well soon, our sincere thoughts go out to former Dodger coach Preston Gomez, who celebrated his birthday yesterday in the hospital following a bad car accident earlier this month. Bill Plunkett, who used to cover the Dodgers for the OC Register and now covers the Angels, posted a blog about Preston yesterday with an update on his condition.

Furcal, SS

Martin, C

Nomar, 3B

Kent, 2B

Ethier, LF

Kemp, RF

Loney, 1B

Jones, CF

Penny, P

 

224 comments

  1. carcyn@sbcglobal.net

    What the heck is this lineup, Nomar batting third.
    This is really emabarassing. Kemp, Loney, and 18 million at the bottom of this lineup.
    What in earth are we trying to stir up here.
    I can’t bare to watch.
    I just hope that the guys in the bottom of the lineup produce.

  2. dodge1612

    this has to be a joke… nomore batting three while two of our best if not our best hittier are six and seven… good lord… fire them all. noone knows what they are doing. nomore deserves a benching for his whole life. just pathetic.

  3. scurtis1999

    Lineup is fine with me. Anything to get this damn offense going. I have a gut feeling we will come out of it in Cincy. It always seems like the Dodgers hit well there.

    GO BLUE!

  4. tbooklv@aol.com

    It’s like Joe is picking names out of a hat to set the line-up. Maybe its part of the big picture….I don’t know…I just want to fast forward to the all-star break and maybe have a set lineup….frustrating

  5. j-murray

    this lineup can’t produce much less than what it did yesterday. come on, dodgers. snap the hell out of it.

  6. oldbrooklynfan

    The question is not, What did we Lose?
    But What did we gain?
    Did this young ballclub learn anything over this dreadful weekend?
    Do they know where their problems lie?
    GO DODGERS!!!

  7. aeversw

    wow…this will kill our running game with Nomas batting 3rd. Same way it killed it last year with Pierre batting second. Nomas is not patient enough to bat 3rd or anywhere in the top of the lineup. Plus he hardly had no spring training and he gets the 3rd spot over a guy who had a 15 game hitting streak.

  8. dodger 32

    Lets bat a guy batting 100 third. This has to be a joke right? I Thought Grady was gone, when did he come back? Lets bat Olmedo 4th, oh that’s right we already did that last year and he’s not here anymore. Too bad Nomore is still here. Play Dewitt.

  9. jspelk2@uic.edu

    I think we may set a major league record for most consecutive different lineups in a season. This aint spring training anymore JOe.

  10. maliceinthepalace

    Unbelievable… Obviously Torre is still “getting to know the team.” FYI Joe: Nomar batted 3rd for the first 65 games last year.
    Results: in 260 at bats he collected 13 extra base hits (1 HR). A slugging % of .335.

  11. brandondaughrity@hotmail.com

    Let’s just put it this way….. Nothing else so far has worked!! It looks crazy, but who knows! I’m all for trying anything at this point.

  12. jspelk2@uic.edu

    18 million hitting 8th and 9 million on the bench and another 15 on the DL. Bet you’re proud Ned.

  13. old_fogey_la@yahoo.com

    Jon Weisman of Dodger Thoughts points out that Andruw Jones is actually the teams hottest hitter over the past week, based on OPS; his OBP is .435, second on the team behind Furcal, with a SLG% of .684. (BA is .316.) So, sure, #8 now makes sense.
    .
    Meanwhile, the guy who should still be on a rehab assignment with his healing hand is put into the #3 spot, which is simply preposterous.
    .
    I blame the wacky spring training schedule; that is not the time for barnstorming.

  14. gaddeus@gmail.com

    I’m sure I’m not the first one to mention it but I can’t help but wonder how much of the blame for our struggles offensively can be placed on Torre’s inconsistency with the lineup. Guys have no idea where they will be hitting on any given day or if they’ll be in the lineup at all.

    We’re not even 20 games into the season and I bet we’ve used 15 different lineups.

    Joe, how can you expect the players to perform consistently if you don’t do the same?

  15. dodgrdad14

    I don’t think the line up shuffle is as bad as some of you, I do however think Joe is a freaking moron for putting worthless in the 3 hole, the only place he is worth a crap is cleaning the seed shells and moping up the spit on the dugout floor!!! PLAY DEWITT

  16. jaxkat@yahoo.com

    Dear Dodger Fans,
    We know a thing or two more than any of you about leadership, consistency and integrity.
    Signed,
    The Titanic, Enron, and Marge Schott

  17. charris1010321@yahoo.com

    The elusive max power has graced us with his presence, what’s up buddy, where have all of your witty posts been?

  18. ladodgrs1

    Did we bring Grady Little back and no one told me? What the heck is this? Nomar third! Loney and Jones 7th and 8th! I am beside myself. Why even play Nomar? DeWitt was doing just fine out there. Can’t we just stick with a set lineup and let these guys get comfortable. At least Willie Mays Hayes isn’t playing.

  19. scott_in_arcadia

    Pretty soon the local sheriff is going to rip that Joe Torre mask off Grady only to hear tell us that he would’ve gotten away with it if it weren’t for those meddling kids and their dog.

  20. carcyn@sbcglobal.net

    I don’t even think Grady Little would of put a lineup like this.
    I have to agree with some one else that said we are pulling names out of a hat.

  21. old_fogey_la@yahoo.com

    Today is game 19. Counting pitchers as all identical, only one batter order has been used as often as twice (17 orders in 18 games); I’m sure many would have a complaint about one particular spot:
    .
    1. Furcal
    2. Pierre
    3. Ethier
    4. Kent
    5. Loney
    6. Martin
    7. Jones
    8. DeWitt
    9. Pitcher
    .
    For the twp league W-L leaders, Arizona has used 13 batting orders in 18 games, Boston 15 in 20. (Of course, with a DH, an AL time might be expected to have more.)

  22. jaxkat@yahoo.com

    Scott, that must be true! The only way all this makes sense if this is a haunted house and Ned, Frank and Joe drive the Mystery Machine!

  23. swood@rcn.com

    WTF? NOMORE hitting 3rd???? Where did this come from. Torre took a page right out of the Grady handbook. Damnnit, how many managers do we have to go through before we can get a decent lineup.

  24. eslabels

    Thanks Scott! Spent many happy times in Das Boot. Sad to see it go the way of the dinosaur – kinda like the Dodgers.

    I only have one thing to say about tonights line-up:

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

    Has there ever been a team with 162 different line-ups? If Joe is going to waste the 2008 season on spring training, why not play all the kids and let them get a solid year of AAAA baseball under their belts??

  25. scott_in_arcadia

    Nomar had a nice little run 2 years ago, almost reminiscent of his Red Sox days, but his time has run out I’m afraid. Time to hang ’em up, Nomar. Go hang out with Mike Greenwell, Robbie Alomar, Shawn Green, Juan Gonzalez and other guys whose careers came crashing to a halt.

  26. dodgrdad14

    Scott,
    I am surprised Colitis doesn’t sign Green, Alomar and Gonzalez to “bridge” the gap to the youngsters!!

  27. dodgrdad14

    jhall,
    I was actually going to look for some new gear to buy (sweatshirt, hat, etc…) but Frank can forget it as long as line ups like this keep coming out of Joe’s backside!!

  28. scott_in_arcadia

    enchanted,

    I’ll be going to Northwoods next month sometime, so I’ll check on the status of “the boat”.

    We ought to have Penny batting 3rd and Nomar 9th. FYI Joe: this isn’t the Nomar of 10 years ago! Why don’t you give your buddy Bernie Willams a call, or Scott Brosius?

  29. eslabels

    You’d think Nomore’s first three games at third would’ve convinced ANYONE that he can’t play the position. Odds on him costing us a run or two tonight, even money, maybe better.

  30. jhallwally

    Kind of funny, a few years back at Dodgertown I was wearing my Brooklyn hat and T-shirt when I ran into Ralph Branca. He signed my hat and a ball. It was kind of funny that I chose the Brooklyn gear that day. Branca’s a nice fella’.

  31. dodgrdad14

    If you think about it jhall, a Dodger t-shirt is $30 a regular t-shirt is $8. A Dodgers sweatshirt is $60, a regular sweatshirt is $20.
    Marlins Payroll – 18mil
    Dodgers payroll – 100 mil+
    Conclusion…..same product, just priced to make you think it is better…..

  32. eslabels

    This is actually becomming amusing now. I envision Frank outside the stadium like a sideshow barker, “Step right up, come see our freaks and geeks, guaranteed to amaze and frighten you.”

  33. kssssss

    Remember what I said a bit ago….PROCTOR, SCHMIDT, JONES ,LOIAZA, NOMAR, ETC. ETC….This team maybe could finish 4th if we’re lucky….We don’t have the pitching, we don’t have the offense, and we surely don’t have middle relief….Everytime Proctor comes out to pitch to more than one batter I cringe….a terrible pick up and I said it at the time…DeWitt should be in instead of Nomar…we should play all the kids and let them learn for another year and see where we are….because we can’t get anywhere the way we’re doing it….at least we can see what we have if all the young players play…I know they have to play Andruw because Ned wasted $18mil on him this year…..

    And to end all of this….Until the Dodgers hire management with a plan, that knows how to build a good team, the Dodgers will be mired in mediocrity….sorry to say….They’ve been really unwatchable lately…..I really don’t see how they can catch up especially in our division…looks to me like another wasted year…it’s sad….Ever notice how the Dodgers make the biggest splash in the offseason and get alot of publicity….AND IT NEVER WORKS OUT…..If we were allowed to get really bad, maybe we could get a couple of #1 picks like the DBacks did for those years and picked up S. Drew and Justin Upton…( no one talks about how young he is…at 20)….He learns quicker than Kemp I guess….but then they let him play….Sorry Dodger fans…..it makes me sad…

    GO LAKERS.!!!

  34. randyisrad

    Dropped to 8th…when does Jones get dropped out of starting? Here’s the line up I like

    1. Furcal SS
    2. Nomar 3B
    3. Loney 1B
    4. Kent 2B
    5. Ethier RF
    6. Martin C
    7. Kemp CF
    8. Pitcher (working in St. Luis and Milw.)
    9. Peire LF

  35. scott_in_arcadia

    “randyisrad”

    almost sound like a line from “Valley Girl”…

    Uh, like someone said earlier, Jones is hitting .316 over the last week and slugging, so the stupe you have batting 2nd needs to get the ax more. Also, anyone that you think is worse than a pitcher batting, needs to go.

    3B – DeWhitt/LaRoche

    LF – Ethier

    RF – Kemp

    CF – Jones ( for now, and batting 7th)

  36. jhallwally

    Step right this way folks,
    For one thin C-note, one tenth of a G,
    See the futile Dodgers,
    they walk, they talk, they crawl on their belly like reptiles!!!

  37. oldbrooklynfan

    We score in the top of the first on Furcal HR
    Well that’s a good start.
    I hope that’s not all there is.

  38. old_fogey_la@yahoo.com

    Was that much of a “liner” by Nomar? Didn’t advance the runner but was hit to the right side.
    .
    There’s your run Penny, now make it stand up.

  39. imthedude

    wow. Russ at 2nd with no outs, and we can’t even get him over to 3rd?

    Why isn’t Ethier batting 3rd, Loney 5th and Nomar 7th?

    At least give us a chance Joe.

  40. maliceinthepalace

    Ned’s only source of info must be a wrinkled baseball almanac from 2001. Most of his acquisitions had good years in 2001.
    He obviously can’t judge talent and should be working in the spin room of the Dodgers PR dept.
    Hire Logan White.

  41. kssssss

    Doesn’t Kemp make adjustments?…I love this guy, but that at bat was as bad as I’ve ever seen…especially with what’s been going on with this team…..he must know they’re trying to pitch him down and away….doesn’t he?…..and he gives 3 weak swings on the same pitch…It was awful…..nobody moves guys up…..It’s really hard to watch..

  42. old_fogey_la@yahoo.com

    scurtis1999@yahoo.com wrote on April 21, 2008 4:20 PM, ”
    GO BACK TO AAA KEMP!
    That was pathetic”
    .
    Be careful what you wish for; if they do that, I guarantee we’ll be getting a heavy dose of JP in LF.

  43. imthedude

    I feel bad for Kemp. Its hard to stay sharp sitting every other day.

    It’s not hard.

    Furcal
    Martin
    Ethier
    Kent
    Loney
    Kemp
    Jones
    Nomar/Dewitt

    Stop platooning Kemp/Pierre. Platoon Jones/Pierre. Switch Kemp to CF when you need to rest Jones.

    Once Jones and Nomar return to their form deserving to bat 3rd/4th/5th, then fine. Until then, how about batting the good bats together?

  44. northstateblues

    I don’t have the game on TV, was Kemp’s at-bat that terrible? 3 pitch strikeout on 3 breaking balls, evokes memories of Pedro Cerrano.

  45. old_fogey_la@yahoo.com

    A hit with RISP, two outs, but the run can’t score! I get it, the Dodgers are going for all-out farce now.

  46. imthedude

    I’ll say it…thanks Nomar.

    But I’d still prefer seeing Ethier bat 3rd, Loney 5th and Nomar 7th.

    Let’s go Dodgers!!

  47. tbooklv@aol.com

    I had the KABC feed from mlb.com and it came on late—so i switched to the local radio feed—it sounded like mlb.com was having technically difficulties—BTW can anyone confirm that the dodgers are actually in cincinnati tonight? 5 runs in 3 innings??

  48. scurtis1999

    Nice job Ethier, Kemp and Loney.

    They need to stop hit and running with Loney on too lol When the hitters don’t hit it, Loney is a dead man at 2nd

  49. old_fogey_la@yahoo.com

    Did they hit and run with Penny or was that a strike-’em-out, throw-’em-out with Jones? Stupid either way, Joe getting greedy.
    .
    (I always Loney running means Loney was sent.)

  50. tbooklv@aol.com

    it sounded like it was a hit and run and penny missed…Monday and Reuss were talking about it….not a bad idea up 5-0…cant go crazy about that

  51. eslabels

    Boy its really feast or famine with these guys. Nice to see the kids swinging the sticks tonite, especially Marty.

  52. oldbrooklynfan

    KEMPS 5th RBI in case anybody wanted to know.
    Well we didn’t have any trouble with Matt Belisle.

  53. oldbrooklynfan

    MLB-TV has gone to sleep here, well no use losing mt temper with a 7-0 lead.
    Maybe they think we had enough.

  54. old_fogey_la@yahoo.com

    joe pierre, it’s 7-1 through 5 now. Back to back doubles to score one, but Penny stranded the second guy, comebacker, K, K, to end the inning. But 92 pitches through 5.

  55. old_fogey_la@yahoo.com

    Dusty brought in the awful Josh Fogg, who was going to start this game before he got yanked from the rotation for stinking games up so bad. He hit Russell Martin with a pitch and Nomar took him deep.
    .
    Every silver lining has a cloud; how many more days do we have to see Nomar hitting 3 now?

  56. messagebear

    Big Boog, Fat Andruw, the Curacao Kaka – you can call me anything you want, but I get $18 million a year no matter what I do.

  57. oldbrooklynfan

    I think they should get somebody up in the pen if Park comes back in for the 8th.
    They should play this like a close game.
    We can’t afford to lose and we got a good shot at winning this one.

  58. eslabels

    I know, you can’t tell the players without a scorecard:

    Nomar aka Nomore aka Mr. Hamm aka Moai

    Jones aka Boog

    JP – ah why bother, call him whatever you want.

    Same goes for Ned.

    Sweeney – Sultan of Sit.

    bear – I really like the Curacao Kaka. LMAO

  59. imthedude

    I am DVR-ing the game on Extra Innings…just saw Nomar’s HR.

    Once again, I’ll own up and say thanks. But still, Ethier 3rd, Loney 5th, Nomar 7th. Maybe Nomar 8th, so he can “protect” Jones at 7th. hahahaha.

  60. old_fogey_la@yahoo.com

    Let the pen rest. Dusty has thrown in the towel, pulling Griffey who would have led off the next inning against Chan Ho! I hope Park (who really has about nothing left) can finish this game, or at least go two.

  61. imthedude

    Park > Loaiza.

    CHP has his moments, I wouldn’t say he’s got nothing left. And he’s much cheaper than Loaiza.

  62. jhallwally

    Bloaiza has pitched well out of the bullpen. Credit where credit is due. Chan is settling down and getting it done.

  63. old_fogey_la@yahoo.com

    I think Chan Ho was awful in AAA last year for a reason. 135+ IP, 27 HR allowed, 5.97 ERA. This year he looks too straight and not fast enough.
    .
    But these GIDPs are helping him a lot!

  64. oldbrooklynfan

    ONE GAME IS NOT ENOUGH, we have to sweep.
    We can’t afford a split.
    We go home to face the big team and then the Rockies
    We must go home with the 9 WINS.

  65. old_fogey_la@yahoo.com

    jhall – you mean Wo-Ho ! Chan Ho with the 3 IP, 2 bases-empty ROCKETS, spotted eight-run lead, save, the FIRST save of his career!

  66. old_fogey_la@yahoo.com

    I’m with you jhall; Chan Ho is only for this large run difference situations. He did his job, kept the lead big enough and saved the rest of the pen.

  67. jhallwally

    Yep, he’s a mop up guy. Procto is like Seanz, good for 1 or 2 batters at best. Try to extend him and he goes to pieces..

  68. old_fogey_la@yahoo.com

    Dave Stewart has the last Dodger save that was 3 or more IP and 2 or more runs allowed, back on 10/2/1982; he went 4 and allowed 2 in a 15-2 blow out of the Giants, which eliminated them. That was the day before SF returned the favor with the infamous Joe Morgan HR off Terry Forster, which eliminated LA on the last day – a win meant a playoff with Atlanta for the NL West.

  69. old_fogey_la@yahoo.com

    In this game from 2006:
    http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN200606230.shtml
    .
    Jae Seo came into a 7-0 game to start the sixth and finished out the last four innings, yielding four runs in an eventual 10-4 Dodger win. The official chose NOT to record a save for Seo because, in his opinion, he did not meet the “effective” part of this criterion: “He pitches effectively for at least three innings.”

  70. ndeschenes@securenet.net

    Super 9-3 Victory by our Beloved L.A. Dodgers over the Cincinnati Reds! Hard Work, Patience and Faith will catapult This Dodger Team to its’ Seventh World Series Championship on the 50th Anniversary in Los Angeles!

  71. leekfink

    JOSH–CAN YOU GET THIS DAMN BOARD TO WORK???? I JUST LOST A MESSAGE BECAUSE THERE IS SOME GLITCH. THIS NEW FORMAT SUCKS!

  72. leekfink

    Nice call Scurtis. You weren’t dead-on, but you were close.
    .
    tbooklv@aol.com on April 21, 2008 2:24 PM:
    “It’s like Joe is picking names out of a hat to set the line-up. Maybe its part of the big picture….”
    .
    Funny. Billy Martin did that in 1977 when the Yankees were struggling, and they caught fire.
    .
    Anyone seem to notice that Loney is pulling the ball a lot more. The infield has even set up the Ted Williams shift on him, which is odd because he is really good at going the other way. He’s struggling a bit right now (I love when you can calll a .292 hitter struggling, but it’s true for him), and wonder if that’s part of the problem. Anyway, I don’t doubt that he will turn it around very soon.
    .
    Hopefully Joe noticed Kemp’s 2 doubles, not the 3 Ks. Kemp looked bad on those strikeouts. He still needs to learn patience. He’s going to be a force (actually, he already is, it’s just scary what he’ll be able to do when he gets just a little more patience).
    .
    Torre apparently said that this is the hardest team he’s ever hd in terms of figuring out a line-up. That’s insane. It’s not hard to figure the right 8 guys to be playing (some disagree about Nomar, but you have to give him the chance to show if he can still play at the level he’s expected to). The rest is figuring out who amongst Kemp, Loney, and Ethier should hit 3, 5, and 6 (arguably, one of them could hit 4th, but I’ll let Jeff Kent have that role as long as he is knocking the ball pretty good, as he is).
    .
    I do admit this team is frustrating. I don’t understand how they are so feast or famine. 11 runs, 1 run, 4 runs, 11 runs, 8 runs, 1 run, 1 run, 1 run, 9 runs. They just need to put it all together everyday.

  73. messagebear

    I agree with the shortcomings of this blog format, leekfink. Didn’t used to be this way, but too often the page times out, and you have to start over again. Anytime I’m going to have more than a few sentences, I make sure I keep copying my post several times in progress, so that I’m ready to paste it back in rather than lose the whole content time and again.

  74. eslabels

    That’s weird guys – mine never times out, and I haven’t had to sign in since the new format started. BUT both the load and address bars flash constantly. If I had epilepsy I’d be going into seizures all the time. Plus there’s always like 500-1000 items remaining to download everytime. Then when you do hit submit, it takes several seconds to accept it. That must me happening to a lot of people – we see quite a few double posts.

  75. scott_in_arcadia

    Well, good job by the boys last night. Nomar proved he has at least one game left in the tank, so my apologies.

    Now, since the team seemed to have some rhythm last night, let’s keep the lineup the same for once instead of trying to slip Slappy in there and f the whole thing up.

  76. rlglynn

    I like the new format. I’ve not had to sign in and have not had anything to time out on me. I’ve even started typing a comment and go back 30 minutes later to finish it with no problems.
    No flashing of load or address bars. I like this better than the old format. Got a little mad last eve when MLB.TV cut out for a few minutes. Finally had to start over to get back on.

    We’ll go for 2nd in a row tonight.

  77. perumike

    I am watching ESPN First Take and they were talking about the Dodgers’ early struggles. One of the guests quoted a baseball scout who said that if the Dodgers are willing to bench Slappy, they should bench Andruw as well. The scout also said that MATT KEMP SHOULD PLAY EVERYDAY!

  78. scott_in_arcadia

    Torre talks of Kemp as if he’s a platoon player, justifying playing him yesterday because Cincy is good for home runs.

    Is is good for guys who hit .342 as well?

  79. perumike

    Until either one of them gets it going, Jones and Pierre need to platoon, with Jones getting more time in the field because he is the better fielder of the two.

  80. scott_in_arcadia

    Right, perumike. they can be interchanged for now in the 8th spot without screwing up the daily lineup too much.

  81. messagebear

    There was an article in the LA Times about Hu and how it’s difficult to adjust to a utility role for a young player. That reminded me of DY – what kind of an adjustment does he have to make. Seems to me that while Andruw isn’t hitting worth a Schidt and Pierre is getting platooned, now would be a great time to get DY into the outfield for a series or two to see what he can do on a steady basis. Of course, that might be too much for Torre to contend with. But if not, why do we carry DY on the team at all?

  82. rlglynn

    It seems every time we let a player go or trade him, he always does better with the new team. Different strokes for us. We get a player doing bad and then he does even worse with us.

    We need to play Matt Kemp every day without fail. This is a guy capable of 30 home runs and 80 to 100 RBI’S if played every game. He will get his strikeouts down if the Management leaves him in long enough. He’s as good or better hitter than Loney and Loney plays everyday. What does it take to open Torre’s eyes.

  83. rlglynn

    We can’t send DY back to the Minors or he’s gone. We don’t want to trade him as he’s proved he can hit. Hello, Management, Time to trade Pierre no matter what we lose in salary. We’re paying him every day to not produce for us. Might as well be on another team and let Dy and Kemp platoon.

  84. messagebear

    Wish we could send Pierre to Japan – maybe they like speed; I’d even take some sushi for Pierre, and I’m not fond of sushi. It’s got to be better than Pierre, no?

  85. messagebear

    That’s my point about DY – we obviously think enough of him that we don’t want to risk losing him, but we never let him play while we play an OF who doesn’t hit a lick or another one who never hits anything hard enough.

  86. dodgereric

    Pierre needs to go to someone who needs a leadoff hitter, pure and simple. Granted that his OBP isn’t good for that slot, but where else does he fit? We don’t need him here, as Furcal is so much better.

    Regarding the new format, I haven’t had any trouble with it and like enchanted, I like that I don’t have to sign in. I think it would be nice if you could have the opportunity to deselect the archives download. I think that would take care of some of the problems.

    randyisrad asked about Park getting the save last night. He went 3 innings. The save is a bastardized stat anymore. It doesn’t have much meaning when you come in with a 3 run lead and qualify.

    PLAY MATT KEMP EVERY DAY!

  87. eslabels

    Not that I’m harboring much hope anyway, but there’s no hope of Boog turning it around while batting 8th with absolutely no protection behind him in the order.

    Time to play GM… Question: what happens if this IS the best we’re going to get out of Jones?

    (A) Play him regardless
    (B) Bench him indefinately
    (C) Try and trade him
    (D) Release him outright

    Repko’s now struggling at Vegas hitting .222. Xavier Paul’s hitting .190. You’ve got JP and DY on the bench. What do you do?

  88. scott_in_arcadia

    I would like to see what DY could do, but I’m just a moron that thinks Kemp should play every day over a singles slap hitter with no arm.

  89. leekfink

    I like not having to constantly sign-in again, but it sometimes randomly navigates away, and if I am posting, I lose my post.
    .
    I hear what people are saying about Pee-Wee Young, but it makes sense for him to play in the role he does now. First off, Joe can’t quite figure out the basic concept that you play your three best outfileders (Kemp, Ethier, Jones, in that order) everyday. So don’t try to burden him by getting DY into the rotation.
    .
    Also, DY might be trade bait at the deadline. But if Matt Kemp were to run into the right-field wall again, or Ethier to injure his shoulder again, we want that depth, because he would see a lot of playing time. Also, you could see him getting playing time at second base if Jeff Kent were to go down (Hu might get all the starts, and defensively is obviously much better, but right now Hu is the only thing close to a utility infielder that we have).
    .
    There is another key point to keeping DY around–we don’t have a lot of good prospects (Kemp and Ethier are NOT prospects–they are good young major leaguers, possibly on the verge of greatness) in the outfield. Check out the organizational depth chart at True Blue LA http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/970/bigboard.htm.
    .
    Repko is good, and maybe can be an everyday centerfielder, but even setting aside that his style of play is injury-prone, the thinking is that he is probably a 4th or 5th outfielder at the major league level. Xavier Paul, maybe. George Lombard is a 32-year old journeyman, mostly a career minor leaguer.
    .
    At the lower levels, I don’t see any names that stand out. Obviously, between Hu, Abreu, LaRoche, DeWitt, Ivan DeJesus, and Preston Mattingly, there are some infielders that we are big on, and Lucas May is a catcher that seems promising, but who is foreclosed by our All-Star, Silver Slugger, Gold Glove future Captain. And there are a bunch of pitchers (Miller, Stults Meloan, McDonald, and some lefty whose name is something like Kershawfax or something). But I don’t know if we have a lot of outfield prospects coming up, so DY is a good guy to hang on to. In 2 years, we have to decide whether to re-sign Andruw Jones, play a 31-year old Pierre every day, sign someone new, or give the job to someone in the organization. Right now, Young is the insurance policy for that situation.

  90. eslabels

    Dang it scott, I’m still bummed out about the boat. Aren’t too many of the old landmarks left anymore. Don’t get back to LA very often, but was able to make a “boat trip” 2-3 years ago.

  91. scott_in_arcadia

    enchanted,

    It seemed to say that “the boat” was being moved to where the steak n stein used to be and improved somehow. I will check it out. We shall see…

  92. leekfink

    Enchanted–That’s a VERY interesting question. Obviously, Ned, Torre, and frankly most people don’t think that this really is the best we’re going to get from Andruw Jones.
    .
    The clear answer is that we would try to trade him, assuming that other organizations will think (as we do) he will play better at some point soon.
    .
    I think that the real answer is that he starts platooning (with Pierre and DY) with the hope that Kemp learns about playing centerfield from him, as Jones is still a high quality defender. If DY lights it up, he can possibly take the job, otherwise, it eventually shifts back to Pierre playing Left, Ethier in right, and Kemp in center.
    .
    Fortunately, I think he’ll do better than he is doing now.

  93. scott_in_arcadia

    I have to hold out hope that Jones is still a better option than Slappy or I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue.

  94. dodgrdad14

    You picked the right week Scott, Jones is still a better option than Slappy. Even the glue won’t make Slappy a major leaguer…. Oh wait a minute he is a major leaguer isn’t he…. I just thought from the looks of him he was a little leaguer!!! 🙂

  95. eslabels

    Just won’t be the same though scott unless its the exact same boat (grease and all!!)

    Tough spot when your $18 mil OF is doing squat. Only OF prospect I’ve heard mentioned on this blog is Lambo, and he’s in low A ball. At best, he’s three years away. This is where I thnk we need to dump old-timers Kent and Lowe (if we’re completely out of the race by the deadline) and load up on some minor league OFers, from A to AAA.

    Outside the box, move LaRoche/DeWitt/Loney to the OF. Honestly though, given the choices currently available, I give DY a few starts, but I’m afraid to say I’d almost have to play Jones full time. I just can’t stand seeing JP trying to do anything.

    Trigger simply needs to go period. Taking ABs away from Kemp is completely unacceptable, his “defense” for any of the three is worse than zero, and as long as he’s around, Torre’s going to play him. Right now I’ve got him 20AB 0R 5H 2RBI 1BB in those ABs for Kemp. Of course, JP does have more RBIs than Boog, but that ain’t sayin’ much.

  96. jungar@wsgcorp.com

    We just need wins. I just don’t know if this team has enough talent at the right time in their respective careers to mesh together to win. We will see I guess. I am just not sure why a set line up is so hard and how a guy can go from 8 hole to clean up or bench to 3 hole. I am unimpressed so far with everything I see and I am bummed. Trying to just hang in there and not get to high or to low. It seems Torre is giving himself till end of May to know what he has and then I hope to see some roster shake ups if were not playing better.

  97. dodgrdad14

    I am with you Jungar, it almost feels like this year is a wash already. I have no expectations and Think there was a reason Joe went to the american league to manage. Time will tell and I just hope the young guys get a chance to play and learn so we have a hope for the future.

  98. eslabels

    Think with Joe what it boils down to is, is Torre an insane genius and this team rises from the ashes in June? or did Frank and Furter (Ned’s a weenie) fleece themselves again?

  99. messagebear

    Tony Jackson just posted tonight’s lineup – same as yesterday, except that Andruw sits and Pierre bats eighth. Assuming that Kemp will be in CF.

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