Tonight's game

No Ethier tonight? Why rest him when the Dodgers are off tomorrow?

And Josh, why didn't you answer my questions from yesterday about the Beimel bobblehead?

I hope I'm wrong, but with Nomore and Pierre in the line up that's 2 easy outs. I'd rather they keep playing Dewitt. At least until Andy comes back. Anyway lets see if they can take 2 out of 3 from the Pirates.

What a joke. Nomar...

I see a series going down the drain with two automatic outs in the line up....

Pierre and Nomar!!?! C'mon! That's like 3 pitcher spots in a row! Old Players Just get older. Play the Kids, they'll only get better and better

I bet you 1,000,000.00$$ bucks Nomar swings at the first pitch he sees this year...

You know what man, I really like Troncoso for some reason (sucker for sinker ballers) but DeWitt has done such a respectable job I wouldn't mind seeing him in Vegas better than "The Solution™"

Ugggggggggggggggggggggghh!!!!!!

Why does Torre have to mess with a lineup that won bigtime last night? This constant lineup shuffling is getting to be more than RIDICULOUS. The only thing worse is Joe's "reasons" for doing it! The fact is he'll do anything to get Pierre in the lineup, and this will continue until Colletti does what other GMs would have done months ago - trade Pierre. I thought Little was bad, but Torre is far worse. Players can't relax and play their best with this kind of mindless management. Joe is a nightmare and is probably Colletti's revenge on the fans clamoring to fire Little.

I couldn't take that bet bluebleeder, we all know he is going to "HACK" at the first pitch he sees.

I had a sneaking suspicion Nomar would find his name in the lineup tonight. Especially when they didn't send him off for another rehab game. Nomar has my support, but it's going to take a lot to match how solid overall DeWitt has been. We're facing Paul Maholm and Torre is batting Pierre eighth. Things could be worse. I once again expect good things tonight from everybody including Nomar.

Well, like someone said earlier, the sooner Nomore is back, the sooner he will be back on the DL. Thank god he is gone after this year. We'll still have Herpierres though. You can't get rid of it. LOL

If Nomar is the Nomar from 06 I can deal with it. But I can't imagine him getting better 2 years later. The best is behind him I am afraid and we are going to have to sit and watch him kill rallys with his first pitch hack. And block the development of Dewitt and/or Laroach. Either way it sucks.

They should put Joe on once daily Valtrex so we don't get Herpierres outbreaks as often.

This line-up, compared to yesterday, is very depressing. It's bad enough Ethier is out of the game, but DeWitt too. Both of them are doing so well. I understand they may need the day off(which we know they don't), but not when there is a travel day off tomorrow. Here I go again, hoping a Dodger does poorly so the right players will get in the game. This is so frustrating, but I will do my best not to have negative thoughts. All in all, I want the Dodgers to win, and that should be the most important thing - let's get 2 out of 3. Go Dodger Blue!!!!

I have to second alex here-- sure I'd rather see DeWitt in there but I don't really believe he will do a demonstrably better job, unlike the Pierre vs. anyone comparison. At least the lineup is in the right order with Nomar and JP at the bottom. I too wonder if Nomar will hack at that first pitch, my guess is yes. Redfox, not meaning any personal offense, but your posts are always soo bitter. Joe is by no means worse than Grady, and even if he was, you couldnt tell after 2 weeks of play. Also, i am not going to look this up myself but it would be great if someone did, i am very interested to see what the correlation is between having a consistent lineup and actually winning. People make a really big deal about the "constant lineup shuffling" and it must "mess with the players head-- all the scary unknown variables", but I'd like to see the data on that, because i have a feeling one would find that there is in fact very little correlation between winning pct% and lineup consistency--- please prove me wrong and I will shutup.

Go Dodgers.. I feel a great game from Penny and a jack from Nomar, Jones, and Kemp.

jhall, how can you be sure that Nomar will be gone after this year? Judging was his past blunders, Ned may just resign him again.

Is it so important to play Pierre ,and Nomore? Eithier and Kemp and Dewitt should play everyday. Tommorrow is an off day, if Ethier is tired he can rest then.

Who was sent down? DeWitt or a pitcher?

I wish I could be as optomistic as you dnelson. I want to be, I just think back to last year and Nomore blocked Loney for 2 or 3 months, and now he is going to do it again. This isn't spring training any more and we can't have a "competition" for 3rd base.

They should send Hu down and just let Dewitt, Nomar if they must, fill in at second...

Hell, Dyoung can play second well enough as we all saw this spring

I am praying RedFox, but given Ned's penchant for stupid deals, you may be right. I will be sick if Nomore is resigned.

scurtis, Torre is going to make his decision before BP.

Well considering we have after tomorrow's off day a ten game stretch without a day off, giving Ethier tonight off is actually a very smart move. Look at the big picture, not just tonight when decisions are made. I like most of you would love to play the same lineup every game. That's just not possible.

sorry after bp

Thanks.

I am tired of Nomore and him getting the nod over more talented players because of his good years way back when in Boston. It is absurd. He is washed up!!!! LaRoche and DeWitt at least have an upside, all Nomore has is a downside.

Ewk,
No one can have a "set" line up every night. But you can have a starting line up. We don't know who is the starting RF, LF or 3rd base. And Torre is not going to come out and say it either. That is what is frustrating and I am sure the players would like to know what is going on. Which I am sure would make a difference in their minds and pschye (not sure that is spelled right).

Let's just hope Torre continues to phase out the Veterans. He has to give them a shot to fail and thats because of our GM not having the stones (and the brains in the first place to sign these guys) to do something about it.

I guess it could be worse, I could have herpes. LOL

Hey guys, anyone know that website "Promote Logan White. A brighter future is within reach" is? I tried searching it on google but can't find it anywhere. Anyways, that Petition needs to be recirculated. Ned needs to go!

Thunderbolt, Ned will be gone. Unless Frank doesn't care about wasted millions of dollars because of Nedsters Moronic moves.

I disagree JNV-- he has said it. Kemp is the starting RF and Ethier is the starting LF. Third base is complicated but that is thefault of those freak injuries and not Joe's... No one can predict right now, but i would be willing to bet that by the end of the season Andre and Kemp have at least 200 more PA than JP... Only time will tell on that one though....

It would be a tough job for Joe to look DeWitt in the eyes and send him down, but he needs to play everyday and so does Hu (IMO) for that matter.

Hey Joe, April Fool's Day was over two weeks ago. This is not funny.

Nomore in the lineup tonight isn't so bad. He'll probably get off to a good start ... for a month or so.

It's three months from now when Joe Tory still has him in the lineup even though he's hit .240 with 4 homers over the last two months.

4 homers MLKemp, you are an eternal optimist. LOL

Ewk,
If Joe has said outright that Kemp and Either are the starters than I missed it. And as far as 3rd base is considered, I would say we have a damn good and promising 3rd baseman in Dewitt.

I guess Joe does have to see what Nomore Garciapierre has left in the tank.

jnv, Ned needs to go sooner than that. Even though the Dodgers were on that bad skid earlier this season, I actually took some delight in it. It made me think, "See Ned, Look at your work! Look at how your over-priced, over-the-hill veterans are producing! Do you see what's happening Frank!" Meanwhile, Logan White, smirks, and thinks, "I told you so"

And I hope you are right about the PA's I dont' think most of us could stand seeing Pierre get more AB's than Kemp or EIther.

What is/ar the difference(s) between Nomore and a Nomore bobblehead?

Thunderbolt, you are right he does need to go, and I hope it is as soon as Logan White can yes to the job!! If Logan White is not the replacement than I am not sure I would like to see another warm body from another club that Frank looks up to come over here and decimate our farm system that Logan has developled.

Bobblehead will take a first pitch....

bobblehead is definately more durable

Nomore bobblehead does not suffer obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Nomore bobblehead doesn't break as easily.

Mia has more fun with the bobblehead!!!!!!!!!!

Ramon bobblehead insists on having his name spelled forwards.

If it's not Logan White, then it should be Kim Ng.

If White gets passed over on the job there will be a revolt-- I really might consider boycotting... I think Ned gets fired this year regardless. I mean, he signed CF in back to back offseasons. That is such a joke. The guy couldnt have the foresight to sign a one year guy, b/c everyone knew Jones, Hunter, Rowand would be FA's the next year...

Now let's not be so quick to jump on Joe - Mia probably wants him out of the house.

thats a great one mlkemp...

I am leaving you all with this one, Bobblehead can fall down and not go on the DL!!
good night all, go Dodgers!!!!

Does Nomar's mom know Pierre's mom?

Anyone catch this article from John Heyman on the worst free agent signings?

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/jon_heyman/04/16/heyman.contracts/index.html

The lesson here is, "Never pay big bucks to a singles hitter with a nice personality"

ewk216, I'm sorry if I come across "soo bitter" to you. I guess I've been a Dodger fan too long, and the current situation has taken me over the edge. I just watched the highlights of the Dodgers '55 World Series today while having my lunch. Those were the good old days when baseball was fun. No huge salaries, long term contracts, and sky high ticket prices. And lineups weren't decided by the size or length of your contract. For the Dodgers, you knew who was going to play everyday unless there was an obvious reason for a change. Players were accessible to the fans and even had to get a job during the off-season to make ends meet. How times have changed! But baseball could still be fun, but the current Dodger situation is just so frustrating because it seems to defy common sense. I'm not going to take the time to try to prove that constant lineup shuffling affects winning percentage, but it sure seems logical to me. I know how I would be affected if I were a ballplayer and never knew if I'd be in the lineup from day-to-day. And when I was in, I'd probably be tense, trying to do more to prove I belonged or to show the manager he was wrong to bench me. From my observation, winning teams are the teams who can relax and play loose, developing that team chemistry and bonding that is an essential, but hard to measure, part of success. And different batting orders require different things from the players. You can't settle in when it's always changing. And though I can't prove it, I am confident that if Torre had stuck with his opening day lineup straight through to today, the team record would be much better. And even a win or two now can make a big difference at the end of the season.

Just about a month ago
We set from Vero
Looking for a guy for third base
Thought we'd have LaRoche
Things got bad and things got worse
But then we found DeWitt

Oh lord, stuck with Nomar again.

Alright E! Good article T-Bolt.

Hi Josh....Please have someone fix the volume ratio between the game broadcast and the commercials. And it's a problem on both KCAL and PRIME. Sorry to beat a dead horse, but I'm really tired of the volume-up/volume-down cycle during the games....Thanks!

Diamond Leung says it will be Troncoso:http://www.beloblog.com/Pe_Blogs/prosports/2008/04/nomar-up-for-dodgers-troncoso.html

Wecome back Nomar. Missed the nervous twiching between the bats & the gloves. One thing he's a stark difference to DeWitt, with his ever swinging approach.
Blake is more like LaRoche with his patience at the plate.
The kid's doing great and he looks like a natural pull hitter whose was getting closer & closer to the right field stands.
He did get a nice hit to left, last night, though.
Hope we get a better performance from Penny, than we did in his last start.

It has to be Troncoso that goes down. Who (Hu) is the only player other than Furcal who can play shortstop? That's right.

If Furcal were to get hurt in a game, we'd be putting Nomar in there, and right now, I am not 100% sure that Nomar can play third base (I'm not certain he can play first, atually). Monday night, Pierre was on deck to hit for Hu, who had come in to play second for Kent. Strange move, but what's even stranger is that it was unclear what player would player would play second if we had tied it up--my best guess is that DeWitt would move to second, Gary Bennett would catch, and Russell Martin would play third. This is all kinds of bad. And, since Pee Wee Young is a key pinch-hitter, we have to be more careful, since he is also the emergency catcher. Throw in the fact that Nomar's return is suspect (he's still playing with pain--and we know that always works out well), and losing a position player is just not a good option.

I am pulling for Nomar tonight. As between the 2008 version of Blake DeWitt and the 2006 version of Nomar, I would take Nomar any day of the week, and twice in a double-header. Besides Nomar coming back too soon because he is still playing with pain, my biggest concern is that Nomar is just old for his age, and it may be the 2007 version of Nomar (or worse). Give me the 2008 version of DeWitt (and, he may be improving to the 2009 version) over the 2007 edition of Nomar, easily. But, I hope it works out.

That being said, if you've been trying to find the formula for scoring all season, why tinker with it the day after scoring 11 runs? And if we're inserting Nomar, maybe we assure that the other guys in the lineup can support him, rather than putting in our 4th best outfielder. For goodness sake, if you're having problem scoring runs, why sit the guy with the most RBIs? Seriouisly, how much rest does a 26 year-old kid need? It's not like Ethier's playing catcher or middle infielder. The only thing sillier would be "resting" Loney--as if a First Baseman needs a day off--or resting a Bison like Matt Kemp.

I just saw tonights lineup. Why on God's green earth would you F with something that worked so well the night before. Garciaparra isn't even close to the defensive player that DeWitt is. Christ, he had 6 errors in 43 games last year. In addition to that, I'll be willing to bet that he's no better at the plate either. He's only hit .300 once since 2004. I honestly can't see how he helps this team as it stands right now.
As far as Pierre getting the start over Ethier; what can I say. Is there still room in the Dead Horse Society? All Ethier's done is lead the team in RBI, post a .344 OBP and .519 SLG. He only trails Furcal and Loney in total bases so far this season. It makes perfect sense that Torre benches him in favor of a guy who can't even lay down a freaking bunt to move runners over; AND THAT'S HIS STRENGTH! His mama must've had a long talk with the coach. After all, it's not about winning games; it's about making sure everybody bats and everyone is having fun. Pierre needs Williamsport, not Dodger stadium. Benching one of your most productive hitters, (especially when the other half of the team is still trying to get started) in favor of a slap hitting base stealer who can't get on base is absolutely asinine. As a man greater than myself once said - UNACCEPTABLE!

LMAO Kace, great post. I totally agree. If you are going to start Nomore Garciapierre to see what he's got left in the tank, my god, don't weaken the lineup by sitting Ethier. Just pure stupidity!

Yea Joe, Ethier is worn out, dog tired, better give him some time off. Geez!!!!!

Momma Phew must have called Ned.

Catch the way Nomar rips open and closes the Velcro on his batting gloves and heel /toes incessantly between pitches. It drove me crazy until I learned to only look at the pitcher until the ball was thrown.

No $#!+
I think Torre's the guy who needs a night off, not Ethier. I guess he figures that with Penny on the mound we won't need to score a lot of runs tonight. The last time we scored 11 runs in on game, we were shut out the next day. Go Joe! Another stellar baseball move! Can you smell the sarcasm in the air tonight?

14 games standing in the outfield for a 26 year old athlete must have taken it's toll. Maybe it's all the bases he's rounded that's made him tired. I hear stepping on that hard plate can wreak havoc on one's knees. Rest up and ice your knees Mr. Ethier, we're going to need some runs in Atlanta

Yea, all that running around the bases tuckered Ethier out. LOL

The good news is that Torre is smart enough to know that Nomar and JP belong at the bottom of the order. Pirates starter Paul Maholm has Hendricksonian-level performance, so he can be lit up. I suppose there's no time like the present to see how Nomar and his hand will hold up against major league pitching, or what passes for that tonight.
.
I hope Nomar did a lot of fielding and throwing at 3B during drills and in the offseason, because his style at 3B last year looked quite bizarre.
.
leekfink: If they did end up hitting for Hu the other night, I think D Young would have played 2nd. He played two innings there at the end of the blowout of the Padres.

Yep, D Young could be our 2nd baseman next year. Laroche/DeWitt at 3rd. Kent and Nomore gone.

Has everyone heard about Andy LaRoache's rehab strategy? Guitar Hero 3! I guess that it has a reverse effect on him when compared to Joel Zumaya. Stan Conte says that it has helped.

Is Tony Abreu still hurt?

Is Tony Abreu still hurt?
.
Yes, at least according to Diamond Leung's Press-Enterprise blog:
.
"Tony Abreu has been shut down in Vero Beach due to the lingering aftereffects of offseason surgery to repair a torn abdominal muscle."

Ew.

Here's something to think about.

If Torre thinks Matt Kemp or Andre Ethier is good enough to bat third for our team, and Pierre is bad enough to hit eighth...
Why does the eight hitter continue to get playing time over our 3 hitters?

As for Nomar, I don't mind him starting over DeWitt. With the way people are talking about Blake, you would think he's hitting .350 and would be our third basemen of the future...

Don't get me wrong, I think DeWitt has done a solid job... But a .260 hitter with no pop is not the long term solution at third base. Nomar will be fine there until Andy comes back.

"But a .260 hitter with no pop is not the long term solution at third base"...your right, Nomar is not the answer.

Good point, but I think that Ivan DeJesus may also be a possibility. He is off to quite a start at AA and he is only 21. If Hu and Abreu outplay LaRoache in the next year or so, he could end up being stuck at third.

givemeitems: "Nomar will be fine there until Andy comes back."
.
That may depend largely on just how much his injury is affecting his play. Were the Dodgers better off with Furcal playing hurt almost all last season, or would they have fared better if he had been DLed longer? In any case, DeWitt is still up, so perhaps Nomar will ride the pine against tough righties [like Kemp does ;) ].

oh boy oh boy!
son of a biznatch!

you have pierre and nomar in the same line and for some damn reason jones stil finds his wastless way in into the lineup. i mean i know he did good yesterday but shoot Im tired of seeing him strike out everyday.
I liked Dewitt at third! He should be our 3rd baseman from now on. Hes average but that kid has some talent.
http://dodgersnbaseball.blogspot.com

DeWitt is hitting .260 after 14 games in the Major Leagues. He may not hit .300 and he may not hit 15 home runs, but neither will Nomar. I'd rather see a slick fielding kid who hits .260 than an aging, washed up veteran who's been booted out of every position he's played. Nomar is done. If you don't believe me, wait. He'll be back on the DL sooner rather than later.

Look at these guys hit! Lets see what the bottom third of the lineup does tonight.

To answer your earlier question bigkace, there's always room for one more in the Dead Horse Society.

New DHS motto:

"So many dead horses, so little time."

How do you miss that tag! Ha! Go Bison!

KEMP & KENT Good KARKRMA

MATT FREAKIN' KEMP! That's why they call him The Bison™.

That's not Cool Hand Luke, that's cool bat Andruw.

We got plenty of old tired nags to beat on!!!

Nomar takes the first three pitches.....

... four pitches ...

Did hell just freeze over?

LONEY knocks in another

Who had "walk" in the first Nomar PA pool? Shocked, I am.

Dear Juan,
.
This is NOT a bunting situation.
.
Thank you,
Old Fogey

What do you know, HE CAN BUNT!

Finally got down a good bunt./

A patient NOMAR?
Pierre being himself

5 hits

For the record, I wrote my letter to Juan BEFORE the wild pitch.

To coin a phrase, "A man's got to know his limitations." Evidently Juan knows his. LOL

wow those were two great ABs right in a row by Nomar and Pierre. Well done. That was a great bunt and I wish he would do that 1 out of 3 abs. He has speed, use it and if he has to be our 4th OF to keep guys fresh as long as it's minimal then hey I have no problem with Pierre. And if Nomar stays healthy and hits thats fine by me.

Although with the pitcher behind him, JP should be hitting away to try and get both runners in. Of course the Pirates should probably have given JP the IBB and taken their chances with the pitcher, even if Penny is an ok hitter.

I don't think I've ever heard IBB and Juan Pierre used in the same sentence. LOL

enchanted, it was hard to believe I was typing it!

That whole AB was so wrong in every baseball sense, ONLY JP could've pulled it off because he's the only one that would've done it.

Let's get that merry-go-round going again, I hate to see it end so soon.

MATT FREAKIN' KEMP! That's why they call him The Bison™.

The Bison (tm) - batteries not included.

No. 2 for our power hitting fleet footed short stop.

Who compared Maholm to Hendy? - Damn, that was spot on.

[bows]

Good call Fogey!!!!

Martin's almost hitting Andruw's weight now.

Andruw's almost hitting Pierre's.

Poor Andruw is not getting in on the fun.

Unusual two consecutive SF's for LONEY.
Gotta get that hit though to keep that streak alive.
With all that fire power that doesn't include the mighty Jones.

I'm thinking that maybe Nomar's hand really hurts when he swings the bat, so he'll be more economical with his swings. That could only be good.

He's not in range yet, but Andruw is starting to show up as a big blip on the dead horse radar.

Andruw is about the size of a dead Clydesdale.

Suprising scoring 6 runs in the first two innings after scoring 11 only last night.
I tell you this is good for the RBI & AVGs.

Of course, JP pops to left when he SHOULD be bunting.

Maybe Joe outfoxed everyone. Start Nomore and Phew against the weakest pitchers. Save Ethier and DeWitt for the better pitchers. LOL

lol messagebear!

jhall - Soon we will learn that Joe Torre sees all, hears all, knows all. We mere mortals cannot understand the power that is Joe Torre.

eAHHHH They didn't score.

Hope so Fogey!!!!

Bear - when you say Tubbs you've said it all.

Good one again E!! You're on a roll. LOL

Great defense, Less hitting.

LMAO jhall!

Hey I've decided that if Nomar's OBP is 1.000, I don't mind him playing for awhile.

Yea, I can take that!!!! HAHA

Hendrickson beat the Braves tonight. Holy Cow!!!

Yeah, but can you take those submarine throws in the dirt to first?

Penny might get through the 7th.