Ned Colletti stated that he wasn't done acquiring pitching help after trading for Roberto Hernandez. Apparently he meant it by trading for Kevin Correia from the Twins for a player to be named or cash. Sort of like the Hernandez deal.
This season has not exactly gone well for the Correia, as he's 5-13 with a 4.94 ERA and 1.46 WHIP in 26 starts. Yikes. Opponents are also hitting .297 against him. Yikes again.
So, what exactly does Colletti see in Correia? If anything, it's a low-risk investment to provide depth, whether that be as a spot starter or in long relief. Paul Maholm is out for the season with a torn ACL, and Josh Beckett probably will be as well with a bad hip. Dan Haren was very good against the Angels on Wednesday, but before that was atrocious. Maybe Correia provides a boost in his spot.
If you're looking for a silver lining, then perhaps it's that Correia is more of a National League pitcher. He was an All-Star in 2011 with the Pirates when he went 11-7 with a 4.01 ERA in the first half of the season. Then again, he completely tanked in the second half, raising his ERA to 4.79, but I digress.
He certainly knows the NL West well, as he was a member of the Giants for many years before pitching two seasons for the Padres. None of his stats really stand out from that time.
The bottom line is that this won't be the move that propels the Dodgers to World Series champions by any means. All they can hope for is some solid innings from the veteran. I can't imagine he could do a whole lot worse than Maholm did, so maybe that long relief role will fit him well.
Showing posts with label Twins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Twins. Show all posts
Sunday, August 10, 2014
Friday, May 2, 2014
Dodgers go from LOB City to HR City in doubleheader sweep
Normally, when a team leaves 16 men on base, it's not exactly a recipe for winning.
Then again, when that team is playing the Twins, maybe it can be. And it was considering Kirby Puckett and Kent Hrbek weren't walking through that door.
By the time the long, long day was over, the Dodgers swept the Twins by scores of 9-4 and 4-3. Basically, there were a whole lot of hits to win the first game, a whole bunch of guys left on base (LOB City, a nod to the Clippers) in the second game, but two big solo shots by Scott Van Slyke and Drew Butera to bail them out.
So, when it was all said and done, it was mission accomplished.
I said after the latest homestand that I was actually looking forward to the Dodgers hitting the road, as their play at home was lethargic to say the least. Considering that they're now 11-3 away from Chavez Ravine, I guess I was right. So I'll go ahead and pat myself on the back for being a baseball genius.
But seriously, no matter how sloppy it looked at times, especially in the nightcap, these wins are just what the Dodgers needed before heading off to warmer Miami this weekend. And with the impending return of Clayton Kershaw, potentially on Monday, things are looking up again for the boys in blue.
Thoughts from both games:
* Yasiel Puig carried the load offensively in the first game, going 4-for-4 with a walk. He was again hitting in the #2 hole, which is taking a page from the Tony LaRussa book of "power in the #2 spot." I like it.
* Quietly, Juan Uribe is having a really good season at the plate. He, too, had four hits in the first game, and followed that up with one more in the night game with three walks. That put his numbers at a .327 AVG with a .353 OBP. And let's not overlook his stellar play at third.
* OK, dare I say that Uribe is an All-Star this year? That was absolute scariest thought a couple years back, but if he keeps hitting, I don't see why not.
* There were nine guys left on base in the first game, but it wasn't nearly as big of a deal since they went 5-for-12 with RISP. There weren't any home runs, so it was a collection of one good hit after another to take control.
* Congrats to young Red Patterson for his solid Major League debut in the night game. He went 4 2/3 innings for one run on two hits. He had to throw a lot of pitches at 87, but that's not too surprising since I'm sure he was nervous. It was great to see his parents and wife right next to the dugout, too. Who knows if he'll get another start this year, but if this is it, it's a good one to hang his hat on, and something to build upon.
* The bullpen? Mostly good, with a little bad at the end. J.P. Howell and Chris Perez were very good in the first game, picking up a so-so start from Dan Haren. Brian Wilson got an inning in the night game, and has now gone three scoreless innings in a row. Kenley Jansen got the save, but it was certainly interesting. Jamey Wright was very good in pitching three scoreless innings.
A tired Dodgers team will now take on the Marlins for three starting Friday. At least they're weary with three straight wins, which is a lot better than the flip side. Josh Beckett gets the ball.
Then again, when that team is playing the Twins, maybe it can be. And it was considering Kirby Puckett and Kent Hrbek weren't walking through that door.
By the time the long, long day was over, the Dodgers swept the Twins by scores of 9-4 and 4-3. Basically, there were a whole lot of hits to win the first game, a whole bunch of guys left on base (LOB City, a nod to the Clippers) in the second game, but two big solo shots by Scott Van Slyke and Drew Butera to bail them out.
So, when it was all said and done, it was mission accomplished.
I said after the latest homestand that I was actually looking forward to the Dodgers hitting the road, as their play at home was lethargic to say the least. Considering that they're now 11-3 away from Chavez Ravine, I guess I was right. So I'll go ahead and pat myself on the back for being a baseball genius.
But seriously, no matter how sloppy it looked at times, especially in the nightcap, these wins are just what the Dodgers needed before heading off to warmer Miami this weekend. And with the impending return of Clayton Kershaw, potentially on Monday, things are looking up again for the boys in blue.
Thoughts from both games:
* Yasiel Puig carried the load offensively in the first game, going 4-for-4 with a walk. He was again hitting in the #2 hole, which is taking a page from the Tony LaRussa book of "power in the #2 spot." I like it.
* Quietly, Juan Uribe is having a really good season at the plate. He, too, had four hits in the first game, and followed that up with one more in the night game with three walks. That put his numbers at a .327 AVG with a .353 OBP. And let's not overlook his stellar play at third.
* OK, dare I say that Uribe is an All-Star this year? That was absolute scariest thought a couple years back, but if he keeps hitting, I don't see why not.
* There were nine guys left on base in the first game, but it wasn't nearly as big of a deal since they went 5-for-12 with RISP. There weren't any home runs, so it was a collection of one good hit after another to take control.
* Congrats to young Red Patterson for his solid Major League debut in the night game. He went 4 2/3 innings for one run on two hits. He had to throw a lot of pitches at 87, but that's not too surprising since I'm sure he was nervous. It was great to see his parents and wife right next to the dugout, too. Who knows if he'll get another start this year, but if this is it, it's a good one to hang his hat on, and something to build upon.
* The bullpen? Mostly good, with a little bad at the end. J.P. Howell and Chris Perez were very good in the first game, picking up a so-so start from Dan Haren. Brian Wilson got an inning in the night game, and has now gone three scoreless innings in a row. Kenley Jansen got the save, but it was certainly interesting. Jamey Wright was very good in pitching three scoreless innings.
A tired Dodgers team will now take on the Marlins for three starting Friday. At least they're weary with three straight wins, which is a lot better than the flip side. Josh Beckett gets the ball.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Win #10,000 showcases the good and bad of the Dodgers
The Dodgers would have loved to have done this at home, but alas, it took until Wednesday night in Minnesota for a franchise landmark to be set. Behind Zack Greinke's powerful pitching, the Dodgers beat the Twins 6-4, giving them win #10,000. Which is pretty sweet, of course.
Coming off a flat 4-6 homestand, an off day on Monday, and a rainout on Tuesday, you can bet they were ready to go after sitting around so much. And since Minnesota is really, really cold compared to comfy LA.
By the time this one was in the books, a little over three-and-a-half hours later, it was a microcosm for how this young season has gone so far. Let's take a look:
The Good:
* Excellent starting pitching, this time by Greinke. He tossed six innings, giving up only one unearned run and gathering seven strikeouts. He actually wasn't as sharp as he normally is, but the Twins couldn't cash in on him.
* Runs scored in bunches. The third inning brought back-to-back RBI singles by Hanley Ramirez and Adrian Gonzalez. Clinging to a 2-1 lead in the seventh, Andre Ethier delivered a two-out RBI double, and Juan Uribe scored two on a single to make it 5-1.
* Kenley Jansen closed the door for his 10th save, and sixth straight. Six appearances ago, his ERA stood at 5.00, and now it's down to 3.14.
The Bad:
* Shaky relief pitching. After Greinke left in the seventh with 110 pitches thrown, J.P. Howell came in and let a couple runners reach. Chris Withrow and Brian Wilson did very well after that, but the returning Paco Rodriguez got hit around for three runs in the ninth before Jansen had to put out the fire. Jansen, by the way, has needed to do that way too much already this season.
* Not cashing in with runners on. It happened more tonight, but early in the game, there were chances for more. They left 11 on base, but thankfully scored five of their six runs with two outs to prevent it from looking worse.
* Bad defense. There weren't any errors this game, but Greinke's unearned run was because of a passed ball from Drew Butera in the second. The Dodgers have the second most errors in baseball at 28.
I will say that maybe you can't blame the Dodgers too much for being a little off since they were really cold and haven't played since Sunday. But I did think it was interesting how the little things that went on in this game reflected their overall season pretty well.
On Thursday, the Dodgers and Twins will play two as part of a day-night doubleheader. Dan Haren gets the ball in the first game. Red Patterson will get called up as the "26th man" to start the night game.
Coming off a flat 4-6 homestand, an off day on Monday, and a rainout on Tuesday, you can bet they were ready to go after sitting around so much. And since Minnesota is really, really cold compared to comfy LA.
By the time this one was in the books, a little over three-and-a-half hours later, it was a microcosm for how this young season has gone so far. Let's take a look:
The Good:
* Excellent starting pitching, this time by Greinke. He tossed six innings, giving up only one unearned run and gathering seven strikeouts. He actually wasn't as sharp as he normally is, but the Twins couldn't cash in on him.
* Runs scored in bunches. The third inning brought back-to-back RBI singles by Hanley Ramirez and Adrian Gonzalez. Clinging to a 2-1 lead in the seventh, Andre Ethier delivered a two-out RBI double, and Juan Uribe scored two on a single to make it 5-1.
* Kenley Jansen closed the door for his 10th save, and sixth straight. Six appearances ago, his ERA stood at 5.00, and now it's down to 3.14.
The Bad:
* Shaky relief pitching. After Greinke left in the seventh with 110 pitches thrown, J.P. Howell came in and let a couple runners reach. Chris Withrow and Brian Wilson did very well after that, but the returning Paco Rodriguez got hit around for three runs in the ninth before Jansen had to put out the fire. Jansen, by the way, has needed to do that way too much already this season.
* Not cashing in with runners on. It happened more tonight, but early in the game, there were chances for more. They left 11 on base, but thankfully scored five of their six runs with two outs to prevent it from looking worse.
* Bad defense. There weren't any errors this game, but Greinke's unearned run was because of a passed ball from Drew Butera in the second. The Dodgers have the second most errors in baseball at 28.
I will say that maybe you can't blame the Dodgers too much for being a little off since they were really cold and haven't played since Sunday. But I did think it was interesting how the little things that went on in this game reflected their overall season pretty well.
On Thursday, the Dodgers and Twins will play two as part of a day-night doubleheader. Dan Haren gets the ball in the first game. Red Patterson will get called up as the "26th man" to start the night game.
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Nolasco packs his bags for the Twin Cities
He better dress warm. It's slightly colder in Minnesota than it is in LA.
While Ricky Nolasco might not have gotten the enormous five-year, $80 million deal he was originally seeking (or at least floated out there to inflate his own value), he signed a four-year, $49 million contract with the Twins on Wednesday. The Twins had an astronomical 5.26 ERA from their starters last season, so you can understand why they're desperate to bring any arms of value into the fold.
Kudos to both Nolasco and the Dodgers on this one. First, let's give credit to Nolasco for what he brought to the table in LA after being acquired from the Marlins in early July. The Dodgers went 10-2 in his first 12 starts, as he personally went 8-1. He was big part of the Dodgers' red hot summer run, and gave them four great starters along with Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, and Hyun-Jin Ryu.
And here's where the Dodgers deserve credit - they recognized that he's probably not that good, as his final few appearances were rather poor. After going 5-0 with a 1.66 ERA in August, he went 2-2 with a 6.66 ERA in September. He fell off so badly that he only got one start in the playoffs, losing Game 4 of the NLCS at home against the Cardinals, lasting only four mediocre innings.
Oh ya, he also was skipped over in Game 4 of the NLDS, as Don Mattingly chose to put Kershaw on the mound with only three days of rest. The same Kershaw who eventually ran out of gas in getting drilled in the NLCS Game 6 to end the season. Could the two things relate to one another? Who knows, but you have to wonder.
So, while we all know the Dodgers have incredibly deep pockets, I'm happy to see them stay away from throwing around $50 million at Nolasco for multiple years and instead give Dan Haren $10 million for a year. It makes much more financial sense, and while Haren won't get as scorching hot as Nolasco did in August, he can still be a very effective 4-5 starter in that rotation.
Good luck to Nolasco in Minnesota, who most likely becomes their #1 starter by default.
While Ricky Nolasco might not have gotten the enormous five-year, $80 million deal he was originally seeking (or at least floated out there to inflate his own value), he signed a four-year, $49 million contract with the Twins on Wednesday. The Twins had an astronomical 5.26 ERA from their starters last season, so you can understand why they're desperate to bring any arms of value into the fold.
Kudos to both Nolasco and the Dodgers on this one. First, let's give credit to Nolasco for what he brought to the table in LA after being acquired from the Marlins in early July. The Dodgers went 10-2 in his first 12 starts, as he personally went 8-1. He was big part of the Dodgers' red hot summer run, and gave them four great starters along with Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, and Hyun-Jin Ryu.
And here's where the Dodgers deserve credit - they recognized that he's probably not that good, as his final few appearances were rather poor. After going 5-0 with a 1.66 ERA in August, he went 2-2 with a 6.66 ERA in September. He fell off so badly that he only got one start in the playoffs, losing Game 4 of the NLCS at home against the Cardinals, lasting only four mediocre innings.
Oh ya, he also was skipped over in Game 4 of the NLDS, as Don Mattingly chose to put Kershaw on the mound with only three days of rest. The same Kershaw who eventually ran out of gas in getting drilled in the NLCS Game 6 to end the season. Could the two things relate to one another? Who knows, but you have to wonder.
So, while we all know the Dodgers have incredibly deep pockets, I'm happy to see them stay away from throwing around $50 million at Nolasco for multiple years and instead give Dan Haren $10 million for a year. It makes much more financial sense, and while Haren won't get as scorching hot as Nolasco did in August, he can still be a very effective 4-5 starter in that rotation.
Good luck to Nolasco in Minnesota, who most likely becomes their #1 starter by default.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Drew Butera acquired from Twins
Moments before the end of this year's non-waiver Trade Deadline, the Dodgers made a minor move in trading for backup catcher Drew Butera from the Twins. He'll be exchanged for a player to be named later.
Butera has appeared at various times in the majors since 2010, making a career-high 93 appearances in 2011. He's only played in two games this year and 27 games in Triple-A. For his career, he's hitting .182 with 5 home runs and 41 RBIs in 186 games. Not exactly stats that will knock your socks off.
He did start for Team Italy in this year's World Baseball Classic, where he was 3-for-16 with a homer and three RBIs in four games.
This move was made for catching depth in September, as I can't see any way Butera would unseat Tim Federowicz as the backup catcher. Then again, Federowicz is only hitting .204, so I guess it's a wash. Ned Colletti went on MLB Network in the past hour and made a point of having three MLB ready catchers in the system, so there you go.
Butera has appeared at various times in the majors since 2010, making a career-high 93 appearances in 2011. He's only played in two games this year and 27 games in Triple-A. For his career, he's hitting .182 with 5 home runs and 41 RBIs in 186 games. Not exactly stats that will knock your socks off.
He did start for Team Italy in this year's World Baseball Classic, where he was 3-for-16 with a homer and three RBIs in four games.
This move was made for catching depth in September, as I can't see any way Butera would unseat Tim Federowicz as the backup catcher. Then again, Federowicz is only hitting .204, so I guess it's a wash. Ned Colletti went on MLB Network in the past hour and made a point of having three MLB ready catchers in the system, so there you go.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
De La Rosa sharp, but that bats aren't
If you wanted to know anything about the 2011 season for the Dodgers, just take a look at these last three games in Minnesota: 15 runs one night, 4 the next, and 0 in the last.
The end result is simple - two losses in three games, despite winning one by 15.
Rubby De La Rosa did all he could, but the offense must have still been in bed, as Scott Baker completely shut the Dodgers down for the win, 1-0. The Dodgers are back to 10 games under .500 at 36-46.
The scoring happened quick, and ended just as quickly. Baker struck out the side to open the game, which was the ultimate symbolism for the rest of the way. Ben Revere led off for the Twins and cranked a triple over Andre Ethier's head in right. Tsuyoshi Nishioka hit a little dribbler that got the speedy Revere home for the 1-0 lead.
That, my friends, was all she wrote for scoring on this day. The Dodgers had no answers for Baker, who's a decent pitcher, but certainly not like a Cliff Lee or C.C. Sabathia. Although, the Dodgers have a tendency to make the most mediocre of pitchers look like gold... just like today.
There weren't a whole lot of threats to score considering the Dodgers only had seven hits and one walk. In the second, James Loney singled with one down, and Marcus Thames did the same an out later. Dioner Navarro flew out to center to end it.
In the third, Dee Gordon singled and took second on a sacrifice bunt by Tony Gwynn. I say "sacrifice," but it looked like Baker missed the tag of a diving Gwynn at first. Gordon then stole third and had a great chance to score with one down. Sure enough, Casey Blake popped up, and Ethier struck out for the final out.
Matt Kemp doubled to deep center off the glove of Revere with two outs in the sixth. He then stole third, and again the Dodgers had a chance with a runner on third. And once again they failed, as Loney grounded out.
Matt Capps came on and earned his 13th save, allowing only a single to the pinch-hitting Trent Oeltjen.
It's a shame De La Rosa got no support, because he bounced back nicely after a rough couple of innings to start the game. He ended up lasting seven innings for six hits, one run, two walks, and four strikeouts. It was easily his best game as a big leaguer, and his previous high was six innings. The Twins don't exactly have a powerful lineup, but De La Rosa still showed something here.
The offensive numbers are ugly, not that I really needed to tell you that after looking at the box score. The top three in the order of Gwynn, Blake, and Ethier combined to go 0-for-10 with a walk and sacrifice. Yuck. Nobody had a multi-hit game, and they struck out 11 times. Eight men reached base, and eight men were stranded. I'm pretty sure that means they scored no runs.
With the way this season has gone, I don't think anybody should be too surprised that the same team that put up a 15-spot one night ended up losing the next two games. The only thing consistent about the Dodgers is that they're inconsistent, if that makes any sense. They just aren't good enough to go on a stretch of wins. They haven't shown that ability yet.
Thursday will be an off day for the Dodgers before traveling to Anaheim for the second part of the Freeway Series with the Angels. The Dodgers dropped two of three against them last week. Hiroki Kuroda, winless since May 17, will go in the first game on Friday.
The end result is simple - two losses in three games, despite winning one by 15.
Rubby De La Rosa did all he could, but the offense must have still been in bed, as Scott Baker completely shut the Dodgers down for the win, 1-0. The Dodgers are back to 10 games under .500 at 36-46.
The scoring happened quick, and ended just as quickly. Baker struck out the side to open the game, which was the ultimate symbolism for the rest of the way. Ben Revere led off for the Twins and cranked a triple over Andre Ethier's head in right. Tsuyoshi Nishioka hit a little dribbler that got the speedy Revere home for the 1-0 lead.
That, my friends, was all she wrote for scoring on this day. The Dodgers had no answers for Baker, who's a decent pitcher, but certainly not like a Cliff Lee or C.C. Sabathia. Although, the Dodgers have a tendency to make the most mediocre of pitchers look like gold... just like today.
There weren't a whole lot of threats to score considering the Dodgers only had seven hits and one walk. In the second, James Loney singled with one down, and Marcus Thames did the same an out later. Dioner Navarro flew out to center to end it.
In the third, Dee Gordon singled and took second on a sacrifice bunt by Tony Gwynn. I say "sacrifice," but it looked like Baker missed the tag of a diving Gwynn at first. Gordon then stole third and had a great chance to score with one down. Sure enough, Casey Blake popped up, and Ethier struck out for the final out.
Matt Kemp doubled to deep center off the glove of Revere with two outs in the sixth. He then stole third, and again the Dodgers had a chance with a runner on third. And once again they failed, as Loney grounded out.
Matt Capps came on and earned his 13th save, allowing only a single to the pinch-hitting Trent Oeltjen.
It's a shame De La Rosa got no support, because he bounced back nicely after a rough couple of innings to start the game. He ended up lasting seven innings for six hits, one run, two walks, and four strikeouts. It was easily his best game as a big leaguer, and his previous high was six innings. The Twins don't exactly have a powerful lineup, but De La Rosa still showed something here.
The offensive numbers are ugly, not that I really needed to tell you that after looking at the box score. The top three in the order of Gwynn, Blake, and Ethier combined to go 0-for-10 with a walk and sacrifice. Yuck. Nobody had a multi-hit game, and they struck out 11 times. Eight men reached base, and eight men were stranded. I'm pretty sure that means they scored no runs.
With the way this season has gone, I don't think anybody should be too surprised that the same team that put up a 15-spot one night ended up losing the next two games. The only thing consistent about the Dodgers is that they're inconsistent, if that makes any sense. They just aren't good enough to go on a stretch of wins. They haven't shown that ability yet.
Thursday will be an off day for the Dodgers before traveling to Anaheim for the second part of the Freeway Series with the Angels. The Dodgers dropped two of three against them last week. Hiroki Kuroda, winless since May 17, will go in the first game on Friday.
Lilly struggles again in falling to Twins
Ted Lilly started poorly, was given a reprieve, and then failed to keep the Dodgers in the game as they fell to the Twins, 6-4. One night after torching the Twins for 15 runs and 25 hits, the offense failed to do anything against the Twins' bullpen for the final four innings.
Knowing that the Twins had something to prove after getting absolutely obliterated and embarrassed the night before, it was important for Lilly to keep his club in the game. That didn't exactly happen, as the Twins struck right away. Ben Revere singled leading off, and Alexi Casilla laid down a great bunt for two on. Revere then stole third and scored on Joe Mauer's RBI single.
After the Dodgers went down in order again, the Twins got more runs in the second. Old friend Jason Repko singled to start. Following a flyout, he stole second, and took third on a groundout. Revere came through again with an RBI single and 2-0 lead. Revere stole second for his second swipe of the game, and scored on Casilla's RBI double to go up 3-0.
The Dodgers eventually got on the board in the fourth. Tony Gwynn, who's been great in the leadoff spot the last few games, walked leading off and took second on a passed ball. Casey Blake worked a walk, and Andre Ethier forced Blake at second on a grounder, putting Gwynn at third. Matt Kemp lifted a sac-fly RBI to cut the deficit to 3-1.
The Twins got that run right back in the bottom of the frame. Repko was beaned leading off, and Lilly again allowed a stolen base. Ron Rivera's RBI single made it 4-1, and it once again showed Lilly's lack of ability to hold runners on. In all, the Twins stole four bases.
Down by three, the Dodgers' offense woke up to tie the game in the fifth. With one down, they got an unlikely solo homer from Aaron Miles to make it 4-2. Not only was that his first homer of the year, but first one since 2008! A.J. Ellis then singled, Jamey Carroll walked, and Blake walked an out later. With two down, Ethier came though with a two-run single to start the game fresh.
Lilly hadn't exactly pitched that well up to this point, but still only in the fifth inning, Don Mattingly kept him in. It worked through the first two batters for a couple outs, but Danny Valencia singled to keep the inning alive. Luke Hughes, who's had all of two homers in 48 career games up to this point, made Lilly pay with a two-run shot to grab the lead back at 6-4.
Juan Uribe led off the sixth by getting beaned, and the Twins turned the game over to their beleaguered bullpen. Alex Burnett got Marcus Thames to ground into a double play right away, not that I'm surprised about that. Thames is terrible and should be released. He's hitting .197 with two homers and seven RBIs. Pathetic.
The Dodgers had a scoring opportunity in the seventh, but ran into the final out. Carroll singled with one down, which brought Glen Perkins into the game. Carroll went to second on Gwynn's groundout. With two down, Blake singled, and Carroll tried to score but was gunned down at the plate.
Matt Capps came on for the save, and he gave up walks to Trent Oeltjen and Gwynn. Blake grounded into a fielder's choice to end the game and give Capps his 12th save of the season.
The Dodgers did a good job in fighting back, but Lilly didn't do his part. He lasted only 4 2/3 innings for nine hits, six runs, no walks, and no strikeouts. It's not often you see a starting pitcher not record at least one strikeout. As I've said in the past, I don't get the sense at all that hitters are scared to face him. I know he's a control guy and won't throw hard, but he looks like he's pitching batting practice half the time. A 4.97 ERA and 5-8 record reflects that.
Lilly really needs to step up at some point. He made a few good starts at the end of May and into June, but he's gotten crushed his last three starts for three straight L's. With Jon Garland out and Rubby De La Rosa going through the ups and downs of a rookie, the Dodgers sure look like a three deep rotation now. Even Hiroki Kuroda can't get a win, but that's more the fault of the offense.
Wednesday afternoon's game will be the rubber match, as the Dodgers will look to take their second straight Interleague series. De La Rosa will get the call against Scott Baker.
Knowing that the Twins had something to prove after getting absolutely obliterated and embarrassed the night before, it was important for Lilly to keep his club in the game. That didn't exactly happen, as the Twins struck right away. Ben Revere singled leading off, and Alexi Casilla laid down a great bunt for two on. Revere then stole third and scored on Joe Mauer's RBI single.
After the Dodgers went down in order again, the Twins got more runs in the second. Old friend Jason Repko singled to start. Following a flyout, he stole second, and took third on a groundout. Revere came through again with an RBI single and 2-0 lead. Revere stole second for his second swipe of the game, and scored on Casilla's RBI double to go up 3-0.
The Dodgers eventually got on the board in the fourth. Tony Gwynn, who's been great in the leadoff spot the last few games, walked leading off and took second on a passed ball. Casey Blake worked a walk, and Andre Ethier forced Blake at second on a grounder, putting Gwynn at third. Matt Kemp lifted a sac-fly RBI to cut the deficit to 3-1.
The Twins got that run right back in the bottom of the frame. Repko was beaned leading off, and Lilly again allowed a stolen base. Ron Rivera's RBI single made it 4-1, and it once again showed Lilly's lack of ability to hold runners on. In all, the Twins stole four bases.
Down by three, the Dodgers' offense woke up to tie the game in the fifth. With one down, they got an unlikely solo homer from Aaron Miles to make it 4-2. Not only was that his first homer of the year, but first one since 2008! A.J. Ellis then singled, Jamey Carroll walked, and Blake walked an out later. With two down, Ethier came though with a two-run single to start the game fresh.
Lilly hadn't exactly pitched that well up to this point, but still only in the fifth inning, Don Mattingly kept him in. It worked through the first two batters for a couple outs, but Danny Valencia singled to keep the inning alive. Luke Hughes, who's had all of two homers in 48 career games up to this point, made Lilly pay with a two-run shot to grab the lead back at 6-4.
Juan Uribe led off the sixth by getting beaned, and the Twins turned the game over to their beleaguered bullpen. Alex Burnett got Marcus Thames to ground into a double play right away, not that I'm surprised about that. Thames is terrible and should be released. He's hitting .197 with two homers and seven RBIs. Pathetic.
The Dodgers had a scoring opportunity in the seventh, but ran into the final out. Carroll singled with one down, which brought Glen Perkins into the game. Carroll went to second on Gwynn's groundout. With two down, Blake singled, and Carroll tried to score but was gunned down at the plate.
Matt Capps came on for the save, and he gave up walks to Trent Oeltjen and Gwynn. Blake grounded into a fielder's choice to end the game and give Capps his 12th save of the season.
The Dodgers did a good job in fighting back, but Lilly didn't do his part. He lasted only 4 2/3 innings for nine hits, six runs, no walks, and no strikeouts. It's not often you see a starting pitcher not record at least one strikeout. As I've said in the past, I don't get the sense at all that hitters are scared to face him. I know he's a control guy and won't throw hard, but he looks like he's pitching batting practice half the time. A 4.97 ERA and 5-8 record reflects that.
Lilly really needs to step up at some point. He made a few good starts at the end of May and into June, but he's gotten crushed his last three starts for three straight L's. With Jon Garland out and Rubby De La Rosa going through the ups and downs of a rookie, the Dodgers sure look like a three deep rotation now. Even Hiroki Kuroda can't get a win, but that's more the fault of the offense.
Wednesday afternoon's game will be the rubber match, as the Dodgers will look to take their second straight Interleague series. De La Rosa will get the call against Scott Baker.
Monday, June 27, 2011
15 runs, 25 hits... yup, it was a good night
Bankruptcy? What bankruptcy?
Despite all of the negative news surrounding the Dodgers today, the actual team went onto the field and kicked the crap out of the Twins on Monday night, 15-0. Needless to say, it was a season high in runs and hits for a Dodgers team that has never been confused with an offensive powerhouse this season.
Even though the Twins looked like they were dead in the water, they still sent a very solid Nick Blackburn to the mound, sporting a 3.15 ERA. Tony Gwynn got another start in the leadoff spot, and he singled and stole second opening the game. A groundout by Casey Blake advanced him to third. Andre Ethier grounded one up the middle to score a run, and he reached on an error. An RBI double by Matt Kemp made it 2-0.
From there, the Dodgers just methodically tore apart the Twins, who appeared to want nothing to do with fighting back. Back-to-back singles by Ethier and Kemp with two outs kept the third inning going, and James Loney's RBI single made it 3-0.
Trent Oeltjen had a huge night, and he launched his first homer of the season leading off the fourth. Blake added an RBI single, and it was 5-0.
The fifth and sixth brought five more runs, and ended any chance of a Twins' comeback. In the fifth, A.J. Ellis got in on the fun with an RBI single. With Anthony Swarzak relieving Blackburn, Dee Gordon's RBI single made it 7-0. A wild pitch soon sent Ellis home to score. Juan Uribe added an RBI single, and Oeltjen's sac-fly RBI in the sixth made it 10-0.
Do you happen to notice I'm typing the phrase "RBI single" over and over? Well, Blake and Kemp got runs the easy way in the seventh with solo home runs. For Blake it was his fourth, and for Kemp it was an NL-leading 22nd, one ahead of the mighty Prince Fielder.
The final runs were scored in the eighth. Oeltjen continued his hot night with a leadoff triple. Ellis walked, and Gordon added an RBI double for the 13-0 lead. A single by Gwynn and sac-fly by Dioner Navarro finally put an end to this one at 15-0.
The final tally shows some awesome numbers. The Dodgers scored in every inning but two, and had at least one runner on in every inning. They hung 12 hits and eight runs (seven earned) on Blackburn, raising his ERA to 3.64. The Twins' bullpen gave up another 12 hits for seven runs.
Lost in all of this was the great job by Chad Billingsley and company on the mound. Bills went six innings for four hits, no runs, two walks, and four strikeouts. He's won his last two starts (the Reds being the other one) for a combined 11 1/3 innings of only one-run ball. He's also lowered his ERA from 4.65 to 4.22.
The bullpen was untouchable... literally. Blake Hawksworth, Hong-Chih Kuo, and Scott Elbert pitched the final three innings of perfect ball, save for an error in the ninth by Gordon. Hawksworth struck out the side, and Kuo and Elbert had two apiece. That's some serious flames thrown.
I'm sure the Dodgers would like to put this game into a bottle and cork it, because it was everything they could have possibly asked for. Leadoff hitting, two-out rallies, sacrifices, some power hits, stolen bases, double plays turned, and big pitching. After a lousy 4-8 homestand, maybe getting away is what they needed. It sure looked that way tonight.
The headlines on Tuesday morning will still be about the McCourt family drama, and that's just reality. But, at least the side note will be about the team on the field absolutely going to town in Minnesota. It makes for a good story about the team not being affected by the idiot owners.
The Dodgers have two more games in Minnesota, and I'm sure they're looking at that as a good thing right now. Ted Lilly will go to the mound on Tuesday.
Despite all of the negative news surrounding the Dodgers today, the actual team went onto the field and kicked the crap out of the Twins on Monday night, 15-0. Needless to say, it was a season high in runs and hits for a Dodgers team that has never been confused with an offensive powerhouse this season.
Even though the Twins looked like they were dead in the water, they still sent a very solid Nick Blackburn to the mound, sporting a 3.15 ERA. Tony Gwynn got another start in the leadoff spot, and he singled and stole second opening the game. A groundout by Casey Blake advanced him to third. Andre Ethier grounded one up the middle to score a run, and he reached on an error. An RBI double by Matt Kemp made it 2-0.
From there, the Dodgers just methodically tore apart the Twins, who appeared to want nothing to do with fighting back. Back-to-back singles by Ethier and Kemp with two outs kept the third inning going, and James Loney's RBI single made it 3-0.
Trent Oeltjen had a huge night, and he launched his first homer of the season leading off the fourth. Blake added an RBI single, and it was 5-0.
The fifth and sixth brought five more runs, and ended any chance of a Twins' comeback. In the fifth, A.J. Ellis got in on the fun with an RBI single. With Anthony Swarzak relieving Blackburn, Dee Gordon's RBI single made it 7-0. A wild pitch soon sent Ellis home to score. Juan Uribe added an RBI single, and Oeltjen's sac-fly RBI in the sixth made it 10-0.
Do you happen to notice I'm typing the phrase "RBI single" over and over? Well, Blake and Kemp got runs the easy way in the seventh with solo home runs. For Blake it was his fourth, and for Kemp it was an NL-leading 22nd, one ahead of the mighty Prince Fielder.
The final runs were scored in the eighth. Oeltjen continued his hot night with a leadoff triple. Ellis walked, and Gordon added an RBI double for the 13-0 lead. A single by Gwynn and sac-fly by Dioner Navarro finally put an end to this one at 15-0.
The final tally shows some awesome numbers. The Dodgers scored in every inning but two, and had at least one runner on in every inning. They hung 12 hits and eight runs (seven earned) on Blackburn, raising his ERA to 3.64. The Twins' bullpen gave up another 12 hits for seven runs.
Lost in all of this was the great job by Chad Billingsley and company on the mound. Bills went six innings for four hits, no runs, two walks, and four strikeouts. He's won his last two starts (the Reds being the other one) for a combined 11 1/3 innings of only one-run ball. He's also lowered his ERA from 4.65 to 4.22.
The bullpen was untouchable... literally. Blake Hawksworth, Hong-Chih Kuo, and Scott Elbert pitched the final three innings of perfect ball, save for an error in the ninth by Gordon. Hawksworth struck out the side, and Kuo and Elbert had two apiece. That's some serious flames thrown.
I'm sure the Dodgers would like to put this game into a bottle and cork it, because it was everything they could have possibly asked for. Leadoff hitting, two-out rallies, sacrifices, some power hits, stolen bases, double plays turned, and big pitching. After a lousy 4-8 homestand, maybe getting away is what they needed. It sure looked that way tonight.
The headlines on Tuesday morning will still be about the McCourt family drama, and that's just reality. But, at least the side note will be about the team on the field absolutely going to town in Minnesota. It makes for a good story about the team not being affected by the idiot owners.
The Dodgers have two more games in Minnesota, and I'm sure they're looking at that as a good thing right now. Ted Lilly will go to the mound on Tuesday.
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