With Eric Stults pitching so well on Saturday in Arizona, he will be getting another start this week as Joe Torre has made a couple of changes to the rotation, mainly due to the day off on Tuesday.
Instead of having James McDonald go Thursday in the last game against the Giants, he will be pushed back to Sunday against the Rockies. Stults will get that Thursday start.
Torre says this was done because of the off day and has nothing to do with McDonald's shaky start on Friday. I think I believe about half of that, as Stults is clearly the better option right now. For whatever reason, he handles starting much better than relieving. Plus, McDonald will be used out of the bullpen this week, which is more his strength. It could work out.
In the long run, Stults has a chance to get that 5th starter job, moving McDonald to the 'pen for good. That would mean a guy like Blake DeWitt or Ramon Troncoso would have to get optioned, but so be it. Having McDonald in the 'pen makes their depth a whole lot better, so Stults' start on Thursday will be big for everyone.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Wolf's dazzling 7 innings enough for win
With All-Star Dan Haren on the mound for the Diamondbacks and keeping runs at a premium, it was Randy Wolf who stepped up and did even better. Wolf's 7 strong innings of only 2 hits and 1 run lead the way as the Dodgers got the close win, 3-1. After dropping Friday's opening game, the Dodgers fought back to take 2 of 3 and close the road trip at 4-3.
Wolf's performance was awesome, but what will be remembered about this game is the ultra-rare "fourth run" rule. Here's the skinny. In the 2nd inning and the DBacks up 1-0, Andre Ethier was on 3rd and Juan Pierre on 2nd. Randy Wolf lined back to Haren, who then turned and threw to 2nd where Felipe Lopez tagged out Pierre for the inning ending DP.
We all thought that the score would remain the same, except that Ethier never tagged up and scored before Pierre was tagged. Since the DBacks all left the field, the run was counted because they never appealed the play at 3rd. Had they stayed on the field and done so, then the run would not have counted. So, it was 1-1.
You get all of that?
I'm not sure I did either, but that's the story. Anyway, in the 3rd Rafael Furcal started things with a walk, and Manny Ramirez walked 1 out later. James Loney, still hitting cleanup, singled to score Raffy for the 2-1 lead. Russell Martin followed up with a double play, continuing his slump. Oh well.
The rest of the game flew by after the 3rd. Haren struggled the first 3 innings, getting near 70 pitches, but settled down. Wolf was simply brilliant all day, mixing his breaking stuff and fastball and keeping all hitters off balance. After Lopez started the game with a double, he didn't give up a hit until Chad Tracy started the 8th with a single. In all, 15 men in a row were retired. It certainly wasn't overpowering, but it was fantastic control that was the key. His final line was 7 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K.
With the rotation thin right now with Hiroki Kuroda's injury and the bullpen getting plenty of work, it was good that Wolf could go so long. Hong-Chih Kuo came on in the 8th with a runner on and did what he does best - blow hitters away and get a hold. Jonathan Broxton was much the same as he went 3-3 in save situations.
Up next is the home opener against the San Francisco Giants. I know I've said this a lot already, but the pitching matchup will again be exciting to watch. Chad Billingsley goes against Randy Johnson. I'm glad Johnson gets the start because it will be like his DBack days when the division rival comes to Dodger Stadium. Tuesday will be a day off.
Wolf's performance was awesome, but what will be remembered about this game is the ultra-rare "fourth run" rule. Here's the skinny. In the 2nd inning and the DBacks up 1-0, Andre Ethier was on 3rd and Juan Pierre on 2nd. Randy Wolf lined back to Haren, who then turned and threw to 2nd where Felipe Lopez tagged out Pierre for the inning ending DP.
We all thought that the score would remain the same, except that Ethier never tagged up and scored before Pierre was tagged. Since the DBacks all left the field, the run was counted because they never appealed the play at 3rd. Had they stayed on the field and done so, then the run would not have counted. So, it was 1-1.
You get all of that?
I'm not sure I did either, but that's the story. Anyway, in the 3rd Rafael Furcal started things with a walk, and Manny Ramirez walked 1 out later. James Loney, still hitting cleanup, singled to score Raffy for the 2-1 lead. Russell Martin followed up with a double play, continuing his slump. Oh well.
The rest of the game flew by after the 3rd. Haren struggled the first 3 innings, getting near 70 pitches, but settled down. Wolf was simply brilliant all day, mixing his breaking stuff and fastball and keeping all hitters off balance. After Lopez started the game with a double, he didn't give up a hit until Chad Tracy started the 8th with a single. In all, 15 men in a row were retired. It certainly wasn't overpowering, but it was fantastic control that was the key. His final line was 7 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K.
With the rotation thin right now with Hiroki Kuroda's injury and the bullpen getting plenty of work, it was good that Wolf could go so long. Hong-Chih Kuo came on in the 8th with a runner on and did what he does best - blow hitters away and get a hold. Jonathan Broxton was much the same as he went 3-3 in save situations.
Up next is the home opener against the San Francisco Giants. I know I've said this a lot already, but the pitching matchup will again be exciting to watch. Chad Billingsley goes against Randy Johnson. I'm glad Johnson gets the start because it will be like his DBack days when the division rival comes to Dodger Stadium. Tuesday will be a day off.
The offensive surge is here
A day after the Dodgers suffered a bad loss to the Diamondbacks, I talked about how the offense had yet to really break out. Perhaps a few tweaks in the lineup would help, along with more production from the bottom part of the lineup.
Last night, it all happened.
Catching a break by not facing Brandon Webb, the Dodgers exploded against Yusmeiro Petit and got an easy victory, 11-2. Eric Stults filled in for the injured Hiroki Kuroda and put in another quality start for a win.
It actually took until the 4th to get things going. In fact, the first 10 hitters were set down in order, and it looked like another struggle of a night was on hand. But, old DBack Orlando Hudson homered into right for the 1-0 lead. Back-to-back walks to Manny Ramirez and James Loney (hitting cleanup instead of Andre Ethier) proved deadly as Russell Martin, fresh from a day off, doubled to score them both.
That was really all the Dodgers would need. In the 6th they tacked on 5 more runs, with Andre Ethier scoring 2 on a double, a sac-fly by Matt Kemp, and run scoring singles by Casey Blake and Rafael Furcal. 3 walks and a wild pitch helped along the way.
Hitting is contagious, and last night proved it. Only Hudson hit a homer, so the other 10 runs came on timely hitting and sacrifices. Even with Manny, the Dodgers still aren't a team to out-homer you, so they'll have to get more hits with runners on like they did last night. And it was good to see them get the bats hot.
The lineup was switched a little, as Loney hit cleanup, Martin 5th, and Ethier dropped to 6th. It was good to get some pressure off of Ethier, who hasn't done anything hitting cleanup this year. Loney is hot, and even with little power, it was the right call to put him there. Ethier still was only 1-5, but that hit was the 2-run double.
As for Stults, he continues to make the case that he should stay in LA with 5.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. Everytime the ball is given to him for a spot start, he responds very well. Couple that with James McDonald's horrible start the other night, and perhaps Stults will be a starter sooner than we think. It's early to say that, but be aware of it.
Today's matchup will be fun to watch with Randy Wolf against Dan Haren. Wolf wasn't sharp at all against the Padres his first start, but Haren with really good against the Rockies, taking the tough-luck loss when his team gave him 0 runs. Juan Pierre will get his first start today for Matt Kemp. Have to throw the guy a bone, I guess.
Last night, it all happened.
Catching a break by not facing Brandon Webb, the Dodgers exploded against Yusmeiro Petit and got an easy victory, 11-2. Eric Stults filled in for the injured Hiroki Kuroda and put in another quality start for a win.
It actually took until the 4th to get things going. In fact, the first 10 hitters were set down in order, and it looked like another struggle of a night was on hand. But, old DBack Orlando Hudson homered into right for the 1-0 lead. Back-to-back walks to Manny Ramirez and James Loney (hitting cleanup instead of Andre Ethier) proved deadly as Russell Martin, fresh from a day off, doubled to score them both.
That was really all the Dodgers would need. In the 6th they tacked on 5 more runs, with Andre Ethier scoring 2 on a double, a sac-fly by Matt Kemp, and run scoring singles by Casey Blake and Rafael Furcal. 3 walks and a wild pitch helped along the way.
Hitting is contagious, and last night proved it. Only Hudson hit a homer, so the other 10 runs came on timely hitting and sacrifices. Even with Manny, the Dodgers still aren't a team to out-homer you, so they'll have to get more hits with runners on like they did last night. And it was good to see them get the bats hot.
The lineup was switched a little, as Loney hit cleanup, Martin 5th, and Ethier dropped to 6th. It was good to get some pressure off of Ethier, who hasn't done anything hitting cleanup this year. Loney is hot, and even with little power, it was the right call to put him there. Ethier still was only 1-5, but that hit was the 2-run double.
As for Stults, he continues to make the case that he should stay in LA with 5.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. Everytime the ball is given to him for a spot start, he responds very well. Couple that with James McDonald's horrible start the other night, and perhaps Stults will be a starter sooner than we think. It's early to say that, but be aware of it.
Today's matchup will be fun to watch with Randy Wolf against Dan Haren. Wolf wasn't sharp at all against the Padres his first start, but Haren with really good against the Rockies, taking the tough-luck loss when his team gave him 0 runs. Juan Pierre will get his first start today for Matt Kemp. Have to throw the guy a bone, I guess.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Kruoda lands on the DL with strained oblique
Citing more precautionary purposes, Hiroki Kuroda was placed on the 15-day DL with a strained left oblique muscle, retroactive to Tuesday. He'll be eligible to be activated on April 22.
The Dodgers are saying that this is just to be careful, obviously being really early in the year. Kuroda wanted to start, but wasn't allowed to. After pitching well on Monday in a victory over the Padres, he felt tightness after his bullpen session on Wednesday.
With the Dodgers already facing a lack of depth as far as options in the rotation, this is thankfully not supposed to be a big deal. Still, even missing one start from the Opening Day starter is an issue. If all goes well, he wants to throw in 4-5 days. I hope that's the case.
With Jason Schmidt DL'd and not ready to start even if he wasn't, Eric Stults is on his was back to LA to make today's start. Ok, he's heading to Arizona, but you get the point. He was 2-3 last year, but with a very respectable 3.49 ERA. The Dodgers can really use at least 6 innings from him tonight to give the bullpen a blow.
The Dodgers are saying that this is just to be careful, obviously being really early in the year. Kuroda wanted to start, but wasn't allowed to. After pitching well on Monday in a victory over the Padres, he felt tightness after his bullpen session on Wednesday.
With the Dodgers already facing a lack of depth as far as options in the rotation, this is thankfully not supposed to be a big deal. Still, even missing one start from the Opening Day starter is an issue. If all goes well, he wants to throw in 4-5 days. I hope that's the case.
With Jason Schmidt DL'd and not ready to start even if he wasn't, Eric Stults is on his was back to LA to make today's start. Ok, he's heading to Arizona, but you get the point. He was 2-3 last year, but with a very respectable 3.49 ERA. The Dodgers can really use at least 6 innings from him tonight to give the bullpen a blow.
McDonald crushed in the 3rd
James McDonald will have better nights than this.
Cruising along nicely by throwing only 20 pitches in the first 2 innings, McDonald was bombed and chased in the 3rd inning as the Diamondbacks tagged him for 5 runs. The Dodgers made a bit of a late push, but it wasn't enough as the DBacks took the first game between division rivals, 9-4.
This was not a very fun game to watch. The potential problems the Dodgers faced coming into this season all turned out to be true: back end of the rotation, lack of depth in bullpen, and people other than Manny Ramirez getting big hits. The critics looked good after last night.
McDonald finished with 2.1 IP, 2 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 2 K. Now I know that if you didn't see the game and looked at that line, you probably wondered how the heck you can give up 5 runs on only 2 hits. That's because the 3 walks all came in the 3rd, and throw in a hit batter and an error by Casey Blake, and there you have it.
There's no doubting McDonald's stuff, as he showed really nice off-speed pitches and fastball when he was locating it. But wow, he was really lost in the 3rd to say the least. Not pretty. Give the DBacks credit - they came through with men on base, something the Dodgers haven't done yet.
About the only highlights to this one for the men in blue was Blake's 2-run shot in the 7th and Manny's RBI single in the 8th to cut it to 6-4. So all hope was not lost, but Guillermo Moto was awful in the bottom of the frame and Will Ohman wasn't much better, which showcased that lack of depth I talked about before.
I'm still waiting for the Dodgers to have that one inning where they just break out and score a bunch of runs. So before we all anoint the Dodgers as this great offensive team, the guys in the bottom part of the order have to do better than that. Andre Ethier, Casey Blake, and Russell Martin (who had last night off) need to be more consistent.
I know it's still early, but I think Joe Torre should move Matt Kemp up to the cleanup spot and move Ethier down a little. Both Kemp and Loney are hitting .368, and with Ethier at .250 and the team not scoring much, it would be worth a shot. Plus Ethier's only 1-10 with runners on, killing any chance of a big inning.
Today's matchup is interesting, not so much because of what it is, but because of what it would have been. Both Hiroki Kuroda and Brandon Webb are hurt, so it'll be the matchup of a lifetime - Eric Stults vs. Yusmeiro Petit. Yes!
Cruising along nicely by throwing only 20 pitches in the first 2 innings, McDonald was bombed and chased in the 3rd inning as the Diamondbacks tagged him for 5 runs. The Dodgers made a bit of a late push, but it wasn't enough as the DBacks took the first game between division rivals, 9-4.
This was not a very fun game to watch. The potential problems the Dodgers faced coming into this season all turned out to be true: back end of the rotation, lack of depth in bullpen, and people other than Manny Ramirez getting big hits. The critics looked good after last night.
McDonald finished with 2.1 IP, 2 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 2 K. Now I know that if you didn't see the game and looked at that line, you probably wondered how the heck you can give up 5 runs on only 2 hits. That's because the 3 walks all came in the 3rd, and throw in a hit batter and an error by Casey Blake, and there you have it.
There's no doubting McDonald's stuff, as he showed really nice off-speed pitches and fastball when he was locating it. But wow, he was really lost in the 3rd to say the least. Not pretty. Give the DBacks credit - they came through with men on base, something the Dodgers haven't done yet.
About the only highlights to this one for the men in blue was Blake's 2-run shot in the 7th and Manny's RBI single in the 8th to cut it to 6-4. So all hope was not lost, but Guillermo Moto was awful in the bottom of the frame and Will Ohman wasn't much better, which showcased that lack of depth I talked about before.
I'm still waiting for the Dodgers to have that one inning where they just break out and score a bunch of runs. So before we all anoint the Dodgers as this great offensive team, the guys in the bottom part of the order have to do better than that. Andre Ethier, Casey Blake, and Russell Martin (who had last night off) need to be more consistent.
I know it's still early, but I think Joe Torre should move Matt Kemp up to the cleanup spot and move Ethier down a little. Both Kemp and Loney are hitting .368, and with Ethier at .250 and the team not scoring much, it would be worth a shot. Plus Ethier's only 1-10 with runners on, killing any chance of a big inning.
Today's matchup is interesting, not so much because of what it is, but because of what it would have been. Both Hiroki Kuroda and Brandon Webb are hurt, so it'll be the matchup of a lifetime - Eric Stults vs. Yusmeiro Petit. Yes!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Despite plenty of chances, Dodgers can't break through
Today is one of those games I tell myself 2 things: it's still early and every team suffers through bad losses like this.
Still, it didn't help me a whole lot after the game when the Dodgers wasted away a 3-1, 8th inning lead to give the Padres a 4-3 edge heading to the 9th. Then they wasted away a leadoff triple by Orlando Hudson to strand him and lose.
Clayton Kershaw battled through control problems much like Chad Billingsley last night, but just like Bills again, only gave up 2 runs. He deserved to get the win, but that just didn't happen. On top of 6 K's in 5 innings, he even singled and scored a run in the 3rd.
Knotted at 1 heading into the 6th, Matt Kemp came through with a big 2 out, 2-run single to score Andre Ethier and Russell Martin to get the lead at 3-1. The score stayed that way the next 2 innings thanks to the Major League debut of Ronald Belisario, who K'd 4. Pretty good stuff.
What wasn't good was how awful Will Ohman and Corey Wade were in the 8th. Ohman gave up a solo bomb to Adrian Gonzalez, who had been held in check quite nicely the whole series until that. Wade came on and proceeded to do absolutely nothing, getting pounded by a Nick Hundley single to tie it at 3 and a double to Luis Rodriguez to be down 4-3. Nothing he threw looked good.
Despite coughing up the lead, Hudson clocked a triple to deep center to start the 9th, and it was looking like at least they could extend the game. Instead, Manny Ramirez grounded out to the infield playing shallow, so no run. Andre Ethier worked a walk for runners on the corners and 1 down.
Enter Martin, who earlier in the game grounded into a force play with the bases loaded and 2 down. The pessimistic side of me said that he would ground into a double play to the end the game... so he promptly grounded into a double play to end the game. Do I know my team or what?
I think it's a good thing that Martin has tomorrow off, because those are 2 at-bats he would much like to forget. Letting him rest and regroup is a good call.
While the bullpen wasn't any good today, they were the first 3 games. The real problem is that the offense still hasn't had a breakout game. 11 more runners were left on base today to go along with 10 yesterday. They're drawing walks, but just aren't getting enough clutch hits. Hopefully they'll snap out of it soon.
I'll just have to accept the fact that they're 2-2, but should easily be 3-1, so oh well. Next up is 3 in Arizona. Like I said last night, the good news is that Brandon Webb will not make a start because of a sore shoulder. They will see Danny Haren on Sunday, however. James McDonald makes his first Big League start tomorrow, so that will be fun to watch how he reacts to starting.
Still, it didn't help me a whole lot after the game when the Dodgers wasted away a 3-1, 8th inning lead to give the Padres a 4-3 edge heading to the 9th. Then they wasted away a leadoff triple by Orlando Hudson to strand him and lose.
Clayton Kershaw battled through control problems much like Chad Billingsley last night, but just like Bills again, only gave up 2 runs. He deserved to get the win, but that just didn't happen. On top of 6 K's in 5 innings, he even singled and scored a run in the 3rd.
Knotted at 1 heading into the 6th, Matt Kemp came through with a big 2 out, 2-run single to score Andre Ethier and Russell Martin to get the lead at 3-1. The score stayed that way the next 2 innings thanks to the Major League debut of Ronald Belisario, who K'd 4. Pretty good stuff.
What wasn't good was how awful Will Ohman and Corey Wade were in the 8th. Ohman gave up a solo bomb to Adrian Gonzalez, who had been held in check quite nicely the whole series until that. Wade came on and proceeded to do absolutely nothing, getting pounded by a Nick Hundley single to tie it at 3 and a double to Luis Rodriguez to be down 4-3. Nothing he threw looked good.
Despite coughing up the lead, Hudson clocked a triple to deep center to start the 9th, and it was looking like at least they could extend the game. Instead, Manny Ramirez grounded out to the infield playing shallow, so no run. Andre Ethier worked a walk for runners on the corners and 1 down.
Enter Martin, who earlier in the game grounded into a force play with the bases loaded and 2 down. The pessimistic side of me said that he would ground into a double play to the end the game... so he promptly grounded into a double play to end the game. Do I know my team or what?
I think it's a good thing that Martin has tomorrow off, because those are 2 at-bats he would much like to forget. Letting him rest and regroup is a good call.
While the bullpen wasn't any good today, they were the first 3 games. The real problem is that the offense still hasn't had a breakout game. 11 more runners were left on base today to go along with 10 yesterday. They're drawing walks, but just aren't getting enough clutch hits. Hopefully they'll snap out of it soon.
I'll just have to accept the fact that they're 2-2, but should easily be 3-1, so oh well. Next up is 3 in Arizona. Like I said last night, the good news is that Brandon Webb will not make a start because of a sore shoulder. They will see Danny Haren on Sunday, however. James McDonald makes his first Big League start tomorrow, so that will be fun to watch how he reacts to starting.
Manny's double in the 7th lifts Dodgers
Manny Ramirez made his first big impact with the Dodgers by hitting a 2-run double in the 7th, breaking a 2-all tie and carrying them to a win, 5-2. That was his 3rd RBI of the game after an RBI groundout in the 1st.
The first couple of innings saw a run apiece for the Dodgers, with Manny's RBI coming first. In the 2nd with 2 outs, Casey Blake launched a solo shot into deep left to get a 2 run edge. That was his first hit of the season after going hitless in the first 2.
Chad Billingsley faced very little resistance the first 4 innings, then hit a wall in the 5th, kind of like Hiroki Kuroda a couple nights before. Up 2-0 and facing the bottom 2 in the order, he promptly walked the bases loaded without getting anybody out. That was a flashback to his wild days when walks came quite often.
He thankfully only surrendered a couple runs, but the Padres ran themselves out of the inning. Jody Gerut had an RBI fielder's choice for 1 down and runners on the corners. David Eckstein hit a sac-fly RBI, but Gerut got greedy and tried to go to 2nd, only to have James Loney cut off the throw to home and quickly get him at 2nd. Not a good decision.
That would be it until the 7th when Manny followed consecutive singles by Rafael Furcal and Orlando Hudson to plate them both. Loney drove him in with a single 2 outs later.
Billingsley ran out of steam in the 5th, but still picked up the win with 6 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 4 K. The 4 walks is too high, but 2 hits is pretty darn good. More great bullpen work followed with scoreless innings by Cory Wade, Hong Chih-Kuo, and save from Jonathan Broxton, K'ing 2.
The final game will be this afternoon with Clayton Kershaw taking the mound. The bats really haven't busted out yet, but they've had chances with runners on. Once the bottom part of the order starts getting those hits with runners on, they'll be clicking.
The first couple of innings saw a run apiece for the Dodgers, with Manny's RBI coming first. In the 2nd with 2 outs, Casey Blake launched a solo shot into deep left to get a 2 run edge. That was his first hit of the season after going hitless in the first 2.
Chad Billingsley faced very little resistance the first 4 innings, then hit a wall in the 5th, kind of like Hiroki Kuroda a couple nights before. Up 2-0 and facing the bottom 2 in the order, he promptly walked the bases loaded without getting anybody out. That was a flashback to his wild days when walks came quite often.
He thankfully only surrendered a couple runs, but the Padres ran themselves out of the inning. Jody Gerut had an RBI fielder's choice for 1 down and runners on the corners. David Eckstein hit a sac-fly RBI, but Gerut got greedy and tried to go to 2nd, only to have James Loney cut off the throw to home and quickly get him at 2nd. Not a good decision.
That would be it until the 7th when Manny followed consecutive singles by Rafael Furcal and Orlando Hudson to plate them both. Loney drove him in with a single 2 outs later.
Billingsley ran out of steam in the 5th, but still picked up the win with 6 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 4 K. The 4 walks is too high, but 2 hits is pretty darn good. More great bullpen work followed with scoreless innings by Cory Wade, Hong Chih-Kuo, and save from Jonathan Broxton, K'ing 2.
The final game will be this afternoon with Clayton Kershaw taking the mound. The bats really haven't busted out yet, but they've had chances with runners on. Once the bottom part of the order starts getting those hits with runners on, they'll be clicking.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
A few notes for upcoming games
Vin Scully was just talking about the next few games, and he relayed a message from Joe Torre that Rafael Furcal will get tomorrow off (day game after a night game). Blake DeWitt gets the start at short.
On Friday in Arizona, Russell Martin will get a rest, so look for Brad Ausmus to see his first action.
Finally, the Diamondbacks announced that Brandon Webb will NOT make a start against the Dodgers. Good! Not that I'm saying it's good he's hurt, but good that the Dodgers... well, "dodge" that bullet. Great play on words by me.
On Friday in Arizona, Russell Martin will get a rest, so look for Brad Ausmus to see his first action.
Finally, the Diamondbacks announced that Brandon Webb will NOT make a start against the Dodgers. Good! Not that I'm saying it's good he's hurt, but good that the Dodgers... well, "dodge" that bullet. Great play on words by me.
The undefeated season ends here
So the Dodgers won't finish 162-0. I'll enjoy being 1.000 while it lasted.
After taking a 2-1 lead in the 4th inning, the Padres scored 3 in the 6th to cruise to a 4-2 victory. Randy Wolf battled control problems all night and it finally came back to haunt him in the 6th.
There really wasn't a whole lot to this game. The Dodgers really only had a good 4th inning in which they made some noise. After K'ing in his first ab-bat, Manny Ramirez lead off with a double to center, and following Andre Ethier's flyout, Russell Martin doubled him home. The bases were soon loaded with 1 down, but Casey Blake could only manage a soft sac-fly RBI, and Wolf grounded out to end it.
Wolf wiggled out of a bases loaded, 1-out jam in the 3rd, but found no such luck in the 5th. Back-to-back singles to Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Kouzmanoff opened the inning, and Chase Headley scored them both with a double. Guilermo Mota soon came on and gave up a sac-fly to Luis Rodriguez, and that would close the scoring.
In fact, that would close out everything for the Dodgers. Matt Kemp's infield single in the 4th was the last hit they got. They took some walks, but that's it. Manny did have a chance with 2 down and 2 on in the 7th, but he popped out.
Wolf went 5.1 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, and like I said before, he never seemed to get on track. Mota combined with Will Ohman and Ronald Belisario to not allow anything else to happen.
Chad Billingsley will get his first start today against Walter Silva. Bills suffered through a bad postseason and a broken leg from a slip on the ice in the winter, so I can imagine he's itching to get things going again.
After taking a 2-1 lead in the 4th inning, the Padres scored 3 in the 6th to cruise to a 4-2 victory. Randy Wolf battled control problems all night and it finally came back to haunt him in the 6th.
There really wasn't a whole lot to this game. The Dodgers really only had a good 4th inning in which they made some noise. After K'ing in his first ab-bat, Manny Ramirez lead off with a double to center, and following Andre Ethier's flyout, Russell Martin doubled him home. The bases were soon loaded with 1 down, but Casey Blake could only manage a soft sac-fly RBI, and Wolf grounded out to end it.
Wolf wiggled out of a bases loaded, 1-out jam in the 3rd, but found no such luck in the 5th. Back-to-back singles to Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Kouzmanoff opened the inning, and Chase Headley scored them both with a double. Guilermo Mota soon came on and gave up a sac-fly to Luis Rodriguez, and that would close the scoring.
In fact, that would close out everything for the Dodgers. Matt Kemp's infield single in the 4th was the last hit they got. They took some walks, but that's it. Manny did have a chance with 2 down and 2 on in the 7th, but he popped out.
Wolf went 5.1 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, and like I said before, he never seemed to get on track. Mota combined with Will Ohman and Ronald Belisario to not allow anything else to happen.
Chad Billingsley will get his first start today against Walter Silva. Bills suffered through a bad postseason and a broken leg from a slip on the ice in the winter, so I can imagine he's itching to get things going again.
Monday, April 6, 2009
It's all good for the Dodgers on Opening Day
The Dodgers did something I haven't seen in a long time - they scored on Jake Peavy early and took pressure off their pitching. That was more than enough against a weak Padres offense as the Dodgers got the win, 4-1.
It was pretty much a textbook win for the Dodgers. String together some hits for runs, throw in a big hit, good starting pitching, and really good bullpen work. Granted the Padres aren't exactly setting the world on fire these days, but anytime you beat a guy the caliber of Peavy, you have to feel good about that.
Rafael Furcal and Orlando Hudson got things going right away in the 1st with consecutive singles. After Manny and Andre Ethier flied out, Raffy and Hudson got a double steal, followed by a walk to Russell Martin.
In the past, this is where the Dodgers would flunk miserably. Ah, but not tonight, as James Loney laced a sharp single into left, scoring 2 for the quick lead. A huge, 2-out hit against a perennial ace. Not bad.
Hiroki Kuroda proved he was worthy of Opening Day by going 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. He gave up a run in the 1st after allowing Jody Gerut's leadoff double, but cruised into the 6th after that. In the 6th he ran into trouble, loading the bases all with 2 outs. Corey Wade came on and got Kevin Kouzmanoff to ground back to the mound to end it, and pretty much put the game away. Jonathan Broxton dominated the 9th for 2 K's and save #1.
There was good balance up and down the lineup to contribute. Raffy was 2-5 with a run and stolen base, Ethier 2-3 with an RBI, Loney 3-4 with 2 RBI, and Matt Kemp launched a solo shot to center in the 7th. Manny was 0-3 with a walk that lead to a run scored in the 3rd.
Like I said yesterday, too much is usually made of Opening Day. For now, the Dodgers can feel good that they beat a really good pitcher in his park. But if they go out and lose the next 3, it's not so good. We'll see.
Tomorrow's starters are Randy Wolf against Chris Young. Wolf pitched in Petco Park last year, putting up some pretty good numbers. Young is coming off a season marred by injuries, which included a very scary liner to face from Albert Pujols. Yikes. Thankfully he's back and says he's ready to go.
It was pretty much a textbook win for the Dodgers. String together some hits for runs, throw in a big hit, good starting pitching, and really good bullpen work. Granted the Padres aren't exactly setting the world on fire these days, but anytime you beat a guy the caliber of Peavy, you have to feel good about that.
Rafael Furcal and Orlando Hudson got things going right away in the 1st with consecutive singles. After Manny and Andre Ethier flied out, Raffy and Hudson got a double steal, followed by a walk to Russell Martin.
In the past, this is where the Dodgers would flunk miserably. Ah, but not tonight, as James Loney laced a sharp single into left, scoring 2 for the quick lead. A huge, 2-out hit against a perennial ace. Not bad.
Hiroki Kuroda proved he was worthy of Opening Day by going 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. He gave up a run in the 1st after allowing Jody Gerut's leadoff double, but cruised into the 6th after that. In the 6th he ran into trouble, loading the bases all with 2 outs. Corey Wade came on and got Kevin Kouzmanoff to ground back to the mound to end it, and pretty much put the game away. Jonathan Broxton dominated the 9th for 2 K's and save #1.
There was good balance up and down the lineup to contribute. Raffy was 2-5 with a run and stolen base, Ethier 2-3 with an RBI, Loney 3-4 with 2 RBI, and Matt Kemp launched a solo shot to center in the 7th. Manny was 0-3 with a walk that lead to a run scored in the 3rd.
Like I said yesterday, too much is usually made of Opening Day. For now, the Dodgers can feel good that they beat a really good pitcher in his park. But if they go out and lose the next 3, it's not so good. We'll see.
Tomorrow's starters are Randy Wolf against Chris Young. Wolf pitched in Petco Park last year, putting up some pretty good numbers. Young is coming off a season marred by injuries, which included a very scary liner to face from Albert Pujols. Yikes. Thankfully he's back and says he's ready to go.
Today's starting lineup
Here's a quick look at the starting lineup of today's game in San Diego, 15 minutes before first pitch:
1. Rafael Furcal - SS
2. Orlando Hudson - 2B
3. Manny Ramirez - LF
4. Andre Ethier - RF
5. Russell Martin - C
6. James Loney - 1B
7. Matt Kemp - CF
8. Casey Blake - 3B
9. Hiroki Kuroda - P
That's pretty good depth with Kemp and Blake at the bottom. Should be a tough one against Jake Peavy, but CC Sabathia got hit around today, so maybe Peavy will too.
Go blue!
1. Rafael Furcal - SS
2. Orlando Hudson - 2B
3. Manny Ramirez - LF
4. Andre Ethier - RF
5. Russell Martin - C
6. James Loney - 1B
7. Matt Kemp - CF
8. Casey Blake - 3B
9. Hiroki Kuroda - P
That's pretty good depth with Kemp and Blake at the bottom. Should be a tough one against Jake Peavy, but CC Sabathia got hit around today, so maybe Peavy will too.
Go blue!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Opening Day is tomorrow!!!
Baseball season is finally here, as it all gets underway tomorrow afternoon with plenty of action. Ok, so technically it starts tonight with the Braves-Phillies, but tomorrow is the real fun.
The Dodgers will be in San Diego for 4 games, followed by 3 in Arizona, before making their way back home next Monday against the Giants. Throw in a home set against the Rockies after that, and the Dodgers will play their first 13 games against all their division rivals. It's a good place to test where they stand this early in the year.
Jake Peavy will take the mound tomorrow, the Dodger Killer. His numbers are just sick against LA, as in 13-1 with a 2.32 ERA in 22 starts. Yikes. Hiroki Kuroda goes for LA, a surprise starter by most seeing that Chad Billingsley was the guy with the great numbers last year.
The Dodgers' lineup has been much hyped now that Manny has been brought in, along with the returns of Casey Blake and Rafael Furcal, and the addition of Orlando Hudson. The Padres will have to find ways to get on base for Adrian Gonzalez, the only true run-producer for them. Guys like Jody Gerut, Kevin Kouzmanoff, and Chase Headley will be counted on to continue their development and get the offense going.
Much like opening week in the NFL, too much is made of the first game in baseball. If your team dominates, then all the offseason moves have worked. If they put up blanks, then your GM sucks! Like the Dodgers showed last season, it's not how you start, it's how you finish. And doing pretty well along the way doesn't hurt.
Baseball fans, let the games begin!
The Dodgers will be in San Diego for 4 games, followed by 3 in Arizona, before making their way back home next Monday against the Giants. Throw in a home set against the Rockies after that, and the Dodgers will play their first 13 games against all their division rivals. It's a good place to test where they stand this early in the year.
Jake Peavy will take the mound tomorrow, the Dodger Killer. His numbers are just sick against LA, as in 13-1 with a 2.32 ERA in 22 starts. Yikes. Hiroki Kuroda goes for LA, a surprise starter by most seeing that Chad Billingsley was the guy with the great numbers last year.
The Dodgers' lineup has been much hyped now that Manny has been brought in, along with the returns of Casey Blake and Rafael Furcal, and the addition of Orlando Hudson. The Padres will have to find ways to get on base for Adrian Gonzalez, the only true run-producer for them. Guys like Jody Gerut, Kevin Kouzmanoff, and Chase Headley will be counted on to continue their development and get the offense going.
Much like opening week in the NFL, too much is made of the first game in baseball. If your team dominates, then all the offseason moves have worked. If they put up blanks, then your GM sucks! Like the Dodgers showed last season, it's not how you start, it's how you finish. And doing pretty well along the way doesn't hurt.
Baseball fans, let the games begin!
McDonald annoited the 5th starter
James McDonald has been officially named the 5th starter to begin the season with the Dodgers. For about a week or so this had been the talk, but Joe Torre went on record with it yesterday.
Good for him. After watching him at the end of last season, it was obvious he was another prospect with really good stuff and a really good future. His numbers this spring haven't been very pretty - 1-2 with a 5.60 ERA - but he's given up 3 runs in his last 10.1 IP. There's plenty of reason to be excited.
But I can't help but comment that while McDonald has stepped up, he was given a huge boost by the miserable pitching of others. The Dodgers were hoping to find lightning in a bottle like they have so many times in the past by bringing in forgotten veterans and seeing who would step up. Shawn Estes, Eric Milton, Jeff Weaver, and Claudio Vargas had their chances.
And all of them failed miserably.
Estes is now trying to become a left-handed specialist, which could prolong his already shaky career. Weaver is going to Triple-A to get more innings in. I have no idea what the plans for Milton and Vargas are, but they all pretty much pitched their way out of contention.
I'm sure the Dodgers wanted to see McDonald at least start off in the bullpen and work his way up, but they have no choice. Jason Schmidt still isn't ready to pitch every 5th day, so that didn't work either.
Ready or not, here comes McDonald. His first start will be on Friday in Arizona.
Good for him. After watching him at the end of last season, it was obvious he was another prospect with really good stuff and a really good future. His numbers this spring haven't been very pretty - 1-2 with a 5.60 ERA - but he's given up 3 runs in his last 10.1 IP. There's plenty of reason to be excited.
But I can't help but comment that while McDonald has stepped up, he was given a huge boost by the miserable pitching of others. The Dodgers were hoping to find lightning in a bottle like they have so many times in the past by bringing in forgotten veterans and seeing who would step up. Shawn Estes, Eric Milton, Jeff Weaver, and Claudio Vargas had their chances.
And all of them failed miserably.
Estes is now trying to become a left-handed specialist, which could prolong his already shaky career. Weaver is going to Triple-A to get more innings in. I have no idea what the plans for Milton and Vargas are, but they all pretty much pitched their way out of contention.
I'm sure the Dodgers wanted to see McDonald at least start off in the bullpen and work his way up, but they have no choice. Jason Schmidt still isn't ready to pitch every 5th day, so that didn't work either.
Ready or not, here comes McDonald. His first start will be on Friday in Arizona.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
NL West preview: Closers
Here's the last part in my preview series, looking at the closers.
1. Brian Wilson - Giants
2. Jonathan Broxton - Dodgers
3. Chad Qualls - Diamondbacks
4. Huston Street - Rockies
5. Heath Bell - Padres
I get the feeling that I could toss all of these names in a hat, mix them up, then go with whatever order I pick them. All of these players have either done it before with bad numbers (Wilson), are just getting their feet wet (Broxton, Qualls, Bell) or are trying to overcome injures (Street).
Wilson gets the nod because even with a 4.62 ERA and 1.44 WHIP, he still saved 41 of the Giants' 72 wins. That's hard to ignore. Broxton stepped in for the injured Takashi Saito and went 14-17, then gave up only a solo homer in 5.2 IP in the playoffs. His stuff is overpowering. Qualls puts up excellent numbers across the board, so you would think he'll be good in the 9th inning as well. Street needs to prove he's over injuries and can put up good enough numbers in Colorado, or Manny Corpas will be lurking. Bell faded in the 2nd half last year, and on a mediocre team at best, it's hard to see him being that effective.
1. Brian Wilson - Giants
2. Jonathan Broxton - Dodgers
3. Chad Qualls - Diamondbacks
4. Huston Street - Rockies
5. Heath Bell - Padres
I get the feeling that I could toss all of these names in a hat, mix them up, then go with whatever order I pick them. All of these players have either done it before with bad numbers (Wilson), are just getting their feet wet (Broxton, Qualls, Bell) or are trying to overcome injures (Street).
Wilson gets the nod because even with a 4.62 ERA and 1.44 WHIP, he still saved 41 of the Giants' 72 wins. That's hard to ignore. Broxton stepped in for the injured Takashi Saito and went 14-17, then gave up only a solo homer in 5.2 IP in the playoffs. His stuff is overpowering. Qualls puts up excellent numbers across the board, so you would think he'll be good in the 9th inning as well. Street needs to prove he's over injuries and can put up good enough numbers in Colorado, or Manny Corpas will be lurking. Bell faded in the 2nd half last year, and on a mediocre team at best, it's hard to see him being that effective.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
NL West preview: Starting Pitching
Part 3 of my season preview will look at starting pitching.
1. Arizona Diamondbacks
Brandon Webb, RH
Dan Haren, RH
Doug Davis, LH
Jon Garland, RH
Max Scherzer, RH
It must be nice to have your 2nd starter as Dan Haren. Even with the departure of Randy Johnson to the Giants, this rotation is still really good. Webb and Haren are as good as you're going to get in the 1-2 spots. Garland and Davis have both done well in the past, but not so much now. Still, if one of them can put up good numbers, they'd take it. Scherzer was the phenom pitcher that came up last year who can be really good if he stays healthy.
2. San Francisco Giants
Tim Lincecum, RH
Matt Cain, RH
Randy Johnson, LH
Barry Zito, LH
Jonathan Sanchez, LH
I was close to slotting these guys in first, but I think the DBacks have a slight edge. Lincecum proved last year how dominant he is, and boy is he fun to watch. Cain seems like a guy who should be doing better, but just hasn't really broken out yet. He's still only 24, so that can change. The addition of Johnson is a good one, because with Zito still stinking up the joint, at least one lefty with a great past can still do some good things. Keep an eye on Sanchez, another young pitcher with great upside.
3. Los Angeles Dodgers
Hiroki Kuroda, RH
Chad Billingsley, RH
Randy Wolf, LH
Clayton Kershaw, LH
James McDonald, RH
A lot could go right with this rotation... and a lot could go wrong. It depends on youth and health. Kuroda showed that he's a very solid pitcher in the postseason, so he's earned the Opening Day job. Billingsley had a breakout season where he showed the stuff of a staff ace. Wolf is back, and he's a high strikeout pitcher, and a high injury risk. Kershaw and McDonald have some nasty stuff, but who knows if that translates into getting hitters out consistently. If anything, they've shown flashes that it can happen.
4. San Diego Padres
Jake Peavy, RH
Chris Young, RH
Cha Seung Baek, RH
Kevin Correia, RH
Shawn Hill, RH
It's a little hard to believe that a staff with Jake Peavy can be ranked so low, but that's because 3-5 are big question marks. Young is a very good pitcher when healthy, which didn't happen at all last year. If he's fine, then that's a good 1-2 combo. However, that's where it ends. Baek, Corriea, and Hill all have some really ugly numbers. Playing in Petco Park helps, but the bottom line is that if you suck, you'll suck anywhere!
5. Colorado Rockies
Aaron Cook, RH
Ubaldo Jimenez, RH
Jorge De La Rosa, LH
Jason Marquis, RH
Franklin Morales, LH
Poor Colorado. It's practically an automatic that anything to do with pitching, they'll be near or at the bottom of the list. But, Cook and Jimenez really aren't that bad. Cook puts up good numbers without being flashy, and Jimenez has all the flash, just not nearly as much consistency. The bottom 3 guys either aren't good anymore, or never were to begin with.
1. Arizona Diamondbacks
Brandon Webb, RH
Dan Haren, RH
Doug Davis, LH
Jon Garland, RH
Max Scherzer, RH
It must be nice to have your 2nd starter as Dan Haren. Even with the departure of Randy Johnson to the Giants, this rotation is still really good. Webb and Haren are as good as you're going to get in the 1-2 spots. Garland and Davis have both done well in the past, but not so much now. Still, if one of them can put up good numbers, they'd take it. Scherzer was the phenom pitcher that came up last year who can be really good if he stays healthy.
2. San Francisco Giants
Tim Lincecum, RH
Matt Cain, RH
Randy Johnson, LH
Barry Zito, LH
Jonathan Sanchez, LH
I was close to slotting these guys in first, but I think the DBacks have a slight edge. Lincecum proved last year how dominant he is, and boy is he fun to watch. Cain seems like a guy who should be doing better, but just hasn't really broken out yet. He's still only 24, so that can change. The addition of Johnson is a good one, because with Zito still stinking up the joint, at least one lefty with a great past can still do some good things. Keep an eye on Sanchez, another young pitcher with great upside.
3. Los Angeles Dodgers
Hiroki Kuroda, RH
Chad Billingsley, RH
Randy Wolf, LH
Clayton Kershaw, LH
James McDonald, RH
A lot could go right with this rotation... and a lot could go wrong. It depends on youth and health. Kuroda showed that he's a very solid pitcher in the postseason, so he's earned the Opening Day job. Billingsley had a breakout season where he showed the stuff of a staff ace. Wolf is back, and he's a high strikeout pitcher, and a high injury risk. Kershaw and McDonald have some nasty stuff, but who knows if that translates into getting hitters out consistently. If anything, they've shown flashes that it can happen.
4. San Diego Padres
Jake Peavy, RH
Chris Young, RH
Cha Seung Baek, RH
Kevin Correia, RH
Shawn Hill, RH
It's a little hard to believe that a staff with Jake Peavy can be ranked so low, but that's because 3-5 are big question marks. Young is a very good pitcher when healthy, which didn't happen at all last year. If he's fine, then that's a good 1-2 combo. However, that's where it ends. Baek, Corriea, and Hill all have some really ugly numbers. Playing in Petco Park helps, but the bottom line is that if you suck, you'll suck anywhere!
5. Colorado Rockies
Aaron Cook, RH
Ubaldo Jimenez, RH
Jorge De La Rosa, LH
Jason Marquis, RH
Franklin Morales, LH
Poor Colorado. It's practically an automatic that anything to do with pitching, they'll be near or at the bottom of the list. But, Cook and Jimenez really aren't that bad. Cook puts up good numbers without being flashy, and Jimenez has all the flash, just not nearly as much consistency. The bottom 3 guys either aren't good anymore, or never were to begin with.
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