The Dodgers needed someone to literally put them on his back and carry them to a victory. That's exactly why they acquired Manny Ramirez.
Manny was 3-4 with 2 homers and a double to power the Dodgers past the Arizona Diamondbacks, 6-2. The win FINALLY breaks that way-too-long losing streak of 8 games, and pushes them to within 3.5 games of the DBacks in the NL West.
The game was billed as a great pitching matchup between Chad Billingsley and Dan Haren, but Haren was the one who didn't live up to his end. It was scoreless until the 3rd when Manny hit a solo shot with 2 down. The DBacks responded with an RBI triple by Chris Young to knot the game at 1.
From there, the Dodgers' bats actually took over (yes, I did just say that). Matt Kemp, hitting in the #5 spot, singled and stole 2nd, then went to 3rd on Casey Blake's single. Angel Berroa scored Kemp on an infield single to take the lead, and Blake also scored on Stephen Drew's error. That made it 3-1.
They got on the board again when Manny doubled with 1 down in the 5th. Following an out, Kemp smacked his 16th home run of the year for the 5-1 lead. The scoring was closed in the 7th with Manny's 29th shot.
While Haren got knocked around for 5 runs off of 10 hits in 6 innings, Billingsley was awesome. He went 7 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. The 6 K's pushed him just above Haren for 2nd in the NL at strikeouts with 177 to Haren's 176 (Tim Lincecum is blowing them out with 210... whoa). Hong-Chih Kuo was great in his 2 innings of scoreless ball, K'ing 5.
It was an overall team effort that was sorely lacking the last 2 weeks. It's just 1 win out of 9 games, so it's not like everything is ok, but it had to start somewhere. They needed their best player and pitcher to step up, and that certainly happened.
Tonight is another ESPN Sunday Night Baseball game, where the Dodgers are 0-3 this season. Last week they were on against the Phillies, and they blew the lead in the 9th and lost in extras. It's Derek Lowe vs. Brandon Webb, so it's a big game. No NFL yet, so I'm sure more people will be checking this one out. Can the Dodgers play solidly and show everyone they're not done yet?
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Is it still Grady Little's fault?
Somewhere, Grady Little must be laughing his head off.
These are the same Dodgers that faded horribly late last year, and everybody called for Little's head. It must be his fault, they all said. The young guys are feuding with the old guys, and the reason for all of the finger-pointing was the manager. The Dodgers need someone who won't let that happen again, so in came Joe Torre.
One year later, it's the same crap all over again.
I hope this debunks the theory that managers have that big of an impact on a team's performance - they don't. Sure, they have SOME impact, such as who plays where and when, but the rest is up to the players. Mangers and coaches cannot hit, throw, field, or run. They can just stand there and hope for the best.
Remember when Don Mattlingly agreed to return to the team after the All-Star break, and everybody thought the offense would now shoot through the roof? How has that turned out? Yes, Donnie Baseball was a great, pure hitter in his day. But as a hitting coach, he's made no impact whatsoever. I'm not saying it's his fault, I'm just saying that no matter how many tips and tricks are tired, at the end of the day, it's up to the players. And the players aren't performing.
Torre and Mattingly are not the ones who tighten up everytime runners are in scoring position. They're not the ones who ground into DP after DP. They're not the ones who blow saves in the 9th. They're not the ones who commit 4 errors in 1 game to start this horrible stretch. Nope, they're not doing anything any differently than before when they were threatening to take over first place for good.
When it's all said and done, the Dodgers' season will ultimately come down to how badly they want to take advantage of playing in baseball's worst division (by far) and win it. For awhile it looked good, but now it sure doesn't. Yes, I understand that injuries to Rafael Furcal, Brad Penny, and Takashi Saito (to name a few) have hurt, but every team gets injuries. It's how the other players capitilize on their playing time which determines wins and losses.
Here's one other thing people need to stop grumbling about - that it's all the old guys' fault. It's not. True, I've seen just about enough of Nomar Garciaparra and Jeff Kent flunk with men on base. But I've also seen Matt Kemp not get on nearly enough, James Loney become a DP machine, and Russell Martin trail off late in the year once again. It's EVERYBODY'S fault, so deal with it. That's the truth.
Oh by the way, the Dodgers lost 9-3 to the Arizona Diamondbacks last night, their 8th straight losses. 2 errors by Nomar did them in, as well as 10 left on base. I'm not going to recap it in detail because I don't give a damn - either it's a win or a loss, and that's it at this point.
Chad Billingsley can be the hero tonight with a win. Facing Dan Haren won't help, but it doesn't matter - the Dodgers have lost to both pitchers great and bad lately. Let's see if they can break the streak or play like a team that rakes in millions of dollars, has millions of fans see them each year, yet plays with zero heart.
These are the same Dodgers that faded horribly late last year, and everybody called for Little's head. It must be his fault, they all said. The young guys are feuding with the old guys, and the reason for all of the finger-pointing was the manager. The Dodgers need someone who won't let that happen again, so in came Joe Torre.
One year later, it's the same crap all over again.
I hope this debunks the theory that managers have that big of an impact on a team's performance - they don't. Sure, they have SOME impact, such as who plays where and when, but the rest is up to the players. Mangers and coaches cannot hit, throw, field, or run. They can just stand there and hope for the best.
Remember when Don Mattlingly agreed to return to the team after the All-Star break, and everybody thought the offense would now shoot through the roof? How has that turned out? Yes, Donnie Baseball was a great, pure hitter in his day. But as a hitting coach, he's made no impact whatsoever. I'm not saying it's his fault, I'm just saying that no matter how many tips and tricks are tired, at the end of the day, it's up to the players. And the players aren't performing.
Torre and Mattingly are not the ones who tighten up everytime runners are in scoring position. They're not the ones who ground into DP after DP. They're not the ones who blow saves in the 9th. They're not the ones who commit 4 errors in 1 game to start this horrible stretch. Nope, they're not doing anything any differently than before when they were threatening to take over first place for good.
When it's all said and done, the Dodgers' season will ultimately come down to how badly they want to take advantage of playing in baseball's worst division (by far) and win it. For awhile it looked good, but now it sure doesn't. Yes, I understand that injuries to Rafael Furcal, Brad Penny, and Takashi Saito (to name a few) have hurt, but every team gets injuries. It's how the other players capitilize on their playing time which determines wins and losses.
Here's one other thing people need to stop grumbling about - that it's all the old guys' fault. It's not. True, I've seen just about enough of Nomar Garciaparra and Jeff Kent flunk with men on base. But I've also seen Matt Kemp not get on nearly enough, James Loney become a DP machine, and Russell Martin trail off late in the year once again. It's EVERYBODY'S fault, so deal with it. That's the truth.
Oh by the way, the Dodgers lost 9-3 to the Arizona Diamondbacks last night, their 8th straight losses. 2 errors by Nomar did them in, as well as 10 left on base. I'm not going to recap it in detail because I don't give a damn - either it's a win or a loss, and that's it at this point.
Chad Billingsley can be the hero tonight with a win. Facing Dan Haren won't help, but it doesn't matter - the Dodgers have lost to both pitchers great and bad lately. Let's see if they can break the streak or play like a team that rakes in millions of dollars, has millions of fans see them each year, yet plays with zero heart.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Dodgers suffer embarrassing sweep in Washington
Normally, a trip to Washington would be just the thing to cure a team's ills. After all, they Nationals are still one of the worst teams in the league, and a couple of wins is pretty much a sure thing.
But, these are the Los Angeles Dodgers, where nothing they do is the easy way.
As a result, the Dodgers have just been drilled into the ground, suffering a 3 game sweep after losing last night's game, 11-2. The game was promising for 1/2 of an inning, then completely downhill after that. Kind of like the Dodgers' season - downhill in a hurry.
Manny Ramirez got the Dodgers on the board with a 2-run shot in the 1st to score Andre Ehtier. Yay! Then Jeff Kent walked and James Loney was hit by a pitch. Horray! With 1 out, Casey Blake struck out and Danny Ardoin fouled out to first. That's Dodger baseball!
Clayton Kershaw started off the bottom of the 1st with a K, and then he tanked miserably. Christian Guzman hit a solo homer and Elijah Dukes belted a 3-run shot. It was 5-2 after 1, and the umpires should have just called the game at that point. Why bother playing more?
I would give a recap on the rest of the game, but what the hell is the point? I'll just look at the Dodgers' bullpen, which was horrible. Ramon Troncoso pitched 3 innings for some reason and gave up 3 runs, Cory Wade returned to give up a run in an inning, and Joe Beimel gave up 2 runs in an inning. Getting pounded by the Washington Nationals... ya, that may actually be worse than watching the offense flail away with no success.
So now it's off to Arizona, where the NL West is up for grabs. It's still only a 3.5 game difference between the 2, which is pretty sad considering the Dodgers haven't won in like 2 weeks. Hiroki Kuroda is tonight's starter, and he should have gotten the win last Sunday against the Phillies. Of course, the Dodgers choked that one away.
If the Dodgers want any chance of taking this division, they need at least 2 of the 3. That way, they'd be 2.5 games back, which is manageable distance. But, getting swept means 6.5 back, and all hope is gone. We will see...
But, these are the Los Angeles Dodgers, where nothing they do is the easy way.
As a result, the Dodgers have just been drilled into the ground, suffering a 3 game sweep after losing last night's game, 11-2. The game was promising for 1/2 of an inning, then completely downhill after that. Kind of like the Dodgers' season - downhill in a hurry.
Manny Ramirez got the Dodgers on the board with a 2-run shot in the 1st to score Andre Ehtier. Yay! Then Jeff Kent walked and James Loney was hit by a pitch. Horray! With 1 out, Casey Blake struck out and Danny Ardoin fouled out to first. That's Dodger baseball!
Clayton Kershaw started off the bottom of the 1st with a K, and then he tanked miserably. Christian Guzman hit a solo homer and Elijah Dukes belted a 3-run shot. It was 5-2 after 1, and the umpires should have just called the game at that point. Why bother playing more?
I would give a recap on the rest of the game, but what the hell is the point? I'll just look at the Dodgers' bullpen, which was horrible. Ramon Troncoso pitched 3 innings for some reason and gave up 3 runs, Cory Wade returned to give up a run in an inning, and Joe Beimel gave up 2 runs in an inning. Getting pounded by the Washington Nationals... ya, that may actually be worse than watching the offense flail away with no success.
So now it's off to Arizona, where the NL West is up for grabs. It's still only a 3.5 game difference between the 2, which is pretty sad considering the Dodgers haven't won in like 2 weeks. Hiroki Kuroda is tonight's starter, and he should have gotten the win last Sunday against the Phillies. Of course, the Dodgers choked that one away.
If the Dodgers want any chance of taking this division, they need at least 2 of the 3. That way, they'd be 2.5 games back, which is manageable distance. But, getting swept means 6.5 back, and all hope is gone. We will see...
Thursday, August 28, 2008
3 home runs... and 6 straight losses
Leave it to the Dodgers to hit 3 home runs and still only score 4 runs. The result, not surprisingly at all, was another loss to the Washington Nationals, 5-4. The Arizona Diamondbacks also lost, as both teams seem like they don't give a damn to win the division, so it's still 3 games back in the NL West.
The Dodgers somewhat broke out of their slump with 2 homers in the 2nd. James Loney led off with one, and Casey Blake hit one out with 2 down. Of course, there should have been men on base, but Nomar Garciaparra grounded into his 763rd double play of the season right before that. Man, I am really sick of seeing his name in the lineup. Just play somebody else!
The Nationals chipped away and then took the lead the next few innings. Jesus Flores had an RBI single in the 2nd, Lasting Milledge had an RBI fielder's choice in the 3rd, Ronnie Belliard had an RBI single also in the 3rd, and Emilio Bonifacio scored on Jeff Kent's error in the 4th. Another great, clutch play by Kent. In all, it was 4 runs for a 4-2 lead.
Andre Ethier tried his best to get the Dodgers back into the game with a homer in the 5th. But, you guessed it... it was a solo shot. That's because when they actually do hit homers, nobody else can get on base. When they don't hit homers, everyone gets on base. That's how life has been the last couple of weeks.
Ryan Zimmerman launched a solo shot to get the lead for the Nats back up to 5-3. The Dodgers certainly had their chances to either tie or get the lead back in the 8th. Blake came through with a single to score Manny Ramirez to make it 5-4. The bases were then loaded with 2 down... and here we go again for the Dodgers. Matt Kemp was given the opportunity to come through, and naturally flew out to left. Game, set, and match.
Greg Maddux was certainly better than his first outing in blue, going 5.1 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K. 2 of his runs were unearned, but a throwing error by Maddux himself was to blame, so it's not like the guys behind him let him down. Good Lord, if Maddux, a perennial Gold Glove winner, starts making errors, then you know things are going sour.
The Dodgers will try to avoid an embarrassing sweep today at the hands of the Nats by giving the ball to Clayton Kershaw. His last start was awful in Philadelphia, but overall, he's had a pretty good year. You know the deal though... it all depends on if the offense wants to show up.
The Dodgers somewhat broke out of their slump with 2 homers in the 2nd. James Loney led off with one, and Casey Blake hit one out with 2 down. Of course, there should have been men on base, but Nomar Garciaparra grounded into his 763rd double play of the season right before that. Man, I am really sick of seeing his name in the lineup. Just play somebody else!
The Nationals chipped away and then took the lead the next few innings. Jesus Flores had an RBI single in the 2nd, Lasting Milledge had an RBI fielder's choice in the 3rd, Ronnie Belliard had an RBI single also in the 3rd, and Emilio Bonifacio scored on Jeff Kent's error in the 4th. Another great, clutch play by Kent. In all, it was 4 runs for a 4-2 lead.
Andre Ethier tried his best to get the Dodgers back into the game with a homer in the 5th. But, you guessed it... it was a solo shot. That's because when they actually do hit homers, nobody else can get on base. When they don't hit homers, everyone gets on base. That's how life has been the last couple of weeks.
Ryan Zimmerman launched a solo shot to get the lead for the Nats back up to 5-3. The Dodgers certainly had their chances to either tie or get the lead back in the 8th. Blake came through with a single to score Manny Ramirez to make it 5-4. The bases were then loaded with 2 down... and here we go again for the Dodgers. Matt Kemp was given the opportunity to come through, and naturally flew out to left. Game, set, and match.
Greg Maddux was certainly better than his first outing in blue, going 5.1 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K. 2 of his runs were unearned, but a throwing error by Maddux himself was to blame, so it's not like the guys behind him let him down. Good Lord, if Maddux, a perennial Gold Glove winner, starts making errors, then you know things are going sour.
The Dodgers will try to avoid an embarrassing sweep today at the hands of the Nats by giving the ball to Clayton Kershaw. His last start was awful in Philadelphia, but overall, he's had a pretty good year. You know the deal though... it all depends on if the offense wants to show up.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
DeWitt is back while Ozuna walks
In an effort to do anything to shake up their anemic offense, the Dodgers have recalled Blake DeWitt from Triple-A Las Vegas and designated Pablo Ozuna for assignment.
I can't say I'm too surprised by this. I'll give the Dodgers credit for not just sitting around and watching the same guys screw up time and time again. It's not like this is a major move or anything like that, but who knows, maybe DeWitt can recreate some of that magic he had to start the year when he was NL Rookie of the Month for May.
Since being sent to the Minors, DeWitt has played well. In 26 games, he's hit .303 with 4 HR and 18 RBI. In the past 4 games, he's 11-19 with 3 doubles, a homer, and 8 RBI's. I'm glad he didn't sulk about his demotion and quit playing hard. He made the most of his opportunity to get better and he has.
On the flip side, Ozuna did everything he could to convince the Dodgers why he's not even a good bench player. Well, I shouldn't be too hard on him defensively, because he didn't commit any errors in 41 chances playing both infield and outfield. But at the plate, he was deplorable. 3-18 with 1 RBI. If the Dodgers were hitting well, this move would probably not be made. That's how lousy things have been lately.
There's still the possibility of Ozuna clearing waivers, going to the Minors for all of a few days, then being recalled when rosters are expanded to 40 in September.
I can't say I'm too surprised by this. I'll give the Dodgers credit for not just sitting around and watching the same guys screw up time and time again. It's not like this is a major move or anything like that, but who knows, maybe DeWitt can recreate some of that magic he had to start the year when he was NL Rookie of the Month for May.
Since being sent to the Minors, DeWitt has played well. In 26 games, he's hit .303 with 4 HR and 18 RBI. In the past 4 games, he's 11-19 with 3 doubles, a homer, and 8 RBI's. I'm glad he didn't sulk about his demotion and quit playing hard. He made the most of his opportunity to get better and he has.
On the flip side, Ozuna did everything he could to convince the Dodgers why he's not even a good bench player. Well, I shouldn't be too hard on him defensively, because he didn't commit any errors in 41 chances playing both infield and outfield. But at the plate, he was deplorable. 3-18 with 1 RBI. If the Dodgers were hitting well, this move would probably not be made. That's how lousy things have been lately.
There's still the possibility of Ozuna clearing waivers, going to the Minors for all of a few days, then being recalled when rosters are expanded to 40 in September.
More double play woes for Dodgers
The losing streak for the Dodgers has now hit 5 games as they bowed down to the Washington Nationals, 2-1. Arizona Diamondbacks lost as well (does anybody even want to win this division?), so the lead is still 3 games for them.
Bet you'll be shocked to hear that the Dodgers had plenty of chances to score, yet threw each and every one of them in the garbage. That's what they do best - blow one opportunity after another. In all, they hit into 4 double plays and left 10 men on base. Yup, definitely not surprised.
So let's take a closer look at this one. Nomar Garciaparra hit into a DP to end the 2nd, Matt Kemp hit into one to end the 3rd, and Russell Martin hit into one to end the 8th. I think they should try reverse psychology - they should TRY to hit into double plays, and instead they may actually get a hit. Worth a shot.
My favorite inning of them all was the 6th. Here's the rundown: Manny Ramirez led off with a double. James Loney singled for runners on 1st and 3rd. Martin reached on a fielder's choice, and the bases were loaded with no outs. How did the Dodgers take advantage of this golden opportunity? Well, Nomar lined into a DP, and after an intentional pass to Casey Blake to load the bases again, Derek Lowe struck out.
By my count, that meant the Dodgers actually had the bases loaded TWICE in the same inning, and got ZERO runs. That's so pathetic, I don't even need to say anything else.
Lowe was great again, pitching a complete game, but gets the L. He went 8 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. There's really not a whole lot else he could do, yet this team just refuses to do jack crap at the plate for him, so his record is now 10-11 with a 3.81 ERA. I wouldn't blame him one bit if he wants to leave at the end of this year. He deserves so much better.
As for the lineup, Kemp and Andre Ethier went a combined 0-10 in the first 2 spots. Nice. Jeff Kent was a blistering 1-4. Boy, he sure has sucked since that old sack of crap decided to whine about Vin Scully. Nomar was 0-3 and is now hitting .152 in August. I take back what I said before about how he can still hit. He sucks.
Manny was 3-4, yet scored no runs. Great support around him as usual.
Now here's the funny thing: Arizona certainly isn't seizing the opportunity to take this division, so it's still within striking distance. I think Major League Baseball should revoke the West's ability to place a team in the playoffs. This division is a complete joke and the laughingstock of baseball.
Now it's up to Greg Maddux to break the losing streak, and considering he's the one that started it last Friday, it would be ideal for him to do so. There's still 2 games left before the 3 game set with Arizona, so these are big. Maybe someone will actually hit a home run tonight! Well, I can dream...
Bet you'll be shocked to hear that the Dodgers had plenty of chances to score, yet threw each and every one of them in the garbage. That's what they do best - blow one opportunity after another. In all, they hit into 4 double plays and left 10 men on base. Yup, definitely not surprised.
So let's take a closer look at this one. Nomar Garciaparra hit into a DP to end the 2nd, Matt Kemp hit into one to end the 3rd, and Russell Martin hit into one to end the 8th. I think they should try reverse psychology - they should TRY to hit into double plays, and instead they may actually get a hit. Worth a shot.
My favorite inning of them all was the 6th. Here's the rundown: Manny Ramirez led off with a double. James Loney singled for runners on 1st and 3rd. Martin reached on a fielder's choice, and the bases were loaded with no outs. How did the Dodgers take advantage of this golden opportunity? Well, Nomar lined into a DP, and after an intentional pass to Casey Blake to load the bases again, Derek Lowe struck out.
By my count, that meant the Dodgers actually had the bases loaded TWICE in the same inning, and got ZERO runs. That's so pathetic, I don't even need to say anything else.
Lowe was great again, pitching a complete game, but gets the L. He went 8 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. There's really not a whole lot else he could do, yet this team just refuses to do jack crap at the plate for him, so his record is now 10-11 with a 3.81 ERA. I wouldn't blame him one bit if he wants to leave at the end of this year. He deserves so much better.
As for the lineup, Kemp and Andre Ethier went a combined 0-10 in the first 2 spots. Nice. Jeff Kent was a blistering 1-4. Boy, he sure has sucked since that old sack of crap decided to whine about Vin Scully. Nomar was 0-3 and is now hitting .152 in August. I take back what I said before about how he can still hit. He sucks.
Manny was 3-4, yet scored no runs. Great support around him as usual.
Now here's the funny thing: Arizona certainly isn't seizing the opportunity to take this division, so it's still within striking distance. I think Major League Baseball should revoke the West's ability to place a team in the playoffs. This division is a complete joke and the laughingstock of baseball.
Now it's up to Greg Maddux to break the losing streak, and considering he's the one that started it last Friday, it would be ideal for him to do so. There's still 2 games left before the 3 game set with Arizona, so these are big. Maybe someone will actually hit a home run tonight! Well, I can dream...
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Is this it for the Dodgers in 2008?
After suffering through another humiliating loss last night against the Phillies, I can't help but wonder if that was the final nail in the coffin for the Dodgers in '08.
The Phils put the final touches on a 4 game sweep of the Dodgers, returning for the favor for getting swept themselves last week in LA. At least in that series, the Dodgers needed 2 walk-off hits to get wins, and won the other 2 by 2 runs each. In other words, the Phils put up a fight. How did the Dodgers do this series? Outscored 27-5.
In other words, they put up absolutely zero fight.
There's really not a whole lot to even say right now - I said a lot yesterday. You may as well just cut and paste it. I'm not sure how it's humanly possible for a team to get 13 hits and SCORE ZERO RUNS, but that's our beloved Dodgers!
14 men left on base, and 9 of those with 2 down and RISP. That's hard to do. Really, it is. It takes a team with a special kind of talent to be that pathetic when it counts. At least I'll give the Dodgers this - they sucked to start this series, and carried that through all 4 games.
In my mind, this all started on August 20 when they committed 4 errors to hand over a game to the Colorado Rockies. Ever since then, their play may as well be piled into a big, heaping sack of CRAP. Since Andre Ethier's walk-off homer to beat the Brewers on August 17, they're 1-6. That shows me that instead of playing hard and doing the things necessary to keep the momentum, they all got cocky and just assumed they'd win the division. And that's exactly why they're not.
It's now on to Washington, and these are 3 games they can easily win. Of course, with the way things have been going, they can also get swept. Derek Lowe is the starter, and he's the last guy to get a win on this team. As in last Thursday. He'll need to practically carry the team tonight for a rare win.
The Phils put the final touches on a 4 game sweep of the Dodgers, returning for the favor for getting swept themselves last week in LA. At least in that series, the Dodgers needed 2 walk-off hits to get wins, and won the other 2 by 2 runs each. In other words, the Phils put up a fight. How did the Dodgers do this series? Outscored 27-5.
In other words, they put up absolutely zero fight.
There's really not a whole lot to even say right now - I said a lot yesterday. You may as well just cut and paste it. I'm not sure how it's humanly possible for a team to get 13 hits and SCORE ZERO RUNS, but that's our beloved Dodgers!
14 men left on base, and 9 of those with 2 down and RISP. That's hard to do. Really, it is. It takes a team with a special kind of talent to be that pathetic when it counts. At least I'll give the Dodgers this - they sucked to start this series, and carried that through all 4 games.
In my mind, this all started on August 20 when they committed 4 errors to hand over a game to the Colorado Rockies. Ever since then, their play may as well be piled into a big, heaping sack of CRAP. Since Andre Ethier's walk-off homer to beat the Brewers on August 17, they're 1-6. That shows me that instead of playing hard and doing the things necessary to keep the momentum, they all got cocky and just assumed they'd win the division. And that's exactly why they're not.
It's now on to Washington, and these are 3 games they can easily win. Of course, with the way things have been going, they can also get swept. Derek Lowe is the starter, and he's the last guy to get a win on this team. As in last Thursday. He'll need to practically carry the team tonight for a rare win.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Bumbling Dodgers blow another one
I don't think it's humanly possible to blow as many chances to win a game as the Dodgers did last night.
Proving yet again why they are unable to be a first place team, the Philadelphia Phillies rallied in the 9th to tie the game at 2, then used a 3-run homer to win it in 11, 5-2. The Arizona Diamondbacks also lost, which meant that the Dodgers not only blew the game, but a golden opportunity to gain a game back. It's a 3 game lead for them in the West.
I chose not to blog about this last night after the game because I was so damn pissed off. It's unreal just how this team can throw so many chances to win a game out the window. It's also downright embarrassing. But that's the Dodgers for ya - they are an embarrassment.
Let's look at the 1st inning. True, they scored a run. But look deeper, and you'll see why they should have had much more. Andre Ethier walked, Jeff Kent singled, and Manny Ramirez was hit by a pitch to load the bases. James Loney singled (a rare clutch hit from someone not named Manny Ramirez), but only 1 run scored. Nomar Garciaparra and Casey Blake each had chances to at least get 1 more run in. After all, they're veteran bats that have come through before.
So of course that means that Nomar flied out to shallow right and Blake K'd. Gee, how shocking.
Ok, let's see what else we can find. Matt Kemp doubled and stole 3rd with 2 down in the 2nd, but Ethier flied out. Kent singled to start the 3rd, but Manny K'd and Loney hit into a double play. Hiroki Kuroda singled to being the 5th and Kemp walked. Ethier grounded into a fielder's choice, and Kent hit into a double play.
Are you beginning to detect a theme here?
I could go on, but what's the point? This team just refuses to show any life offensively and work hard to score runs. Grounding into 3 double plays and leaving 13 men on base is absolutely pitiful. PITIFUL. Joe Torre, I feel for ya.
What's lost in all of this is the start from Kuroda, which was really good. He went 6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. Pretty dominating, but keep in mind he plays for the Dodgers, where practically only no-hitters are good enough to earn a win.
Jonathan Broxton may be a great closer one day, but he looked lost last night. Even with the Dodgers up 2-1, it still wasn't good enough. Then again, the lead should have been much more, so it all comes back to the pathetic offense. True, Broxton should have closed it, but it's still the fault of the offense in the first place.
Basically the Dodgers need someone without the last name of Ramirez to step up, get a damn hit, and show some heart. I know, I'm reaching here, but it's worth a shot. They've got 1 more in Philly tonight before going to Washington, and then a big series this weekend in Arizona. And with the way the Dodgers are playing, the DBacks can easily put this division away when they meet up.
Chad Billingsley will get the call tonight, and if anyone can break a losing streak, it's him. Of course, that would also require the offense to.... oh I don't know......... maybe score more than 2 or 3 runs? Ya, like that'll happen....
Proving yet again why they are unable to be a first place team, the Philadelphia Phillies rallied in the 9th to tie the game at 2, then used a 3-run homer to win it in 11, 5-2. The Arizona Diamondbacks also lost, which meant that the Dodgers not only blew the game, but a golden opportunity to gain a game back. It's a 3 game lead for them in the West.
I chose not to blog about this last night after the game because I was so damn pissed off. It's unreal just how this team can throw so many chances to win a game out the window. It's also downright embarrassing. But that's the Dodgers for ya - they are an embarrassment.
Let's look at the 1st inning. True, they scored a run. But look deeper, and you'll see why they should have had much more. Andre Ethier walked, Jeff Kent singled, and Manny Ramirez was hit by a pitch to load the bases. James Loney singled (a rare clutch hit from someone not named Manny Ramirez), but only 1 run scored. Nomar Garciaparra and Casey Blake each had chances to at least get 1 more run in. After all, they're veteran bats that have come through before.
So of course that means that Nomar flied out to shallow right and Blake K'd. Gee, how shocking.
Ok, let's see what else we can find. Matt Kemp doubled and stole 3rd with 2 down in the 2nd, but Ethier flied out. Kent singled to start the 3rd, but Manny K'd and Loney hit into a double play. Hiroki Kuroda singled to being the 5th and Kemp walked. Ethier grounded into a fielder's choice, and Kent hit into a double play.
Are you beginning to detect a theme here?
I could go on, but what's the point? This team just refuses to show any life offensively and work hard to score runs. Grounding into 3 double plays and leaving 13 men on base is absolutely pitiful. PITIFUL. Joe Torre, I feel for ya.
What's lost in all of this is the start from Kuroda, which was really good. He went 6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. Pretty dominating, but keep in mind he plays for the Dodgers, where practically only no-hitters are good enough to earn a win.
Jonathan Broxton may be a great closer one day, but he looked lost last night. Even with the Dodgers up 2-1, it still wasn't good enough. Then again, the lead should have been much more, so it all comes back to the pathetic offense. True, Broxton should have closed it, but it's still the fault of the offense in the first place.
Basically the Dodgers need someone without the last name of Ramirez to step up, get a damn hit, and show some heart. I know, I'm reaching here, but it's worth a shot. They've got 1 more in Philly tonight before going to Washington, and then a big series this weekend in Arizona. And with the way the Dodgers are playing, the DBacks can easily put this division away when they meet up.
Chad Billingsley will get the call tonight, and if anyone can break a losing streak, it's him. Of course, that would also require the offense to.... oh I don't know......... maybe score more than 2 or 3 runs? Ya, like that'll happen....
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Another DUD in Philly
Locked in a tight race in the NL West, the Dodgers came into this 4 game series in Philadelphia needing to at least take a couple. After dropping the first 2 games by a combined score of 17-3, maybe getting just 1 is more realistic.
It was pretty much over the second Pat Burrell lined a 3-run shot off the left field pole in the 1st off of Clayton Kershaw, and the Phillies easily won, 9-2. Arizona is in action later tonight, so for now it's a 2.5 games deficit in the West.
All I heard about coming into this series was how the Phillies were having a hard time scoring runs. Geez, you wouldn't know by watching these 2 games. The only thing they're having trouble with is who gets to be the hitting star, because right now they all are. I'd say the Dodgers' pitching is just what they needed to get back on track.
There's really not a whole lot to say other than it was another pathetic effort all around. Kershaw had a bad 1st inning, a good 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, and then ran into trouble in the 5th. Of course, Matt Kemp didn't exactly make life easy on him.
With the Phillies up 3-2, Jimmy Rollins singled and Chase Utley walked. Pat Burrell lifted a fly ball to center that Kemp totally lost in the sun, and it dropped behind him to score Rollins. A double by Ryan Howard scored 2, and just like that it was 6-2. And just like that, the game was essentially over.
True, Kershaw's final line wasn't too hot: 4 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. But in my mind, once again it was the Dodgers inability to post runs on the board. As a result, the starting pitcher has to be flawless, and it all fell apart in the middle of the game, just like last night. Manny or no Manny, the rest of the order needs to get it going.
The only highlight was a long home run from Russell Martin to cut the game to 3-2, and that would be it. As I said about yesterday's game, the offense has pretty much been in the toilet this week, and today just added to it. There's a lot of places to point, but when the team only gets 5 hits and has 7 K's, it's all of their fault.
There's 2 games left in Philly, and if want to save some face, they really need to play much better. Hiroki Kuroda gets the start on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball. From what I can recall, they've been on SNB twice this season, and lost both: June 1 at New York Mets 6-1 in a game I went to, and June 8 vs. Cubs 3-1. On a nationally televised game, it would be nice from them to show the world that they are a true contender.
It was pretty much over the second Pat Burrell lined a 3-run shot off the left field pole in the 1st off of Clayton Kershaw, and the Phillies easily won, 9-2. Arizona is in action later tonight, so for now it's a 2.5 games deficit in the West.
All I heard about coming into this series was how the Phillies were having a hard time scoring runs. Geez, you wouldn't know by watching these 2 games. The only thing they're having trouble with is who gets to be the hitting star, because right now they all are. I'd say the Dodgers' pitching is just what they needed to get back on track.
There's really not a whole lot to say other than it was another pathetic effort all around. Kershaw had a bad 1st inning, a good 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, and then ran into trouble in the 5th. Of course, Matt Kemp didn't exactly make life easy on him.
With the Phillies up 3-2, Jimmy Rollins singled and Chase Utley walked. Pat Burrell lifted a fly ball to center that Kemp totally lost in the sun, and it dropped behind him to score Rollins. A double by Ryan Howard scored 2, and just like that it was 6-2. And just like that, the game was essentially over.
True, Kershaw's final line wasn't too hot: 4 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. But in my mind, once again it was the Dodgers inability to post runs on the board. As a result, the starting pitcher has to be flawless, and it all fell apart in the middle of the game, just like last night. Manny or no Manny, the rest of the order needs to get it going.
The only highlight was a long home run from Russell Martin to cut the game to 3-2, and that would be it. As I said about yesterday's game, the offense has pretty much been in the toilet this week, and today just added to it. There's a lot of places to point, but when the team only gets 5 hits and has 7 K's, it's all of their fault.
There's 2 games left in Philly, and if want to save some face, they really need to play much better. Hiroki Kuroda gets the start on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball. From what I can recall, they've been on SNB twice this season, and lost both: June 1 at New York Mets 6-1 in a game I went to, and June 8 vs. Cubs 3-1. On a nationally televised game, it would be nice from them to show the world that they are a true contender.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Uh-oh... Maddux gets bombed in return
The good: Andre Ethier's home run with 1 out in the 1st.
The bad: That would be the rest of the game.
This game turned from competitive to ugly in a matter of a couple of innings, as the Philadelphia Phillies dumped the Dodgers, 8-1. Greg Maddux made his return and pitched solidly for awhile, then fell apart.
Like I said, the lone positive from this game was Ethier's shot to give the Dodgers the early lead. Facing a guy like Kyle Kendrick, who sported an ERA of 5.01 coming into this game, you would have thought that they could put more runs on the board. Instead, it was kind of like yesterday against another lefty with a high ERA, Jorge De La Rosa. The Dodgers never really got to him, but squeaked out a win anyway. That certainly wasn't the case today.
Going into the bottom of the 4th, the Dodgers still held the 1-0 lead. Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley were retired to start the inning, and all looked well. But, a walk to Pat Burrell would prolong the inning, and Ryan Howard prolonged the ball for his 34th homer.
The Phillies would add another in the 5th when some guy named Chris Coste (remember that name) singled home Greg Dobbs. But, Coste and Jayson Werth were stranded on 2nd and 3rd with 1 down to keep the score at a manageable 3-1. The Dodgers certainly had a shot...
... Right up until Coste burned them again. The Phillies loaded the bases on 3 straight singles with 1 down in the 6th, and the beatdown would soon be on. Werth hit a sac-fly to make it 4-1, and Maddux just needed 1 more out to get out of trouble. But Coste launched a 3-run shot that would blow the game open and chase Maddux.
The final line for Maddux was 5.2 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. I knew the Phillies were going to score maybe a couple against him, but damn, he got rocked. It's not like he got any run support, though. He pretty much needed to be perfect to win this game, and obviously that didn't happen.
So the Dodgers haven't exactly carried over their momentum they got from last week into this one. They blew a 4 run lead in the 9th on Sunday in which they needed a homer to win, the bullpen imploded on Monday against the Rockies, the defense committed 4 errors on Tuesday, and then this. With Arizona winning and feeling great with Adam Dunn aboard, they better get their act together.
I know the offense can't always set the world on fire, but in their last 4 games, they've totaled just 10 runs. Not so coincidentally, they are only 1-3 in that stretch. Guys are getting on base (tonight they weren't, but they were before), but those big hits haven't been coming. It's amazing what some 2 out RBI's can do.
Things won't get any easier as Cole Hamels takes the mound Saturday afternoon in a great matchup with Clayton Kershaw. This is a rematch of their game from August 12 in which each pitched well, but neither factored in the decision (Dodgers won 4-3 on Ethier's walk-off single). It's a FOX game, but it's actually on here in New York! Imagine that. No Mets or Yankees hogging my TV screen. Life is good.
The bad: That would be the rest of the game.
This game turned from competitive to ugly in a matter of a couple of innings, as the Philadelphia Phillies dumped the Dodgers, 8-1. Greg Maddux made his return and pitched solidly for awhile, then fell apart.
Like I said, the lone positive from this game was Ethier's shot to give the Dodgers the early lead. Facing a guy like Kyle Kendrick, who sported an ERA of 5.01 coming into this game, you would have thought that they could put more runs on the board. Instead, it was kind of like yesterday against another lefty with a high ERA, Jorge De La Rosa. The Dodgers never really got to him, but squeaked out a win anyway. That certainly wasn't the case today.
Going into the bottom of the 4th, the Dodgers still held the 1-0 lead. Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley were retired to start the inning, and all looked well. But, a walk to Pat Burrell would prolong the inning, and Ryan Howard prolonged the ball for his 34th homer.
The Phillies would add another in the 5th when some guy named Chris Coste (remember that name) singled home Greg Dobbs. But, Coste and Jayson Werth were stranded on 2nd and 3rd with 1 down to keep the score at a manageable 3-1. The Dodgers certainly had a shot...
... Right up until Coste burned them again. The Phillies loaded the bases on 3 straight singles with 1 down in the 6th, and the beatdown would soon be on. Werth hit a sac-fly to make it 4-1, and Maddux just needed 1 more out to get out of trouble. But Coste launched a 3-run shot that would blow the game open and chase Maddux.
The final line for Maddux was 5.2 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. I knew the Phillies were going to score maybe a couple against him, but damn, he got rocked. It's not like he got any run support, though. He pretty much needed to be perfect to win this game, and obviously that didn't happen.
So the Dodgers haven't exactly carried over their momentum they got from last week into this one. They blew a 4 run lead in the 9th on Sunday in which they needed a homer to win, the bullpen imploded on Monday against the Rockies, the defense committed 4 errors on Tuesday, and then this. With Arizona winning and feeling great with Adam Dunn aboard, they better get their act together.
I know the offense can't always set the world on fire, but in their last 4 games, they've totaled just 10 runs. Not so coincidentally, they are only 1-3 in that stretch. Guys are getting on base (tonight they weren't, but they were before), but those big hits haven't been coming. It's amazing what some 2 out RBI's can do.
Things won't get any easier as Cole Hamels takes the mound Saturday afternoon in a great matchup with Clayton Kershaw. This is a rematch of their game from August 12 in which each pitched well, but neither factored in the decision (Dodgers won 4-3 on Ethier's walk-off single). It's a FOX game, but it's actually on here in New York! Imagine that. No Mets or Yankees hogging my TV screen. Life is good.
Penny and Schmidt, 2 prized... relievers???
It's starting to look that way more and more as the season goes on.
With Greg Maddux on board and the rotation seemingly set the rest of the way, that leaves a big question mark for 2 former All-Star Game starters. What in the world do the Dodgers do with Brad Penny and Jason Schmidt should they be cleared this year?
First off, let's look at Penny, as he is the more likely of the 2 to return. Currently, he's on the 15-day DL with right shoulder inflammation. He had already missed 7 weeks earlier in the year with more shoulder problems. Obviously, it's a big area of concern that has the club more than worried.
Take away the first start of the season on March 31 and the month of April, and he's been atrocious. From a 2.89 ERA at the end of April to 6.05 right now... ouch. There's also that streak of 7 straight loses. Those results alone were more than enough reason to reach out for Maddux.
If he can return, then the bullpen could definitely work out. A lot of people like to point to his performance to start the 2006 All-Star Game in which he blew away Ichiro, Derek Jeter, and David Ortiz with fastballs. In the 'pen, he can let loose for an inning or so, then call it a day. With injuries to Takashi Saito and Cory Wade, he can give a big lift. Next week he's scheduled to play catch, so let's see where it goes from there.
Then there's Schmidt, who's become the forgotten man of the organization. He hasn't pitched in LA at all this year, but has made a handful of Minor League rehab appearances. The latest word on him is that he had a solid bullpen session, and will start in the Minors again next week.
But, color me skeptical. I've seen this song and dance before. Arm starts to feel good again - rehab appearances - hopes get up - then he shuts it down. As much as I like the thought of Penny coming back in the 'pen, I just don't think it'll work out for Schmidt this season. Next year, who knows? That's what he should focus on.
With Greg Maddux on board and the rotation seemingly set the rest of the way, that leaves a big question mark for 2 former All-Star Game starters. What in the world do the Dodgers do with Brad Penny and Jason Schmidt should they be cleared this year?
First off, let's look at Penny, as he is the more likely of the 2 to return. Currently, he's on the 15-day DL with right shoulder inflammation. He had already missed 7 weeks earlier in the year with more shoulder problems. Obviously, it's a big area of concern that has the club more than worried.
Take away the first start of the season on March 31 and the month of April, and he's been atrocious. From a 2.89 ERA at the end of April to 6.05 right now... ouch. There's also that streak of 7 straight loses. Those results alone were more than enough reason to reach out for Maddux.
If he can return, then the bullpen could definitely work out. A lot of people like to point to his performance to start the 2006 All-Star Game in which he blew away Ichiro, Derek Jeter, and David Ortiz with fastballs. In the 'pen, he can let loose for an inning or so, then call it a day. With injuries to Takashi Saito and Cory Wade, he can give a big lift. Next week he's scheduled to play catch, so let's see where it goes from there.
Then there's Schmidt, who's become the forgotten man of the organization. He hasn't pitched in LA at all this year, but has made a handful of Minor League rehab appearances. The latest word on him is that he had a solid bullpen session, and will start in the Minors again next week.
But, color me skeptical. I've seen this song and dance before. Arm starts to feel good again - rehab appearances - hopes get up - then he shuts it down. As much as I like the thought of Penny coming back in the 'pen, I just don't think it'll work out for Schmidt this season. Next year, who knows? That's what he should focus on.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Lowe and Loney carry Dodgers
One day after taking a rest, James Loney was back in action today, powering the Dodgers to a big win. His single in the 5th tied the game at 1, and solo home run in the 7th gave the Dodgers the cushion to pick up the win, 3-1.
The Arizona Diamondbacks are playing against the San Diego Padres later tonight, so the lead in NL West for them is 1.5 games.
The game turned out to be a pitcher's duel, which I guess is not too surprising considering the early afternoon start. I knew Derek Lowe would be up to the occasion, but I didn't expect the Rockies' Jorge De La Rosa to be so good. Jeff Kent got the day off, and considering how well he's hit lately (just don't let Vin Scully tell him that), De La Rosa got a bit of a break there.
The game didn't start off so hot for LA, as Matt Holliday's sac-fly RBI put them on the board. Seeing as how the Rockies had already taken the first 2 games, I already was getting nervous that this series was about to turn into a giant disaster.
Maybe it was a blessing in disguise that the Rockies scored first. The Dodgers put up the first 3 runs last night and took home a big, fat L. Today, the situation was a bit reversed, thankfully.
It wasn't easy though, as the Dodgers' first hit was also their first run, and it took until the 4th inning to do so. Manny Ramirez reached on Ian Stewart's error and then stole 2nd. Loney stepped up and hit a single to left to knot the game at 1.
The Dodgers took the lead in the 5th thanks to Andre Ethier (you know, that guy that was benched last night after scorching the ball recently). With 2 outs, Matt Kemp doubled. Ethier hit a long single to score him, but was thrown out trying to get to 2nd. Still, the damage was done, and the Dodgers had the lead at 2-1.
That would be more than enough for Lowe, as he was cruising yet again. He went 6.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. His record is now even up at 10 with a 3.89 ERA. Since the start of June, he has been absolutely fantastic. Let's all hope and pray that Good Lowe stays and Bad Lowe is long gone.
Loney padded the lead a bit with a solo shot that just cleared the wall in right in the 7th. Hong-Chih Kuo relieved Lowe in the 7th with 1 down and allowed a double to Clint Barmes for runners on 2nd and 3rd. He got Willie Taveras to foul out to Loney at 1st to end the threat.
Jonathan Broxton gave up a double on his first pitch to Stewart, then struck out the side. That's now his 10th save for the season. Good to see him bounce back from surrendering the lead last night.
The homestand is now over, and the final tally is quite shinny: 4-0 vs. the Phillies, 2-1 vs. the Brewers, and 1-2 vs. the Rockies. That would be 7-3 overall. Arizona has been on a roll lately as well, so it's good the Dodgers are keeping up.
Greg Maddux will make his first start as a Dodger on Friday night in Philadelphia. We all know the last time these 2 teams met... so I'm sure the Phillies will be more prepared this time around. This will be a fun game to watch.
The Arizona Diamondbacks are playing against the San Diego Padres later tonight, so the lead in NL West for them is 1.5 games.
The game turned out to be a pitcher's duel, which I guess is not too surprising considering the early afternoon start. I knew Derek Lowe would be up to the occasion, but I didn't expect the Rockies' Jorge De La Rosa to be so good. Jeff Kent got the day off, and considering how well he's hit lately (just don't let Vin Scully tell him that), De La Rosa got a bit of a break there.
The game didn't start off so hot for LA, as Matt Holliday's sac-fly RBI put them on the board. Seeing as how the Rockies had already taken the first 2 games, I already was getting nervous that this series was about to turn into a giant disaster.
Maybe it was a blessing in disguise that the Rockies scored first. The Dodgers put up the first 3 runs last night and took home a big, fat L. Today, the situation was a bit reversed, thankfully.
It wasn't easy though, as the Dodgers' first hit was also their first run, and it took until the 4th inning to do so. Manny Ramirez reached on Ian Stewart's error and then stole 2nd. Loney stepped up and hit a single to left to knot the game at 1.
The Dodgers took the lead in the 5th thanks to Andre Ethier (you know, that guy that was benched last night after scorching the ball recently). With 2 outs, Matt Kemp doubled. Ethier hit a long single to score him, but was thrown out trying to get to 2nd. Still, the damage was done, and the Dodgers had the lead at 2-1.
That would be more than enough for Lowe, as he was cruising yet again. He went 6.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. His record is now even up at 10 with a 3.89 ERA. Since the start of June, he has been absolutely fantastic. Let's all hope and pray that Good Lowe stays and Bad Lowe is long gone.
Loney padded the lead a bit with a solo shot that just cleared the wall in right in the 7th. Hong-Chih Kuo relieved Lowe in the 7th with 1 down and allowed a double to Clint Barmes for runners on 2nd and 3rd. He got Willie Taveras to foul out to Loney at 1st to end the threat.
Jonathan Broxton gave up a double on his first pitch to Stewart, then struck out the side. That's now his 10th save for the season. Good to see him bounce back from surrendering the lead last night.
The homestand is now over, and the final tally is quite shinny: 4-0 vs. the Phillies, 2-1 vs. the Brewers, and 1-2 vs. the Rockies. That would be 7-3 overall. Arizona has been on a roll lately as well, so it's good the Dodgers are keeping up.
Greg Maddux will make his first start as a Dodger on Friday night in Philadelphia. We all know the last time these 2 teams met... so I'm sure the Phillies will be more prepared this time around. This will be a fun game to watch.
Terrible defense hands game to Rockies
4 errors in 1 game. Wow.
The Dodgers did everything they could to give the Rockies a win, and that's exactly what happened. With a lineup so jumbled that my head started spinning just trying to remember who's playing where. It didn't work, as all 4 errors were from people either playing out of position (Russell Martin and Casey Blake) or who rarely play at all (Danny Ardoin).
Needless to say, it was an ugly loss. Couple that with another Diamondbacks win, and the lead for them is now 2 games in the NL West.
The game started off promising enough, as the Dodgers scored their 3 runs in the first 2 innings, and with Chad Billingsley on the mound, looked to be in cruise control. Juan Pierre led off the game with a single and stole 2nd. That was about it as far as the good part of his evening, but I'll get to that later. A single by Matt Kemp in the #2 hole made it 1-0.
The Rockies made their own defensive blunders in the 2nd to hand over 2 runs. With Martin and Nomar Garciaparra on, Ardoin's grounder to short went right under Troy Tulowitzki's glove. That scored 2, and it was 3-0.
Then the game went downhill. Billingsley finished with a line of 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 6 K. 2 runs in 6 innings is good, but he was living dangerously throughout. He hasn't walked 4 since taking a loss against Atlanta on July 8. The strikeout turned out to be his best friend, helping him get out of some messes.
Tulowitzki's homer with 2 down in the 4th was the Rockies first run. From there, it was the bumbling defense that took over. The bases were loaded with none out in the 5th. After a forceout at home to get 1 down, Blake's error let the game get to within 1 run. Bills came through by forcing a double play to end the inning.
Still, the momentum from that big double play was short-lived. Martin's throwing error in the 7th led to Brad Hawpe's game-tying single. Jonathan Broxton came on in the 9th to keep the score tied... and proceeded to bean Matt Holliday. Holliday then stole 2nd, and Hawpe again burned them with a single to win the game.
As I said before, the defensive alignment was all over the place: Ardoin at catcher, Martin at 3rd, Blake at 1st, Pierre in center, and Kemp in right. Kemp did nail Ian Stewart at home in the 1st, and Martin started the inning-ending double play in the 5th. Those were the only bright spots, as 4 errors speaks for itself.
Man, I've got to feel for Andre Ethier. He's a hero with 2 walk-offs last week in beating the Phillies and Brewers, and once again he finds himself on the bench for the inferior Pierre. Pierre hasn't even had a 2 hit game this month! I know Ethier was 0-5 with 3 K's on Tuesday, but he's been great lately. Just leave him in the damn lineup!
And for those of you saying that Pierre had a good night because of his single in the 1st, check out the rest of his night: K swinging in 2nd, K swinging in 4th, groundout in 7th. Ya, nice job, Juan. Way to come through in a close game.
Let's all hope the lineup is back to normal this afternoon, as the Dodgers can ill-afford to get swept before hitting the road. Derek Lowe is the starter today, and he pitched 7 strong innings last start against the Brewers. They need another one of those today.
The Dodgers did everything they could to give the Rockies a win, and that's exactly what happened. With a lineup so jumbled that my head started spinning just trying to remember who's playing where. It didn't work, as all 4 errors were from people either playing out of position (Russell Martin and Casey Blake) or who rarely play at all (Danny Ardoin).
Needless to say, it was an ugly loss. Couple that with another Diamondbacks win, and the lead for them is now 2 games in the NL West.
The game started off promising enough, as the Dodgers scored their 3 runs in the first 2 innings, and with Chad Billingsley on the mound, looked to be in cruise control. Juan Pierre led off the game with a single and stole 2nd. That was about it as far as the good part of his evening, but I'll get to that later. A single by Matt Kemp in the #2 hole made it 1-0.
The Rockies made their own defensive blunders in the 2nd to hand over 2 runs. With Martin and Nomar Garciaparra on, Ardoin's grounder to short went right under Troy Tulowitzki's glove. That scored 2, and it was 3-0.
Then the game went downhill. Billingsley finished with a line of 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 6 K. 2 runs in 6 innings is good, but he was living dangerously throughout. He hasn't walked 4 since taking a loss against Atlanta on July 8. The strikeout turned out to be his best friend, helping him get out of some messes.
Tulowitzki's homer with 2 down in the 4th was the Rockies first run. From there, it was the bumbling defense that took over. The bases were loaded with none out in the 5th. After a forceout at home to get 1 down, Blake's error let the game get to within 1 run. Bills came through by forcing a double play to end the inning.
Still, the momentum from that big double play was short-lived. Martin's throwing error in the 7th led to Brad Hawpe's game-tying single. Jonathan Broxton came on in the 9th to keep the score tied... and proceeded to bean Matt Holliday. Holliday then stole 2nd, and Hawpe again burned them with a single to win the game.
As I said before, the defensive alignment was all over the place: Ardoin at catcher, Martin at 3rd, Blake at 1st, Pierre in center, and Kemp in right. Kemp did nail Ian Stewart at home in the 1st, and Martin started the inning-ending double play in the 5th. Those were the only bright spots, as 4 errors speaks for itself.
Man, I've got to feel for Andre Ethier. He's a hero with 2 walk-offs last week in beating the Phillies and Brewers, and once again he finds himself on the bench for the inferior Pierre. Pierre hasn't even had a 2 hit game this month! I know Ethier was 0-5 with 3 K's on Tuesday, but he's been great lately. Just leave him in the damn lineup!
And for those of you saying that Pierre had a good night because of his single in the 1st, check out the rest of his night: K swinging in 2nd, K swinging in 4th, groundout in 7th. Ya, nice job, Juan. Way to come through in a close game.
Let's all hope the lineup is back to normal this afternoon, as the Dodgers can ill-afford to get swept before hitting the road. Derek Lowe is the starter today, and he pitched 7 strong innings last start against the Brewers. They need another one of those today.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Maddux will go Friday in Philly
Greg Maddux will make his first appearance for the Dodgers this season when he pitches Friday in Philadelphia. In his last start for the San Diego Padres, he allowed only 1 run in 7 innings against the Phillies. For the year, he's 0-2 against them, but with a 2.70 ERA (nice run support, Padres).
The timing makes sense for a couple of reasons. One, he won't have to be rushed to start against the Rockies either today or tomorrow. Against the Rocks, he's sporting a shaky 5.40 ERA against them this season.
Two, he will avoid pitching in Arizona following the Philly series, where he's been awful this season. Lifetime at Chase Field, he's 1-7 with a 6.01 ERA. Ya, it's a good decision.
I guess I can add a third reason to the list, as having Maddux go Friday will give young Clayton Kershaw an extra day of rest to pitch on Saturday. Bottom line, it makes sense all around.
The timing makes sense for a couple of reasons. One, he won't have to be rushed to start against the Rockies either today or tomorrow. Against the Rocks, he's sporting a shaky 5.40 ERA against them this season.
Two, he will avoid pitching in Arizona following the Philly series, where he's been awful this season. Lifetime at Chase Field, he's 1-7 with a 6.01 ERA. Ya, it's a good decision.
I guess I can add a third reason to the list, as having Maddux go Friday will give young Clayton Kershaw an extra day of rest to pitch on Saturday. Bottom line, it makes sense all around.
Rockies blow game open in 8th
The Dodgers battled back from an early deficit to get the game within a run. That's as close as it would get, as the Rockies pounded Hong-Chih Kuo to easily take the game, 8-3. The Arizona Diamondbacks nearly blew a big lead against the Padres, but held on, and they are now up by a game in the NL West.
Hiroki Kuroda came into this game with 3 straight strong starts. That would not carry over into the 1st inning, as the Rockies got 2. With the bases loaded and a 1-2 count, Ian Stewart hit a low breaking ball into left for a 2 run single. Give credit to Stewart for a good piece of hitting. Jeff Kent hit a ground-rule double to score Matt Kemp in the bottom half, getting the score to 2-1.
The 3rd inning would be costly, as Brad Hawpe launched a 2 run homer to score Matt Holliday and increase their lead to 3. Holliday and Hawpe combined to score 5 of the team's 8 runs, so they could not be stopped at all.
The bottom of the 4th saw the Dodgers make some noise, and all with 2 outs. Nomar Garciaparra singled and Casey Blake doubled. Nomar scored on a wild pitch, and Blake came around on Matt Kemp's double. With 2 runners in scoring position, though, Andre Ethier K'd to end the threat.
The Dodgers again had a big chance to score in the 7th when they loaded the bases off of Manny Corpas. Russell Martin then flew out to right, and that would be it for the Dodgers on this night. Holliday hit a solo shot and Stewart hit a 3 run shot in the 8th, and that's all she wrote.
The most disappointing part of this game was Kuo's shaky performance for the 2nd straight time. In his last 2 games, he's pitched 1 inning and given up 5 runs, with 2 homers. Ugh. I've got to wonder if he's been overused lately. Earlier in the year, he was getting about 3-5 days off in between appearances for the most part. Since August 10, he's been in 5 games. Maybe it's time to scale back a bit.
As poorly as Kuo performed, the Rockies 'pen pitched 4 innings of shutout ball, only giving up 3 hits and a walk. The Dodgers did have 11 hits, but left 9 on base, which is always killer. Oh ya, and 7 of them were in scoring position with 2 outs. Ouch.
The good news for Dodger fans is that after a loss, Chad Billingsley tries to put them back on track. He's opposed by Jeff Francis, who used to be good, but now? Uh, not so much.
Hiroki Kuroda came into this game with 3 straight strong starts. That would not carry over into the 1st inning, as the Rockies got 2. With the bases loaded and a 1-2 count, Ian Stewart hit a low breaking ball into left for a 2 run single. Give credit to Stewart for a good piece of hitting. Jeff Kent hit a ground-rule double to score Matt Kemp in the bottom half, getting the score to 2-1.
The 3rd inning would be costly, as Brad Hawpe launched a 2 run homer to score Matt Holliday and increase their lead to 3. Holliday and Hawpe combined to score 5 of the team's 8 runs, so they could not be stopped at all.
The bottom of the 4th saw the Dodgers make some noise, and all with 2 outs. Nomar Garciaparra singled and Casey Blake doubled. Nomar scored on a wild pitch, and Blake came around on Matt Kemp's double. With 2 runners in scoring position, though, Andre Ethier K'd to end the threat.
The Dodgers again had a big chance to score in the 7th when they loaded the bases off of Manny Corpas. Russell Martin then flew out to right, and that would be it for the Dodgers on this night. Holliday hit a solo shot and Stewart hit a 3 run shot in the 8th, and that's all she wrote.
The most disappointing part of this game was Kuo's shaky performance for the 2nd straight time. In his last 2 games, he's pitched 1 inning and given up 5 runs, with 2 homers. Ugh. I've got to wonder if he's been overused lately. Earlier in the year, he was getting about 3-5 days off in between appearances for the most part. Since August 10, he's been in 5 games. Maybe it's time to scale back a bit.
As poorly as Kuo performed, the Rockies 'pen pitched 4 innings of shutout ball, only giving up 3 hits and a walk. The Dodgers did have 11 hits, but left 9 on base, which is always killer. Oh ya, and 7 of them were in scoring position with 2 outs. Ouch.
The good news for Dodger fans is that after a loss, Chad Billingsley tries to put them back on track. He's opposed by Jeff Francis, who used to be good, but now? Uh, not so much.
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