Wednesday, June 30, 2004 |
Unwatchable: A's 4, Angels 2/Giants 7, Dodgers 1
I can't stand this. The team hasn't strung two series wins together since the middle of May, and now we've got an automatic hole in the rotation with El Ladrón. Tomorrow we face Saarloos, a guy we've never seen before. Advantage, Saarloos.
I don't know what excuse Stoneman has made for not going after a player at the trade deadline, but this team is losing, Bill. And thanks to Mike's insane baserunning philosophy, we keep running ourselves out of innings and games.
Meantime, at Chavez Ravine, the Dodgers were acting like they did last year, and couldn't get a run off Brett "Cy Young" Tomko. Guy pitches like a gascan for the Padres last year and of a sudden he's a candidate for the Hall of Fame.
Nomo's done. Retire, get over it, it's done and over. He can't be trusted in the rotation, he can't handle it anymore, goodbye. Call DePodesta, it's time to haul it in, start selling whoever. The rest of the season will be unwatchable if they keep playing this badly. If they keep playing this badly for the week, they'll get worse after Belly or OP hit the trading block.
Cigareets and Whuskey and Wild Wild Women
Black Thoughts Amid The Blue
If the Dodger owner has no money, the last thing he's going to want is a team in contention nearing the trading deadline and public pressure building to acquire better players and add to the team's payroll.In a sense, he's right. The question before the house is, will the Dodgers be run like a large-market franchise? Or will Frank's cash flow problems become apparent this season, and maybe this month?A team in contention also eliminates the chance to dump Adrian Beltre and Odalis Perez for minor league prospects at the deadline — rather than letting them walk away during the off-season as high-priced free agents.
So I just wanted to know if the Parking Lot Attendant would be cheering openly against the Dodgers in the next month.
Tuesday, June 29, 2004 |
An Old-School Win: Dodgers 2, Giants 1
After the Yankees game I attended earlier, the Giants crowd -- still rowdy by usually staid Dodger Stadium standards -- hardly had any fire left in them, especially as Giants rookie Noah Lowry pitched seven innings of one-run, two-hit ball. Chants of "Yankees Suck" could be heard in the stands, or maybe it was "Giants Suck", or maybe "Barry Sucks". I really couldn't tell, as it was a pretty feeble cheer, and always, it seemed, by a few leather throats several sections away.
Not that there was much to cheer for; only Werth's solo shot enlivened the first seven frames, marked mostly by Blue futility. Tracy once more trotted out Green in the 3-hole, where he proceeded to go 0-4, with two strikeouts. I'm becoming increasingly convinced that the 15 he wears on his back represents the number of millions of dollars he should give back the team based on performance. Paulie, on the other hand, cashed in a runner and got the game winner.
From the other side of the plate, Jeffy gave up quite a few hits without striking out many, but scattered them nicely for the best appearance in memory. Mota, shaky again, bent but never broke, unlike Felix Rodriguez. As Baseball Prospectus put it, the Felix Rodriguez from 2001 isn't likely to ever show up again, but he's still competent -- 3.00 ERAs don't grow on trees, even for middle relievers. And of course Gagné put the nail in it. In my comments about Tracy earlier, he's the one player I forgot -- and the one who would be the quickest missed among Dodger fans. It felt very odd having to explain all this to a non-baseball-fan coworker recently from the east coast I brought to the game, telling him about Gagné and how "Game Over" wasn't just a joke or a taunt but how Gagné had just won the Cy Young last year and he really was that dominant. I had to explain the whole thing where everyone stands for him leaving the bullpen, and for the last out.
You could see how near a thing it was, though, and that's not encouraging. The season hangs in the balance, the future of some key players rests on this week's games, and all they bring to the table is a home run and a lousy RBI single. This was a textbook, old-school win from 2003.
I'll take it. The question is, will DePodesta?
D-Mac Interview
Jim Tracy's Missouri Week
No, this is the week for the team to prove some things. Dodger bats have to prove they can still hit Giants pitching. Dodger pitchers have to miss Giants bats. That's because Paul DePodesta's wondering whether he'll be a buyer or seller at the trade deadline:
General Manager Paul DePodesta said he still planned to be active before the July 31 trading deadline, but the team's performance this week might change his thinking.What's left of value? Well, on the pitching staff, Odalis Perez and Guillermo Mota have the most value. Adrian Beltre, now that he's becoming the star we thought he would be, is eminently moveable. The infield combination of Alex Cora and Cesar Izturis are hitting well; of those, a strong case could be made for trading Cora now, since his inconsistent play in years past is cause enough for that."I said earlier that we would be aggressive if we were in contention, but we haven't played well in this stretch," DePodesta said. "If we lose six in a row again, that could change our approach [toward the trade deadline]."
Somewhere in the middle is Milton Bradley, but he's definitely not the solid middle-of-the-lineup bat the Dodgers needed; his .281/.367/.421 line doesn't exactly instill fear in opposing pitchers. Likewise Juan Encarnacion, whose .248/.297/.451 doesn't impress favorably as a corner outfielder.
But this year doesn't have to end in futility. I believe this team can win. It has won, as recently as April. This is the weakest the NL West has ever been in my memory. Victory is achievable. Achievement of that victory now rests on Jim Tracy. He must make the right lineup decisions, decisions he hasn't successfully made so far this year. We've been over this before: Green must not bat in the heart of the order until he proves he's earned it. Nomo must not start until he can prove he's up to it, preferably from the pen.
The team has a chance, but the margin of victory is so thin that Tracy can't afford to coddle onetime Dodgers stars whom injury has ravaged.
It's time, as they say in Missouri, for him to show me.
Otherwise, Tracy might find himself looking for a job, and sooner than anyone thinks.
Monday, June 28, 2004 |
Monster
Look out, Anaheim. Here comes D-Mac.
Weber No More?
A Little Error
Sunday, June 27, 2004 |
Garcia To Chisox
To Seattle: C Miguel Olivo, and prospects OF Jeremy Reed and SS Michael Morse
U.S.S. Mariner thinks this is a way cool trade for the M's, "probably one of the best player-for-prospect hauls any team has gotten since the Bartolo Colon to Montreal trade." The downside is the Dodgers weren't able to get this deal done, which could be good or bad; if the Dodgers prospects beyond Jackson/Miller/Hanrahan aren't considered top-notch, trades may indeed be very hard to come by, and the problems DePo has in getting help before the trade deadline may be the very same ones people were chiding Evans for last year. The Angels, obvious starting pitching problems notwithstanding, are content to stay put.
The Return of El Ladrón: Dodger 10, Angels 5
The Dodgers got their hacks in today, but I'm just not convinced they're going to do much of anything to any pitcher not named Colón or Shields.
Saturday, June 26, 2004 |
Oakland 8, San Francisco 7
Angels 7, Dodgers 5
Frank: Please, for the love of God, stop talking about the Red Sox.
Arte: uncomfortable as a deer in the headlights talking about all that minority stuff. Whatever. All I know is he's got us one heck of a lineup.
Ross Porter: it's nice to know you're reading Dodger Thoughts, but could you give a little credit where credit is due?
Pitching
Sele: needs work. A control pitcher should have, like, control. Maybe his first start should have been at Salt Lake?OP: fantastic game. Hope he's feeling better soon. Update: looks like he's got a rotator cuff strain and is listed day-to-day. Yipes.
Mota: great movement as usual, but left one up for Anderson.
Dreifort: is it just me or does he look disgusted every time he takes the mound, like he thinks he should be starting?
Gregg: oooh, that must feel good. Two zero frames, and I don't care how slumpy the Dodgers bats are about now.
Donnelly: very, very rickety on the mound. Awful location. He kept missing Jose's setups, and not by a little.
Frankie: panic time: he only got two K's this afternoon! :-)
Offense
Dodgers: you can rest on Beltre's back for so many innings, but he can't do it by himself alla time. This is a Tracy problem; Green shouldn't be in the top half of the lineup unless he proves himself better than the other guys ahead of him. But at least guys were getting hits.GA: did anyone think he'd come back and be this productive immediately? I'm just amazed.
Kennedy: yesterday he had a level-er swing. Today, back to loopiness. What gives? 0-4 = another bad day.
Vlad: studerrific.
Leadoff: 0-9, with a walk. Amazing the Angels won this game.
Umpiring
Hey, now we know where this guy went: he's making ball and strike calls. Jeez, Donnelly gets five balls?Watch Yer Back, Jim
The "Blame Tracy" bandwagon's arrived in Chavez Ravine again.
Frank McCourt is new. No one knows what he looks like with blood on his hands.And why is that? Because guys like Shawn Green, Hideo Nomo, Darren Dreifort, and Tom Martin aren't doing their jobs. Is that Tracy's fault?He fired Dodgers general manager Dan Evans last winter, days after taking over as team owner. But general managers are backroom guys who rarely capture the public's attention.
For the first time, McCourt is on the clock with manager Jim Tracy.
...
DePodesta is in the first season of a five-year contract. He is in Tracy's corner, but Tracy wasn't his hire. If the Dodgers fall out of the race, management won't wait long.
As with last year, when the hitting stank, do we fire Jim Colburn now?
What will firing Tracy accomplish, save as a sacrifice to the gods of orthopedics?
Arrive In The Third... wonders again what would have been had Vlad been in Dodger blue. I'm sure that was prompted by Vinnie's remarkably candid discussion during the game of the team's pursuit of Vlad, with Scully retelling the same story we've known since last January: Frank cancelled that negotiation at the request of Bud Selig, certainly a bad way to start as owner.
Which is to say, the real problem is ownership.
Last July, when it became obvious that Kevin Appier was not going to get better, the Angels released him. Arte continues to pay his salary, though, even as he posts absurdly high ERAs in AA ball. Question: is Frank in a position to do that with Shawn Green? What about Nomo? My bet is he isn't. Now of course, this far into the season, the team won't be able to pick up a real front-line ace -- the best we've got so far is Freddie Garcia, and there's a bunch of teams after him. And as for Green -- well, we lost our shot at Carlos Beltran. Magglio Ordoñez might be a possibility, but with the Chisox still in contention, does anyone think they're going to unload him before the season's over? And as a 30-year-old, is he really a long-term answer to any offensive question?
I'm not convinced this is a problem that money alone could solve. But it could make some answers easier to find.
Friday, June 25, 2004 |
Angels 13, Dodgers 0
Dodgers: 4 hits, no runs, no errors.
After yesterday's blanking by the A's, today must have felt good for the Angels. AK followed Figgins' earlier oh-so-close-to-the-cycle HR-3B-1B-1B, 4-5 on the night and his average now at .244. About time. Eckstein's 0-3 1 BB night must feel awfully lonely with everyone else hitting the ball on the screws; even Wash got a hit and an RBI (average now .400 on the year). Erstad gets his first homer, making Richard unhappy because we lose our singularity, but hey, I'll take it.
Speaking of Wash, what a dominant performance! His ERA finally tumbles below 5.00, now 4.76 on the year, with 3 K's and only one walk. Derrick Turnbow even found the plate once in a while, and managed to pitch two scoreless frames. Incredibly, he has a 0.00 ERA, though watching him flail against even a struggling Dodger offense wasn't pretty. This is not a guy you want in tight games.
On the other side... the shine's off. Fourth place beckons, as Baseball Prospectus forecasted earlier. But what do you do if you're DePodesta? You need a starting pitcher to replace Nomo, whose start against the Yankees showed so much promise, only to be dashed when he collapsed against the Giants. And really, Lima and Ishii are too inconsistent to rely on in the rotation, and Alvarez has requested he stay in the bullpen. Edwin Jackson still looks like a newborn deer at AAA, but Nomo's so bad, you almost want to take a chance on him. You need a real power threat to supplant Green -- or more likely, the cheap and moveable Dave Roberts. You need bullpen help -- Drefort, Martin, and Alvarez have all been awful lately. Early season phenom Duaner Sanchez has started to buckle. Only Mota's held up well, but even he's had some scary moments, too. (By ERA, does that make Robin Ventura the team's relief ace?)
What I said last year about this team -- the holes are too numerous to fix with a single player -- could also be true about this year, too.
It's only one game. Tomorrow, OP, the team's de facto ace, versus Aaron Sele, a guy who's frequently pitched like one for the Angels.
Preview
Boone Soon An Indian
Pickoff Moves
Pads May Void Bush's Contract
The Padres may void top pick Matt Bush's contract. Ironic considering he called them.Ordoñez Out At Chisox
30-year-old slugger Magglio Ordoñez will test free agency at the end of the year; extension talks with the Chisox have ended in futility. The usual suspects are in consideration, including the Yankees, Dodgers, Mets, Orioles, and even the Cubs.CSUF To College World Series Finals
CSUF beat South Carolina 4-0 behind Scott Sarver. On to the finals they go, against Texas, starting Saturday. Go Titans!The Trade
Thursday, June 24, 2004 |
Die Folgenden Ted Williams
Wednesday, June 23, 2004 |
All-Star Ballot
AL
- C Ivan Rodriguez
- 1B Scott Hatteberg
- 2B Juan Uribe
- 3B Melvin Mora
- SS Carlos Guillen
- LF Manny Ramirez
- CF Carlos Beltran
- RF Vladimir Guerrero
NL
- C Mike Piazza
- 1B Jim Thome
- 2B Mark Loretta
- 3B Scott Rolen
- SS Jack Wilson (but Izzy should really get this one -- both Wilson and Royce Clayton are flukes)
- LF Barry Bonds (duh)
- CF Jim Edmonds
- RF Bobby Abreu
Turning Point
I'm watching Law And Order, in HD. The Dodgers aren't making any headway against the Giants. It's time for a break.
Tomorrow, Mulder, and a series split. We've got to stop the bleeding, and the DL excuse ran out when GA and Donnelly came back.
I'm not sure I can stand watching the Angels/Dodgers series. Both teams need wins.
The night is not all lost, however. I can hardly wait to see what Ashcroft makes of this Utah State Supreme Court decision. While I'm a glass and a half into a bottle of Charles Shaw, it's always nice to know there are other options out there. It's been years since I lit up, and while I just can't imagine doing that kind of violence to my lungs anymore, I have to say brownies wouldn't be a bad thing...
Good News, Bad News
There are times I wish I couldn't read. All this is going to do is take at bats away from Salmon and DaVanon.
Good news: the Angels have started discussions with Jered Weaver, even though Scouting Director Eddie Bane calls the proceedings thus far "baby steps".
Not quite so good news: Nick Adenhart still hasn't signed, and Bane considers him "a longshot". But...
Good news: 23 of 48 draft picks have signed.
Update: Bad news, if you can call it that: Erstad dislocated his middle finger on a checked swing. I guess it beats a sneeze as a reason to go on the DL, but not by much. No word on whether he'll actually go on the DL, though.
Prediction for Tonight's Game
Let's hope I'm wrong.
What Ails Da Boyds
Pickoff Moves
I Guess He Doesn't Read This Blog
Bartolo Colón, on what inspired him to yesterday's 6-1 win over the A's:"I was asking, Lord, help me do a better job," Colon said. "I want to give the fans all the love they have given me since I got here."
Bush League
Padres top pick Matt Bush was suspended before playing his first professional game; according to the San Diego Union-Tribune, he bit a nightclub bouncer. How dumb is that?Arte's Still Talking To Goodyear
Arte's still talking to the city of Goodyear, AZ about Spring Training facilities. If the team does move its facilities, hopefully they won't repeat the mistakes made at Tempe, where the metal seating is just unbearable on a hot day.Wash's Still Having Back Trouble, Lackey Serves Suspension
In that same article, Washburn's back is still spasming, not good news for his next start. And of course, John Lackey will serve his suspension.Felipe Alou Can Use A Calendar
In the Times:"I was saying how terribly early it is because I know there were many who were saying it was getting late for us," said Giant Manager Felipe Alou, whose team is 24-9 in its last 33 games."I wish it would be the last day of the season today, but all of a sudden we have three more months to play or more."
More On DePo's Garcia Talks
Almost forgot to include this one: according to Peter Greenberg, agent for Mariners pitcher Freddie Garcia, DePodesta's in talks with the M's for that starter (soul-sucking registration required).During the Dodgers' interleague series last week with Baltimore, Dodgers general manager Paul DePodesta said that he was going to work the phones in pursuit of possible acquisitions and that he wouldn't shy away from going after a player who could test the market at the end of the season.Greenberg said Garcia might not go the free-agent route, however.
"We'll wait and see what happens," Greenberg said. "We're willing to talk about an extension. We haven't made any final decision as far as that goes."
Shut Up, Arthur
Then you blow it, losing five of fourteen opportunities. It takes some cojones of brass after those repeated collapses to make stupid comments to the press like these:
No other bullpen has been as spectacularly flammable as Oakland's in recent weeks -- its 48 percent conversion mark (13-for-27) is the second-worst save percentage in the AL -- and yet the relievers apparently spent much of their time during Oakland's series-opening pasting [at Anaheim] the other night fuming behind the left-field fence about general remarks attributed to a couple of starting pitchers.Right, Arthur, because you're not capable of doing your job?"We had two starters on this team say that the bullpen needs to step it up," Arthur Rhodes said. "You shouldn't say that. You shouldn't say that. If we lose as a team, we all lose. If we win as a team, we all win. You can't have two starters saying that.
"If you're not man enough to come to somebody on the field and tell them to do a better job, don't say in the paper that we're doing a bad job. ...
"It's one of those things where if they can do better, they can go nine innings. Let 'em go nine innings."
Tuesday, June 22, 2004 |
Giants 11, Dodgers 5
Peculiar note about the standings: the Dodgers have a better percentage record than the Giants, but the Giants have won more games.
TerRiBIc! Angels 6, A's 1
If it's possible for control problems to be contagious, you'd have to think Hudson's come down with whatever Harden had last night, with a very uncharacteristic three walks and only two K's in five innings, along with a balk. The Angels took advantage, and though it wasn't the team's best offensive show lately (that would be yesterday's game), there could be no doubt but that good things are happening for some key guys who need it. In particular, Erstad (2-4) and Kennedy (1-3) both had hard-hit outs that, but for a couple degrees of arc, would have fallen in for doubles. Only Guillen's 0-3 night was a bust, but it wasn't a terrible one, striking out only once. Kotsay's rubber glove in the outfield didn't help matters, giving Kennedy a triple on an error, and a double to Figgins.
The play of the game absolutely had to be Eckstein's suicide squeeze in the fourth. Brilliantly executed and actually much closer than you would think. Hudson very nearly got it.
All in all, a very good night for the boys, taking advantage of a rare bad outing by Hudson.
Update: On the Athletics Nation comments thread for this game, the following entry appears:
With all the things that have gone wrong for the A's tonight, the cellphone signal was probably intercepted by Angels security and all BB's plans will be foiled by the evil Arte "cheap beer" Moreno.Well, not only is Arte evil, but he's got a new nickname. I'll have to think about that one for a bit.
Angels, Dodgers Worse Than the Pads?
12
Nomonalysis At Mariners Wheelhouse
Gammons' Wishcasting
Speaking of Bonds, of his recent remarks about racism in Boston, Gammons said
His derogatory comments about Boston, a place he's never visited, were ill-conceived and an intellectually-bankrupt blanket indictment beneath someone of Bonds' intelligence.Maybe, but we do know the Red Sox were the last team in the majors to take on a black player. Read into that what you will.
Monday, June 21, 2004 |
An A-List Lackey: Angels 10, A's 3
Dukey really choked. Let's not kid ourselves here: Duchscherer was frequently feet off the plate tonight. The Oakland pen has reached red alert status, but what I was wondering -- and Rory Markus touched on this briefly during the broadcast -- is why they don't go to a four-man rotation with Harden as a closer. They need a guy who can get that last out a lot more than they need a guy who can go the long innings right about now, now that they have more blown saves than saves. Gagné and Smoltz point the way for this, and it's not like the A's don't have a machine for turning out starters. Whatever, I'm not going to start getting into the business of trying to help our competition. But. I'm just saying.
Of course, the other way to look at this is that our guys have come out of their offensive slump, and YAY! My heart sang watching Vladi hit one onto that green thing in center. (Did anyone else catch that big smile he loosed after hitting the double?) And to top it off, Guillen having a 2-RBI night -- aw, the power part of the lineup doing that kind of work against the A's after stumbling against the fargin' Pirates was a thing of beauty. I just can't tell you how happy that made me. Lots of guys doing their jobs tonight: Eck (1-4, 2 RBI), Vlad (4-5, 4 RBI!!), Anderson (1-4, 1 BB, 1 RBI), Guillen (2-5, 2 RBI), B-Mo (2-4), AK (1-3, 1 BB). Fan-tastic, especially against the A's. And of course -- Lackey's brilliant 2-run game, which should have been a shutout except for the Bermuda Triangle play in shallow center. You'll get those in this game, but Lack didn't let it faze him, and he went back and dominated through eight.
Tomorrow's gonna be tough, especially against Hudson; with Colón on the mound for us, batting practice is always a possibility. Though recent improvement might mean we could be in for a close game, I wouldn't bet on it, and the boys need to remember their bats and try to force an early exit for Hudson.
D-Mac Sent Up to Salt Lake
Update: Now in this story about Salmon and Scioscia throwing things at each other because of Salmon's lack of at bats. No surprise there, but we've got at least one too few DH spots this year.
Bwahahaha!
The A's faltering bullpen: Billy Beane and Dodgers General Manager Paul DePodesta are buddies and former comrades. So here's the deal: Two of DePodesta's favorite A's prospects to the Dodgers for flamethrower Guillermo Mota. Done?... and I'm sure for a handful of magic Beanes, the Yankees will give Oakland A-Rod!
Sunday, June 20, 2004 |
Fugly: Astros 3, Angels 1
Crossed the path then I followed your faceOkay, we get it: the wheels have fallen off the starting pitching, the offense is dead in the water or at best inconsistent, and Salmon has no way to get at bats in a National League park (and barely any in an AL park).
it was hard to believe
it was hard to trace
I saw you today
seems like I see you everyday
but there's something I figured out 'bout you
ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh yeah
you're so ugly
I'm tellin' you straight
you're so ugly
don't make a mistake
cause you're ugly
you could bet it on the bank
say why why
why would I lie to you
why would I lie-- Violent Femmes
Phone call to Mike Scioscia: we are in contention this year. There have been experiment games where slumping Kennedy or Amezega (the latter's picture appears next to the word "hitless" in the dictionary) bat second. News flash: there is no such thing as protection. Let's find an order that can hit; Erstad in leadoff actually isn't a bad idea.
Gregg might be the next guy on a plane to Salt Lake. The descent of the Angels' pen to merely adequate is a jarring one.
We have a series with Oakland starting tomorrow. Let's hope the lads acquire some bats between now and then.
Game Over, Yankees: Dodgers 5, Yankees 4
Let the Yankee sneerers now shut up. Gagné's been through the heart of their lineup and they got to find out why they put up "Game Over" on the scoreboard when he takes the mound. Eighty-one, boys, and I hope you choke on it. Every other team in baseball is happy and grateful to win. The Yankees expect it, and their hubris makes it all the sweeter to watch them fall. Oh, sure, there'll still be the crutch of "but he's never done it in the postseason," and I expect we'll hear that from the eastern sports press soon enough.
Some comments on the telecast:
- God I hate ESPN national coverage. If only I had known Vinnie was going to stay on for the whole game on radio, I would have turned off the sound on the TV. It's tough to say which of Joe Morgan and -- what is that other guy's name? -- is worse. On the one hand, Joe Morgan says some ridiculous things, but Fat Bald Guy has the annoying habit of calling Beltre, "Bell Tray", even as Morgan gets it right. Ugh. Where's Vinnie?
- ESPN in HD? But not, apparently, on Time Warner Cable. Thanks, TW.
- They had the crowd mixed way down; the "Yankees Suck" cheers were almost inaudible. When I was at the park Friday, it was a near-constant roar.
Angels 6, Astros 4
Saturday, June 19, 2004 |
Buh Bye, Ross Newhan
Well, it's alright, I've always hated LA and guess what boys? The Old Grey Lady has given me an offer I can't refuse. The LA Times can portray it as a "buyout". I call it a promotion to the Show.is indeed from him. We might not care. In fact, some of us might actively enjoy watching him write into the Yankee sunset. There's no small irony in leaving the Dodgers beat as age, enormous contracts, a barren farm system, and ultimately, Steinbrenner's approaching senescence make it appear the Yankees' charted course is towards a decade or two of high-priced futility once their stars dim. Certainly, whipping boy Dan Evans can get a rearview giggle reading Newhan's half-baked advice about ex-Dodger Eric Karros, especially now that Karros' line is .165/.221/.291 on the season, with three hits in thirteen at-bats for June.
On the other hand, Newhan has managed to tickle my prejudices when he wasn't inflaming them. To the extent he's gotten a story out that surprisingly few people wanted to hear (and some to this day would be happier if it were never told), bully for him. I wish Newhan well in New York; like so many LA-haters, the sooner he's out of here, the better. Misery loves company, goes the saw; Manhattan is its proof.
The 26th Player: Dodgers 6, Yankees 3
I arrived in the bottom of the first inning. Behind me sat a lanky pair of middle aged Yankee fans, and two kids, one in a Yankees cap, the other in a non-denominational cap (but, who I was to discover, was cheering on the Dodgers). They made a point to howl abuse at Green through the first three innings or so, but got remarkably quiet after the fourth when the Dodgers put up a three spot on Belly's double, a Giambi throwing error, Vazquez's wild pitch, and a Dave Roberts single.
The crowd, most of the 55,000 in the stands, gathered its limbs and roared, some chanting "Yankees suck".
The Yankee fans' cockiness melted.
Meantime, Jeffy didn't let his three-run third get to him. The hardest hit ball against him was the double by the pitcher Vazquez (now hitting .333 on the season!), but all the other hits blooped in. It was his best outing since May 22 vs. Atlanta, another three-run game.
Top of the fifth: Izzy showed Jeter how it's done with a brilliant backhanded spear, and a perfect throw -- no wow 'em from space moves.
In the fifth: two consecutive Vazquez wild pitches sends Belly to third, and Encarnacion cashed him in with a double. Then, the game's most amazing play: Cora bunts. Vazquez mishandles the ball, and Giambi drops the imperfect throw. Cora safe at first, and then Encarnacion alertly scored from third.
By now the louder of the Yankee fans are slunk in their seats, dazed.
Dreifort? Good.
Mota? Sit down, buster.
And then, just to show the Yanks that the Dodger fans have some throats too, they opened the bullpen gates in the ninth. Pandemonium. Something ancient is loosed in the park, something crawling on its belly. Something very, very hungry.
Matsui singles, broken bat. Thrown out at second on a Kenny Lofton force out. One down.
Lofton takes second. Whatever, Gagné says, and lets him.
Sierra grounds out, Lofton to third. Arrrrrrooooooooorrrrrrrrrrhhhhhhhh says the crowd. Two down.
Pitch 1 - Called StrikeAnd Gagné delivers us, as he has so faithfully these many games, eighty times running. The crowd gets its stroooooooooooooooooooooiiiiiiiikeout, the stomping, clapping, yowling, high-fiving mass of them ecstatic, the game ended just the way it's supposed to, and against the old foe.
Pitch 2 - Ball
Pitch 3 - Swinging Strike. Everybody on their feet! you can hear Vinnie say, whether he's there or not.
Pitch 4 - Called Strike
The magic may run out. But on another day, another time.
Friday, June 18, 2004 |
Once More Into The Breech, Dear Friends
I'm going to the game tonight, courtesy of the magic tickets. Each time I go, I grit my teeth. One day, the magic will drain; Weaver vs. Vazquez? Tonight could be such a night. No reports on anything until I get back, maybe not 'til tomorrow.
Dodger Notes
Jayson Starts Vs. Lefties
The Times reports Jayson Werth will now get all starts against southpaws, reducing Dave Roberts to a platoon role in the outfield. Two homers in sixteen at bats will do that for you. Thanks for the promotion, Mr. Small Sample Size!Rotation Matchups Against The Yanks
Friday: Weaver vs. Vazquez. Check.Saturday: Nomo vs. Brad Halsey (0-0, 0.00). Che-- wuzza?
Sunday: Lima vs. Contreras. Check
It's weirdsville over in Yankeeland.
Thursday, June 17, 2004 |
An Appeal To Frank
Dear Frank,You and I are not on what you'd call speaking terms, but you've already gotten my money at least twice this year. Hopefully the $20 or so I spent at the park will soften the blow of Green's and Dreifort's squandered contracts, just a little, not to mention all the skepticism I've thrown at you this year. Anyway, I had one request: could you find it in your heart to cajole Fox to somehow broadcast more games in HD?
It's sure a heck of a lot better picture than NTSC. Even though there's really nothing in it for you -- well, save for watching your team on TV on the nights you don't make it to the park -- for those of us who can't show up every day and have the gear, it means a lot.
Love,-- R.
Grabby, Beltre Belt: Dodgers 4, Orioles 3
Wowzers. Bradley, an RBI single. Grabby, a two-run shot. And Belly, the game winner halfway up the bleachers. Ishii didn't look horrible, 90 pitches in six innings, and even Jon's bête noir of late, Dreifort, picked up a scoreless frame.
Broomtime.
Dodgers, a game and a half up on the ... Giants? Did I read that right? And the O's, a game out of last? Over the Jays? What a crazy world.
Hope Mora's gonna be okay.
Pirates 5, Angels 2
Oh I used to be disgustedGood a time as any to pull that one out of the chest.
and now I try to be amused.
But since their wings have got rusted,
you know, the angels wanna wear my red shoes.
But when they told me 'bout their side of the bargain,
that's when I knew that I could not refuse.
And I won't get any older, now the angels wanna wear my red shoes.
-- Elvis Costello
Colón wipes up after another In-N-Out Four-by-Four.
So, do I get to cash in my prediction about Colón's next start? Eh, I'm not going to worry about it, but it does qualify as a quality start, so from that point of view, it's an improvement.
Figgins and Vlad stone cold? Kennedy, 1-4 on a gift bloop single. He's not showing any signs of improvement at all. With the two of the three main guys misfiring (GA had a great night and series, 3-4 on the night), and Eck on a razor's edge as to whether he's going to the DL, it's bad. Minus the DH, this team's offense is in serious trouble, especially with Benjie Molina out and Jose slumping again. We just can't get out of interleague play fast enough.
Jered Weaver Named College Player of the Year
Despite all he accomplished, Jered Weaver likely will remember the 2004 season as a disappointment.Good luck, Jered....
"I'm here for one reason," he said midway through the season, "just to get to Omaha. It's been my dream to get drafted and be a big leaguer. But first I want to get to Omaha."
...
"He doesn't want special treatment," Long Beach State coach Mike Weathers said. "The guy is a good teammate. In our program no one player is bigger than anyone else, and he fits that. They don't call him big leaguer or prima donna or whatever."
Lima's In The Rotation
Wednesday, June 16, 2004 |
Jayson Proves His Werth: Dodgers 6, Orioles 3
Booya Jayson Werth! And OP comes through again!
Getting All Defensive About DIPS
Watching Marco Scutaro put up even better RF numbers that Mark Ellis did last year, and seeing Derek Jeter's RF numbers jump way up this year after their pitching staff overhaul, I'm beginning to think that much of what we think of as defense is, in fact, pitching.Ken intended this as something of a joke, but I think he's actually on to something here. Sure, a lot of what we think of as pitching is actually defense, but the reverse should also be true. On at least two occaisions, Stephen at Mariners Wheelhouse has twitted me -- one of them here -- about batted balls in play being more under the pitcher's control than you might otherwise think. If that's so, it makes sense that a lot of those balls will be unplayable hits even if you have a 100% operational Darin Erstad in centerfield. As a refresher, I'll put up this link to Mitchel Lichtman's recent Baseball Think Factory article which found that indeed pitchers have a pretty strong ability to create groundballs and less so for pop flies.
From there, let's take a look at year-to-date team defensive efficiency, courtesy of Hardball Times:
| Team | DER | LD% |
|---|---|---|
| TBD | .727 | .159 |
| NYY | .700 | .165 |
| SEA | .698 | .180 |
| BOS | .696 | .190 |
| CHW | .695 | .194 |
| TOR | .693 | .182 |
| OAK | .692 | .180 |
| TEX | .690 | .179 |
| CLE | .679 | .185 |
| KC | .679 | .175 |
| BAL | .678 | .180 |
| ANA | .677 | .170 |
| DET | .677 | .176 |
| MIN | .668 | .192 |
Here's where it gets interesting: the correlation coefficient for LD% to DER is -.469. In other words, there's a weak but noticeable negative correlation between hard-hit balls allowed and poor defensive efficiency (i.e., the more hard-hit balls a team has, the worse its defense appears to be). This little example is no substitute for actual research, but the fact that it points in the expected direction is not surprising in the least.
OT: Hey, Ho -- Don't Go
Nomo Excuses, Hideo -- Better Start Winning
"I think it's to the point now where it's safe to say results are important," Tracy said. "We're in the middle of June now, and we haven't had a lot of success over the last six or seven starts, which includes before the fingernail was broken and the couple that we've had since that time. Sooner or later we need some results."Me, I think he needs to go down to the minors; the guess is that his shoulder hasn't returned to what it can be and he needs some starts there to clear it up.Tracy said the team doesn't have a lot of options to replace Nomo, who is still scheduled to make his next start Saturday against the New York Yankees.
Update: same quote in the Dodgers website.
Tuesday, June 15, 2004 |
Roster Moves
Dodgers Complete Sturtze Trade, Grab Myrow
The Dodgers completed the Tanyon Sturtze trade by acquiring IF Bryan Myrow, of whom Baseball Prospectus 2004 saysIt can't be easy to find people who would look upon a year and a half in Trenton, New Jersey as an upgrade, but after two years in Winnipeg, it had to seem pretty good to Myrow. He's not a prospect, but anyone with a career Double-A OBP of .445 is going to get mentioned in this book. Look at that PECOTA projection; for a team that never uses its backup infielder on defense, wouldn't Myrow be a better use of a roster spot than Almonte, or even Miguel Cairo?His major league projected VORP is 12.3, which is damn good for a minor leaguer. Last year at Trenton he hit .306/.447/.525. Well, they could sure use him at Vegas. Who knows, maybe they could use him at the big club.
Yankees Recall Crosby, Send Brown To DL
Transaction Guy reports former Dodger Kevin "Captain Happy" Brown has been disabled. In his stead, once-upon-a-time superstar, now goat Bubba Crosby has been sent back up. Here's your accordian, Bubba, welcome to Hell.Erstad, Turnbow Activated, Benjie Molina Disabled
Benjie Molina, unsurprisingly, was disabled at the same time Erstad came up, but the surprise was Derrick Turnbow returning to the big club to fill Benjie's roster spot. He had a serious arm break in 2001 that seems to have stalled his career since then. Well, this should be interesting, what with his 1-3, 5.11 ERA, 6.08 K/9, and 4.24 BB/9.Dodgers 5, Orioles 1
Hoo boy.
So, yeah -- Lima goes seven innings on sixty eight pitches? Man, when these drugs wear off, I'm gonna have to check on that game... oh, wait, I'm not on hallucinogens... geez. What an amazing game for him, and yet another example of why the O's young starters ain't all that. It's the second time we've seen a team knock around Daniel Cabrera.
Bad news: hope we find out something soon about why Mota got pulled after only two outs.
Paulie's sudden uptake in strikeouts doesn't sound encouraging. But -- Cora: 3-3. Greenie: 3-4. And Encarnacion's three run bomb -- all happy, happy sounds. Oh, yeah, and 77 consecutive saves for Gagné.
It Must Be Heartburn
A Second Look At Weber
Salt Lake, for Ben, could easily become a tarpit; he's a sinkerball pitcher, and at altitude, aerodynamic effects don't work as well. Ergo, a guy who relies on breaking pitches -- like Ben -- is in some deep trouble. So it's good to see him figuring something out, at least for one inning.
Figgins Works His Rosary Bat: Angels 4, Pirates 2
If you thumb through the dictionary and look up "suspect", you'll see Amezega's picture there, so what was Mike thinking batting him and his sorry-assed .153 average there second? Hey, at least we didn't get Halter in the same game.
Erstad came up and promptly went 2-3 with a walk, giving me hope -- false hope, but I'm a sucker for that kind -- that he'll actually finally play like we hoped he would in the two-hole.
And more over-the-wall whoomph from GA at a time when the club needs some wallop. Scared to death as I am of his long-term prognosis, I'm glad to see the lad smacking some outta the park.
They're Hoping We'll Forget
"After we went through the Boston process and didn't get the team, the new owners of the Red Sox went through a rough patch,' Frank McCourt said. "It was very similar to what we would go through here.Well, the similarity ends at the level of hostility. In Boston's case, the bid by John Henry's group was a fix, and it wasn't even the highest bid. In McCourt's case, Fox needed a buyer, any buyer, to pick up the team -- and just the team, not the lucrative cable TV channel, Fox Sports West. If the buyer were at the end of his rope financially, it would be a positive for Fox, as they would hardly be in a position to renegotiate the ridiculous lowball TV contract. We know this because Eli Broad's bid was ultimately rejected. One thing that wasn't a problem per se, though, was the foreign nature of the bid, else where's the hubbub about Arte's ownership of the Angels?"They were an out-of-town group, and they had purchased another beloved franchise. All the same accusations were made and everything else. We saw what happened there. John Henry and his guys came in and worked twice as hard because they had something to prove.
The primary source of the negative press the McCourts initially received was the front office attrition, and the way they handled it. When Frank McCourt announced that then-general manager Dan Evans would be given a chance to interview for his own job, it was clear to everyone, including Evans, that Evans was out. But what was lost amid a slew of resignations that included team president Bob Graziano, executive vice president Kris Rone and senior VP Derrick Hall was that only Evans was forced out.Certainly, that was a big concern, one that I wrote about repeatedly, but it wasn't the overweening concern; no, that was financial wherewithal. Despite Frank's comments to the press, I still remain skeptical; this thing may not play out over the course of a single season. It could take two or three years before things go sufficiently badly that Frank's forced out. Regardless, revisionist stories like this one only serve to make the McCourts happy. Those of us still paying attention grit our teeth reading articles like this. It also makes me wish Doug Pappas were still around.
Monday, June 14, 2004 |
Jenks To Return To Salt Lake By End Of June
OT: Twenty Wasted Minutes
If there is a hell, the slimebucket who greenlighted this should be forced to watch "The Twenty" until his brain melts. Word to the wise: either avoid Regal, plan to arrive exactly at showtime, or bring a Gameboy. Man, who'd ever predict that you'd need to bring something be amused at the movies?
OPS For And Against
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|
Which is just another way of saying most of our pitchers need to learn to pitch better.
Collusion, Again?
Sunday, June 13, 2004 |
The Kotchman Experiment Ends
Cubs 6, Angels 5
Can't get a win for Escobar. Too many 0-fers out there.
And now we're in third place, with Colón an automatic loss every single time his rotation spot comes up. That's five losses a month for the rest of the season. That's twenty more starts, and 4-25 record if he keeps this up. Sure, it's unlikely that'll happen -- but has there been even any evidence he's turning it around? That's going to just destroy the rest of the rotation, having to make up for that awful record. There are no aces in the AL Central. Do strikeouts count for less against weak hitters? Man, the Colón signing just keeps looking worse and worse.
Who do we send down to the minors? Salmon -- at .215? Or Kotchman, at .218?
I am so beyond sick of this BS. Well, boys, Glaus is out but we've got the majority of the G-Force back. Where's the beef, guys? No more excuses, start hitting the ball, hard.
More Context-Free Notes
Frank In The Black
This San Francisco Chronicle report says Frank claims he's in the black this year.Snakes' Park No Longer The BOB
In that same story, the Diamondbacks' naming deal with BancOne will change thanks to that bank's buyout by J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. (And yes, boneheads, it's spelled B-A-N-K, not the damn French way. This is America, get used to it. Nobody's mistaking you for a Swiss bank.)Toronto Game Times Confuse Snakes
And speaking of the Snakes, Arizona centerfielder Steve Finley almost didn't make it to Skydome on time for their ... 4:00 PM start. Huh? That's what I said, too. Damn Canucks, and after that Victoria Day scheduling, my heart is hardening towards that country... declare war against 'em or something. Makes me glad we chased the Brits out, that's for sure.Weaver Pitchin' Too Many
As if we needed another reason to drop his signing bonus, Jered Weaver's got the Angels staff concerned that throwing too many pitches for CSULB:Long Beach State right-hander Jered Weaver, the Angels' first-round pick in Monday's draft, threw 137 pitches in Friday's NCAA super-regional game against Arizona. They were not doing cartwheels about it in the Angel front office.Great, the kid starts for Provo next year and blows out his elbow from overuse. Thanks for the $7 million signing bonus, Arte -- I'm going to Disneyland!"That's pretty much at a limit, I would think," General Manager Bill Stoneman said. "That's a lot of pitches."
Saenz Say: Dodgers Win! Dodgers 14, Red Sox 5
The bully was nails again today, with Mota reminding me of last year's outstanding efforts, garnering five strikeouts, and Gagné in probably his best performance this year, with three straight K's. Outstanding.
Saturday, June 12, 2004 |
Stop, Thief! Cubs 10, Angels 5
Colón squeezes another one out
Time to put out the APB: Bartolo Colón has stolen $51 million from Arte. A theft of this magnitude usually doesn't happen outside of government agencies, but in this case, the thief was in fact a con man, a fellow of sly and scurrilous talent -- that is, a player agent.
This fellow must be hunted down immediately and jailed for the good of society.
In this case, he will be abetted by Mike Scioscia, who said after the game, "Bart's going to get the ball and he's going to work this out." Yes, and so long as he does, the team will continue to lose.
Gregg could have kept us in this, but it didn't go that way, and we're reminded of why he didn't break into the Oakland system. Everybody has bad days, though, and we forgive him... for the second time in a week. Maybe I just shouldn't say anything positive about any Angel pitcher.
Richard points out that the Angels haven't homered in like 6,734 at bats. I'm getting tired of seeing Vlad come up and single twice in a game like this one. I know, 2-5 is a fine day at the plate, but dammit, he's there for the over-the-fence threat, and between him and Guillen, we've almost forgotten what a home run looks like. Oh, wait, we've got the Cubs to show us that... Salmon's old. Anderson's got arthritis -- is it hurting his bat speed? Is he no longer a power threat? I wonder...
One question: bases juiced, Vlad at the plate. Why no Rally Monkey?
Halter. Mike. Just Say No.
Update: How about this laffer:
"The only time you would ever consider pushing a guy back or doing something with a guy with his talent is for health concerns. That's not the issue here.Right, like demoting Sele to the bullpen after his great spring, or demoting Ortiz after his awful starts. I think it's a fine time for Colón to develop a nonspecific injury, preferably to his shoulder.
Pickoff Moves
Salmon Concerned About Playing Time
Timmy's wondering about his lack of playing time, and no surprise there: the Angels have one DH slot too few in the lineup. Timmy just can't hack right anymore, and there's a young god at that position anyway. Anderson in center isn't really the defensive answer we'd hoped for, and my bet is it'll hurt his longevity by leaving him out there."I'm trying to keep a good spin on it," said Salmon, who was hitting .224 entering Friday. " … But at some point you have to look at a guy like me and ask, 'How effective can I be if I'm not playing on a regular basis?'"I've been an everyday player. I'm the type of player who needs to get at-bats, and then I come around…. I know what kind of player I am, and hopefully I'm given the opportunity to be that kind of player. If I'm not used as that kind of player, then I'll re-evaluate the situation."
Sele Joins The Wounded
Aaron Sele went on the 15-day DL with a "dead arm", but hopefully it's got nothing to do with his shoulder trouble. At least, I hope not. He's one of only two starters with an ERA under 5.00.Roy Campa-who?
While I'm generally sympathetic to claims of racism towards ballplayers in the 60's, Jim "Mudcat" Grant's claim that "People have forgotten Roy Campanella" is absurd on its face. Or, what's his retired number doing over the bleachers? (Thanks to Mariners Wheelhouse for that link.)Dodgers Sign Top Pick Elbert, 6 of 7
The Dodgers signed their top pick LHP Scott Elbert, for a $1.575M bonus. Nice money if you can get it. The article goes on to say that the Dodgers have signed six of their first seven, good news.Early Returns: Dodgers Pound Sox
Man, what a reversal! Jeffy gives up five runs and the Dodgers explode on the Sox rotation. It's the middle of the sixth as I write this and 14-5, Dodgers. Woot!Baby, You Can Drive My Carlos
First, let's eliminate some prominent names. The Yankees and Red Sox are both out of this, both having minor league systems as bare as Mother Hubbard's cupboard. I have similar feelings, in varying degrees, about San Francisco, San Diego, and Oakland as well. Moneyball may have canonized Beane to super genius status, but he can't invent top prospects drafting as low as he does. I also eliminate Seattle, for lack of minor league players. Detroit, whose minor league system is a shambles, is also a non-Carlos-contender, especially because of their presence in the same league and division. (I also put Minnesota in that uh-uh category despite the number of quality prospects in their minors.)
Here's some educated guesses:
- DePodesta might be able to make something happen for the Dodgers, but I'm skeptical; the team's best hitters are all in the low minors, and depleted anyway thanks to the Milton Bradley trade, while the best pitching is either untouchable (Jackson, Miller, Hanrahan) or having injury problems one way or another (Miller, Hanrahan).
- The Brewers, only three games out of first in the amazingly competitive NL Central, could be a surprise candidate. They just cleared a mess of payroll room by unloading the now-injured Richie Sexson, they're actually in contention for their division, and they've got the talent in the minors. Question: would Beltran want to go to a perennial loser like Milwaukee? Not that he has anything to say about it -- and would Milwaukee make a move on an impact player like that who's got no guarantees of returning after the season when they have a farm system full of stars-in-the-wings? I don't think so, and that's why I'm uncomfortable suggesting it. Still, the pieces are all there.
- The Cubs could package Cory Patterson with some of their pitching to make a deal; this would solidify their offense immensely, but their bullpen remains a question mark, and as with the Dodgers, dealing too much from that depth can leave the team suddenly staring at a hole.
- The Braves might just have the ace here. Their pitching isn't great, but they haven't effectively replaced Gary Sheffield; Beltran might end up being that guy for Atlanta. With the keystone players they need, a trade now could vault them over the Phillies, who just can't seem to put the pieces together.
JoBo: It's Troy Glaus On Line One
The Shifting Winds: Red Sox 2, Dodgers 1
Frank's finally addressing his critics, sort of, and blessedly keeping his mouth shut about the Red Sox. Sure, Frank, you're allowed to be a fan. Vinnie grew up a Giants fan, and Arte still loves the Diamondbacks. But you don't go around making Soxian references in public when you're the owner of the team. It's just not kosher. But somehow he managed to rein in his native lust and -- for the cameras, at least, and that is all that I care about -- cheered for the team he owns.
Is Odalis Perez the most frustrated pitcher on the Dodgers' staff? I'd have to believe it. His 24.7 VORP leads the team, with Ishii second at 17.7; third is Alvarez with quite a drop to 11.8. OP's 3.01 ERA leads the team's starters, yet he's only 3-3 thanks to some of the worst if not the worst run support for any starter. And Tracy assured that would happen yet again by stubbornly reinstalling Green into the cleanup slot, when he's had no indication that Green's power has returned. The only Dodger run comes on an error, when a windblown fly ball eludes Manny Ramirez' glove? I'm not surprised. But to leave Tom Martin, a LOOGY, in a close game? What was Tracy theeenking, man? You bring out Mota. You bring out Alvarez.
Friday, June 11, 2004 |
Interleague2: Angels 3, Cubs 2/Arizona 6, CSULB 5
Lackey finally started pitching like the guy we saw in 2002, a fact that must have dismayed the A's some; their lead in the AL West is now only a half game. Be that as it may, Lackey only allowed two runs through seven innings, certainly one of his best outings this year, albeit in front of another Dusty-handicapped Cubs team. Instead of putting starting catcher Michael Barrett (.317/.366/.545) at DH and Todd Hollandsworth (.333/.421/.581) at right, he put Jose Macias (.274/.274/.393) in RF and Hollandsworth at DH. It's the kind of thing Mike does periodically with Halter, much to our infuration. Anyway, for the Angels, it was almost as much fun as the Felix Rodriguez-for-Russ Ortiz move in Game 6 of the World Series. And while you might be tempted to say, hey, no Sammy, the fact is that Todd's line is similar to Sammy's (.291/.385/.590).
The Cubbies are frustrated and generally in a bad mood. After their great sendoff this season with high expectations, every loss counts twice. Not being in first place is an awful grind for them. Was I the only one to catch that exasperated, downcast look on Dusty's face in the dugout when they announced K-Rod was the closing pitcher? A look that said, "Man, I've seen this guy before... and I don't like it." Or how about Maddux' "god#*%m motherf#&%(er" after Kotch hit an RBI single off him?
Kennedy getting a hit of any kind is something like a miracle. Amezega, well below the Mendoza line, is just hurting us too much.
Meantime... back at Blair Field, the Dirtbags were nothing if not dominant over the 7 2/3 innings Jered Weaver pitched. Weaver allowed two runs, one earned, collecting 12 strikeouts. The Dirtbags took a 5-2 lead into the top of the 9th.
Then, the bullpen unraveled, and the Beach lost it 6-5.
The Silent Stud
| Name | G | GS | IP | H/9 | BB/9 | SO/9 | HR/9 | BABIP | ERA | RA | PK_RA | RA+ | RP | VORP |
| Kevin Gregg | 24 | 0 | 41 | 7 | 2.2 | 9.4 | 0.2 | 0.287 | 1.32 | 1.54 | 1.63 | 301 | 15 | 20.8 |
| Kelvim Escobar | 11 | 11 | 67.3 | 8.6 | 2.7 | 7.2 | 1.1 | 0.295 | 3.34 | 3.34 | 3.55 | 138 | 10.2 | 20.5 |
| Francisco Rodriguez | 27 | 0 | 33 | 6.3 | 3 | 14.5 | 0.3 | 0.349 | 1.36 | 1.91 | 2.03 | 242 | 10.6 | 15.4 |
| Aaron Sele | 12 | 8 | 55.7 | 9.1 | 3.4 | 4.5 | 0.8 | 0.293 | 3.56 | 3.72 | 3.96 | 124 | 6 | 14.7 |
| Scot Shields | 25 | 0 | 40.7 | 6.2 | 3.5 | 10.2 | 0.2 | 0.262 | 2.66 | 2.88 | 3.06 | 160 | 8.4 | 14.6 |
| Jarrod Washburn | 12 | 12 | 72 | 11.2 | 2.5 | 5.4 | 1.1 | 0.327 | 5.62 | 5.75 | 6.12 | 80 | -9.5 | 2.7 |
| Troy Percival | 19 | 0 | 17.7 | 11.2 | 5.6 | 5.1 | 1.5 | 0.317 | 5.09 | 5.09 | 5.42 | 90 | -1 | 2 |
| Ramon Ortiz | 14 | 5 | 41.3 | 10.5 | 3.5 | 7.8 | 0.9 | 0.355 | 5.44 | 5.66 | 6.02 | 81 | -5 | 2 |
| John Lackey | 11 | 11 | 67 | 9.8 | 3 | 4 | 1.2 | 0.283 | 5.64 | 5.91 | 6.29 | 78 | -10.1 | 1.3 |
| Matt Hensley | 3 | 0 | 4 | 13.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 0 | 0.429 | 6.75 | 6.75 | 7.18 | 68 | -1 | -0.3 |
| Dusty Bergman | 1 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 0 | 0.5 | 13.5 | 13.5 | 14.36 | 34 | -2.1 | -1.6 |
| Bartolo Colon | 12 | 12 | 69 | 10.8 | 3.3 | 7.3 | 2 | 0.325 | 6 | 6.52 | 6.94 | 70 | -15.4 | -3.3 |
| Ben Weber | 18 | 0 | 22.3 | 14.9 | 6 | 4.4 | 1.6 | 0.379 | 8.06 | 9.67 | 10.29 | 47 | -13.3 | -8.9 |
Think about that next time Colón starts.
Update: Gregg's 20.8 VORP puts him in the neighborhood of Mariano Rivera (19.5) and Javier Vazquez (21.0) of the Yankees, as well as the Dodgers' best starter, Odalis Perez (20.6), and Matt Clement of the Cubs (21.2). In other words, he's right up there with some of the top-shelf pitchers in the game today.
D-Mac, Gorneault Beam Down, Rip Texas League
3B Dallas McPherson is really trying to force his way to Anaheim. He is absolutely destroying the Texas League now and something must be done. Send him to the PCL or the bigs or back to his home planet, but get him outta here. McPherson blasted 2 home runs in both games of Arkansas' (ANA) doubleheader sweep of San Antonio (SEA) yesterday. McPherson would go 3-for-3 with 2 dingers, a steal, 4 runs scored, and 5 RBIs in the Travs' 12-5 game one victory and he would follow that up by going 3-for-4 with a double, 2 homers, and 3 RBIs in the Travs' 11-8 game two win. That's 4 homers, 6 runs scored, and 8 RBIs in 2 games that were 7 innings long. Big D or Big Mac or Daddy Mac or DMC or Babe is leading the TL in homers (16), RBIs (58), and slugging (.668). I'm now convinced McPherson is no longer human. I guarantee you he has his space ship covered with some twigs near the park. Someone needs to go search for his craft. Does anything else matter after that splosion? If McPherson was Rock, LF Nick Gorneault was Sock yesterday, as he would go 6-for-7 with 2 doubles, 2 homers (8), 6 runs scored, and 6 RBIs. Have a nice day. Gorneault leads the TL with 51 runs scored and is hitting .314. Did I mention McPherson hit 4 homers in the doubleheader? 1B Mike Eylward was 5-for-8 with a homer (3) and 5 RBIs for the Travs. The Wonder Twins had to have a Gleep. RF Shin-Soo Choo was 4-for-8 with a dinger (6), a steal, and 3 RBIs for the Missions in the DH. Choobaca has 6 straight 2-hit games to raise his average from .275 to .294. DH Ryan Christianson doubled twice, scored 2 runs, and drove in 2 runs and 3B Greg Dobbs was 2-for-4 with a double, 2 runs scored, and 2 ribs for San Antonio in game two. Christianson is 7-for-24 (.292) in his first 6 games this season. Dobbs is 8th in the TL in batting (.326).Dayng... This after D-Mac hit yet another bomb onto the Interstate. That promotion to AAA might just happen, but catching prospect Jeff Mathis, mired in a "slump" at .277, might have to stay behind.
Thursday, June 10, 2004 |
A Clint Eastwood Kinda Day: Angels 5, Brewers 4
The Angels almost couldn't get anything right. With one run through the first six innings, the Brewers began to think they might break out the brooms. The Angels stranded eight, of which Figgins was responsible for half. Then, the seventh and eighth, but I get ahead of myself:
The Good
- Kotchman's 2-3, 2 RBI night, with one of those hits a double. Me, bag on him? You bet, and I still think he needs to go back down.
- Guillen's clutch single. Man we needed that.
- Jeffy's walk, and RBI single.
- AK's single, and his 18-pitch at bat that ended in a walk. Now that Alex Cora's gotten all the attention for his monster AB, it seems it's going around the majors now, and AK's just the latest guy to get infected by it, the last one being Kotch.
- A good night of middle infield defense from both Eck and AK.
- Sele's pitching, despite the 3-run tater.
- Gregg's pitching.
The Weird
- Both Anderson and Vlad had 3-2-1-0 nights (3 AB, 2 runs, 1 RBI, 1 BB).
- Josh Paul's interference, which I thought was either clumsiness by Paul (maybe) or an awkward swing by Podsednik (more likely).
The Ugly
- Eckstein's 0-5. Not unexpected considering the time he missed.
- Jose Molina's 0-2 night.
- Frankie's horrible Percival imitation. He was just off his game tonight.
- Giving four outs to the Brewers. If they don't get that double play, the game's tied.
More Pickoff Moves
Brown's Back Acting Up
Kevin Brown's back is acting up again, and his ERA has balooned to 4.13. Yeah, I know -- whew.Update: Mariners Wheelhouse passes on a column by Newsday writer Jon Heyman imploring the Yanks to go for Freddie Garcia. There are some stupid GMs in the game, and Bavasi has made some stupid moves this year, but moving his best starter for whatever twigs and berries the Yanks have in their minors is unlikely to happen. If this marks the beginning of the Yankees descent into the lower regions of the AL East, don't say you weren't warned. (Incidentally, I still cling to my romantic notion of a portable A-Rod curse that can migrate to the Yankees.)
Warning: Don't Catch Foul Balls With Your Face
The surprise isn't that the Red Sox don't have to pay nearly a half million dollars compensation to a woman injured by a foul ball, but that "three to four dozen patrons each season are injured by foul balls." Is that per team or throughout MLB?Dodgers 6, Blue Jays 1
What miracle caught Ishii on this one? He only surrendered a lone walk, one run -- by a solo homer -- and got four strikeouts. Meantime, Belly caught a two run shot, Encarnacion a solo homer, and Greenie goes 3-5, with twofer days for Roberts, Izzy, Paulie, Belly, and Encarnacion. (Man, if ever somebody needed a nickname, it's Juan.) |
