6-4-2 — an Angels/Dodgers double play blog

During Donnelly's absence, the team will "likely" place Orlando Cabrera on the DL, and bring up Kevin Gregg. Gregg has a 3.89 ERA with a 3-1 record in six starts for AAA Salt Lake.

// posted by Rob @ 8:41 PM link  //  0 comments

According to to the pay site RonFineman.com, Channel 2 was thinking seriously of taking Jim Hill out of the sports anchor slot. Hill didn't want to go, and he got Danny Bakewell of the Brotherhood Crusade and L.A. Sentinel to come in and appeal to KCBS general manager Don Corsini. Fineman says Urban League head John Mack confirmed the account for him and added that Bakewell was representing his views. "Jim has the full support of the African American community," Mack told Fineman. If Hill's future has been decided, it's not yet clear.

// posted by Rob @ 8:36 PM link  //  0 comments

For more laffs, check out this useful tool.

// posted by Rob @ 2:40 PM link  //  0 comments

At least they're out of there, and will be home after the Kansas City series; then it's time for the All-Star break and some much-needed rest.

Recap

// posted by Rob @ 2:21 PM link  //  0 comments

Tracy Gets The Message

If only coaches could always get results this quickly.

A message was relayed from Manager Jim Tracy to third base coach Jim Lett to batter Antonio Perez, who had squared to bunt on the previous pitch.

"Swing the bat," Lett yelled.

Perez promptly hit a three-run home run, propelling the Dodgers to a 4-2 victory Wednesday over the San Diego Padres in front of an announced 43,569 at Dodger Stadium.

Jim Lett for manager? It's getting to the point where you hope for a Darth Vader-style command transition. Unfortunately, it appears Tracy made the call:

"I yelled at Lett, 'What's he doing?' " Tracy said.

The coach made Tracy's intentions clear to Perez, who moments later was pumping his fist in the air as the ball cleared the center-field fence.

"I thought I'd move the runners," Perez said. "They want me to swing, so that's fine. I love to swing."

Houlton, The Stopper

And I Thought It Was His Middle Name

Two years ago, the Angels' right-hander was named Johan. He was toiling at Class-A Rancho Cucamonga, and Minnesota Twins left-hander Johan Santana was on the cusp of major-league stardom. That's when the Angels' Santana decided the American League wasn't big enough for two Johan Santanas.

He changed his name.

"I just came up with Ervin," Santana said. "Ervin Santana, that sounds good."

The Angels signed the 6-foot-3, 170-pound righthander in September of 2000. At that time he was going by the name of Johan Santana — now a very well-known name, but not his — and he was supposed to be just 16 years old. After the crackdown [on fraudulent birth dates and visas] his birthdate was corrected to show he was actually 10 months older and that his first name was really Ervin.

Yankees To Release Quantrill, Stanton

The Futures Of The Game

I had witnessed Weaver's professional debut the Monday before and was anxious to see if he could improve upon his three-inning, three-hit, one-run effort against the Lake Elsinore Storm. It turned out that there were 5,797 curious fans in attendance--or nearly triple the number that braved the Southern California freeways five days earlier--who found out that Weaver (2.1-5-4-4-0-5, L) may not be as "major-league ready" as his agent Scott Boras once thought. (I may be guilty of being overly optimistic as well, although I think it remains a distinct possibility that Weaver could make the jump to the Angels as early as next summer.)

// posted by Rob @ 7:17 AM link  //  0 comments

"It's been a long time coming," the 71-year-old Shellman said.

Besides Williams, Martin and Rose, others included are Cal Ripken Jr., Johnny Bench, Carlton Fisk, Kirby Puckett, Tony La Russa, Tom Seaver, Sparky Anderson and Dave Parker. Most were done at spring training in 1985, but a couple came during Shellman's trips later that season to the Metrodome to watch his beloved Twins play.

// posted by Rob @ 11:12 PM link  //  0 comments

Probably the worst news of the day -- if you can call it news -- was Odalis Perez making a mandatory rehab start after his last shaky outing for AAA Las Vegas, a 11-12 loss on Saturday where he gave up five earned runs in 4.2 IP. Will Carroll already called this one on Monday, so I treat today's release as just a confirmation.

Recap

// posted by Rob @ 10:34 PM link  //  1 comments

Not a good outing for Lackey, who kept getting nibbled to death by a Rangers team that seems on its way to an offensive, if not pitching, resurgence. Kenny Rogers' wacky meltdown continued today, when he threw down and kicked a TV news camera:

"I'll break every ... one of them," Rogers said before he was escorted to the clubhouse by catcher Rod Barajas.

Recap

// posted by Rob @ 10:14 PM link  //  3 comments

Blez:  Moving forward then, you'd say power is one area where you'd like to upgrade?

Beane:  Yeah, but it's not easy to find and it's expensive.  That's why we no longer have it.  Because when we develop it, we lose it through free agency.  We lost Jason (Giambi), a 35-40 home run guy and Miguel (Tejada), the same thing.  Now, there's going to be power developed from some of the guys within, like from Crosby.  But he's a second-year player.  You don't expect him to go out and hit 30 homers.  It's going to come over time, but in the short term, waiting for it is going to be difficult.  You go to the team stats of every team and the teams that hit home runs are going to score runs.  The one consistent thing for scoring a lot of runs is getting on base and slugging.  You can have 1,000 stolen bases, but if you don't have power to go along with it you're not going to be bringing those guys home.  And that's why Boston is so deadly.  You look at those two games there.  Home run.  Boom, boom, game over, see you later.  You're never out of a game if you have the ability to hit one over the fence.  

...

Blez:  With the team's early-season struggles, so many fans and columnists began pointing at Chavy and the decision to sign Chavy to a long-term deal reportedly over Miguel Tejada.  Do you care to respond to the people who said this?

Beane:  First of all, we signed Chavy during last spring training.  Then he goes out and wins another gold glove, leads the league in walks, misses six weeks and hits 29 home runs.  So no one writes anything then.  What they do is they take, out of context, two months of struggling.  We've always said Miguel is a spectacular player.  It would take too long to explain, but the revisionist history of what went on is just wrong.  The fact of the matter is that I'm happy that we have Chavez at third and Crosby at short.  That's my choice.  It will be my choice.  I have absolutely no doubt that it will be the right choice.  But Miguel is a marvelous player and who wouldn't say that?  There was never a choice given at the time.

// posted by Rob @ 5:11 PM link  //  0 comments

• The Angels were relieved that there was no structural damage in the throwing elbow of Orlando Cabrera. The SS has had what is called “significant swelling” in his elbow that hasn’t been reduced by rest or normal treatment. Normally quite durable, Cabrera is having significant problems this season. Some are saying that his unfamiliarity with the training room is part of the problem, convincing himself that he can get out there and be the tough guy that Mike Scioscia tells everyone he needs.
• Across town, the Dodgers' two big bats are dealing with injuries in different ways. Milton Bradley has had to back off his swinging after experiencing great pain in his damaged hand. Bradley is growing increasingly frustrated with the problem and may look for a new opinion with a hand specialist in the near future. J.D. Drew was back on the field, looking uncomfortable. The chondromalacia-induced pain is still there, but is manageable. It’s clear from his stride that it’s still in Drew’s head, something that could affect his play.
• Wilson Alvarez should be back for the Dodgers soon. He won’t help the rotation, which might be a good thing, considering ...

// posted by Rob @ 2:04 PM link  //  3 comments

Brett Tomko Moved To Bullpen

The Giants have not selected a pitcher to replace him for his next start.

Cubs Return Wood To Rotation, DFA Borowski

Mark Mulder Wonders, Where's The Best Of Me?

"Watching him pitch, I'm sitting there going, 'God, I used to do that all the time. Why can't I do this?'" Mulder said recently. "Go eight innings, 85 pitches? I would do that six out of eight or 10 starts. It wasn't hard to watch, it was good to watch because, God, I used to do that all the time.

"What the hell is wrong with me?"

// posted by Rob @ 1:20 PM link  //  0 comments

• The Stingers' Eric Cyr gave up eight runs in an 14-3 laugher against the Tacoma Rainiers. The Stingers got six hits total, while the Rainiers totaled 17, including a 2-6 effort with two RBI from former Angel Scott Spiezio, who was on the Rainiers as part of a rehab assignment. Cyr, who took the loss, is 3-2 with a 5.66 ERA.
• The first signs of life from Kendry Morales: a monster 4-5 night with five RBIs in a 7-6 loss to San Antonio. Morales hit two two-run home runs for the Travs, and a solo shot as well; two from the left side and one from the right. Von Stertzbach took the loss.
• Karl Gelinas and Cedar Rapids beat Peoria 5-2 behind a six-hit effort. Gelinas has walked 10 batters all year and struck out 33; he's 4-5 on the year with a 3.54 ERA.
• Tucson obliterated the 51's 21-1, with Heath Totten giving up ten runs in three and a third innings. Mike Venafro and Pat Mahomes each gave up four earned runs in two and one inning of work, respectively. Chris Michalak got the complete game victory for the Sidewinders.
• Despite entering the game with an 18.90 ERA for the Suns, Justin Orenduff managed to get a quality start and a win against Huntsville in a 13-8 victory. Andy LaRoche was 1-4 with two walks and scored three runs; Joel Guzman went 4-5 driving in four runs, including a two-run homer; Russ Martin went 3-5 with a pair of RBIs (and now owns a .321/.450/.430 line); and James Loney, who had a long slump to start his 2005, busted out with a 4-6 night. Dennis Safarte took the loss for the Stars; Tony Gwynn, Jr. went 2-6.
• Chuck Tiffany was a loser again for the Vero Beach Dodgers, surrendering four earned runs in six innings in the 5-3 loss to Daytona. Catcher Andrew Ellis was 1-2 with two walks in the loss, and now has a .296/.378/.408 line on the season. Brian Dopirak drove in three runs for the Cubs.
• A 7-1 stomping by the Catfish is what you get when the top three batters go 3-4 (CF Jamie Hoffman), 2-5 (RF Ryan Russ), and 2-5 (DH Lucas May) respectively. Scott Elbert got the win for Columbus in six innings of work; he's now 3-4 with a 3.42 ERA.

// posted by Rob @ 12:51 PM link  //  0 comments

Colon, First Angels 20-Game Winner Since Ryan?

A's 8, Mariners 1

ESPN Box

Mike Scioscia, Queen For A Day

Frank Robinson hadn't made anyone look this bad since the Cincinnati Reds traded him to the Baltimore Orioles for Milt Pappas, Jack Baldschun and Dick Simpson.

Scioscia -- one of the good guys in baseball -- missed the point when Robinson, manager of the surprising Washington Nationals, recently called out Los Angeles Angels reliever Brendan Donnelly for having pine tar on his glove. Donnelly was inspected, ejected and suspended.

Scioscia got in Robinson's face, then ordered one of the Nats pitchers checked out for a loose string on his glove.

"It happens with a lot of pitchers," Scioscia said of the pine-tar incident.

Sure. And it's only cheating when you're caught.

RATING: * * * * *

Via the Times.

Hot Prospects

// posted by Rob @ 7:50 AM link  //  3 comments

Probably the worst of it was the obnoxious knuckle-dragger in a Padres warmup jacket sitting next to me; I was two seats away from him and I could still smell his breath, which had the aroma of fusty opossums. Not only was he loud, not only was he trying to engage me in conversation (when that was clearly not my goal, thanks to the geysers of halitosis venting from the volcano of his open mouth), but he kept grunting at semi-random intervals, about three to five seconds apart. I swear, it sounded like an elephant seal rutting beach. One of my friends whom I went with is hard of hearing and he still managed to bother her -- and she had me inbetween!

But if the stands had atavists in them, the concessions seemingly were run by idiots. I went to the Carl's Jr. on the Reserved level, stood in line for a couple minutes and waited. Observing at last that there was nothing in the burger bins, the guy in line in front of me knocked on the glass to get the attention of somebody in the kitchen. The employee there then informed us that it would be a half hour before they had any burgers! Nobody at the cash register alerted us to this fact, nor did anyone have a sign up informing us of this, either. So, naturally, I left to go to Panda Express -- where they had only half the concession running.

Dammit.

Anyway, a squandered eighth-inning rally, another bullpen blowout, and lousy fielding. Any one of those could have been overcome, but the Dodgers now are so fragile there's just nothing left, and so they lose and lose and lose. 2005 is over, really. 2006? We'll see.

And another goddamned game with Izturis batting leadoff, and another 0-fer game. Edwards or Perez, Tracy. I don't give a tinker's damn about Izturis getting into the All-Star game, which, by the way, his current struggles argue against. I do care, however, about the Dodgers winning, and Izturis at leadoff is not helping.

And WTF is up with Erickson having a better outing than Sanchez? And the Times not mentioning either Erickson or Izturis. Scrutiny? The hell.

Recap

// posted by Rob @ 12:09 AM link  //  7 comments

By God, the Angels are getting it done. I was in Chavez Ravine when this one went down and listened to a good bit of it on the radio while I watched the Dodgers gimpily fade in front of the Padres. More on that one later, but mad props to the entirety of the Angels pitching staff, who manhandled Texas masterfully in limiting them to a solitary run.

Eight wins in a row, and now up eight and a half over the Rangers. They're now guaranteed no worse than a 6.5 game lead over the Rangers by the end of the series, and possibly a 10.5 game lead. After this series, it's KC on the road, followed by a three-game series at home against the Twins and four vs. the Mariners. Since sweeping their three-game set with the Dodgers, the Royals have gone 1-10 against Houston, the Chisox, Minnesota, and the Twins. Prior to tonight's win against the Royals, the Twins had just lost five straight series for the first time since 2001. The M's are at the bottom of the division after the A's kicked them there last weekend. The Angels could have some serious real estate behind them entering the All-Star break.

Reaction over at Lone Star Ball is predictably negative, including the following comment:

As the old adage goes, you can't win your division early in the season, but you can lose it. And the Rangers, by completely spitting the bit in the month of June, have given the division away.

Update: The Angels' eight-game winning streak is the longest active streak in the majors; the club is 16-7 in June. Man, I'm gonna miss June.

Recap

// posted by Rob @ 11:52 PM link  //  7 comments

A test of Blogger images.

// posted by Rob @ 4:46 PM link  //  7 comments

Aside: I happened to notice that the Indians' last call was with the Toledo Mudhens, made famous by the TV show M*A*S*H. Check out the Mudhens' scoreboard:

That's a damn sight better than what I've seen at comparable minor league fields. Impressive, really.

// posted by Rob @ 12:39 PM link  //  3 comments

Too Bad They Don't Let You Pitch With The Batting Helmet On

Bradley Still Out

We Could Be Heroes

• Derek Thompson gave up three earned runs in five innings in a 8-3 win for Las Vegas over the Tucson Sidewinders. Chin-Feng Chen had two hits and four RBIs on the night.
• I somehow missed this last week, but it's been a while since I checked in: Edwin Jackson finally had a good outing last Friday, beating West Tennessee 11-2, giving up two earned runs with three strikeouts over seven innings.
• Joel Hanrahan blew up on the mound, giving up six earned runs on seven hits in 4.1 innings in a 7-5 loss. Adam LaRoche went 3-5 with an RBI, and Joel Guzman went 3-4 on the night.
• Chris Bootcheck coughed up five earned runs in a 6-4 loss to Tacoma. The Stingers pitcher now has a 3-2 record with a 5.01 ERA. Wandering Japanese pitcher Masao Kida got the save for the Rainiers, his twelfth.
• Stingers starter Corey Lee was released to allow him to pitch in Japan, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. Also, Robb Quinlan was sent up to the big club; Orlando Cabrera is expected to go on the DL after an MRI revealed fluid in his elbow. (Hat tip: FutureAngels.)

  Update: Now confirmed on the official roster page.

  Update 2: instead of the OC being disabled, Curtis Pride was DFA'd. According to the AP article, Pride has already cleared waivers.

• Kendry Morales continues to struggle at AA Arkansas, who lost last night, 5-4, to San Antonio. Morales had another 0-fer night at the plate; he's presently hitting .156.

The Not-So-Splendid Splinters

// posted by Rob @ 9:01 AM link  //  1 comments

There have been times in this inaugural season of the Washington Nationals when Mel Proctor and Ron Darling, the TV voices of the team, have sat in the booth talking into their microphones and thinking this crazy thought: No one out there was watching.

"Well, it was so strange early in the year when we were doing games that nobody was seeing," Proctor said. "That was one of the weirdest things I've ever done. Like this one night I gave out my cell phone number on the air and I said, 'If anybody's watching anywhere, call this number.' And the only one who called was the tape operator from the truck."

By now, they're used to the complaints. "We always ride the Metro back when we're at home," Darling said, "so invariably the question we get all the time is, 'Where are you guys on TV? What channel are you on? Where are you going to be tomorrow?' And literally, we don't have many answers."

It's not clear that it will matter, though; interest in the team has been brisk, and has even recently attracted a bid from billionaire George Soros. (Government Reform Chairman Tom Davis (R) took off the gloves with that, threatening Selig with the comment, "I don't think it's the Nats that get hurt. I think it's Major League Baseball that gets hurt. They enjoy all sorts of exemptions" from anti-trust laws." Soros is a large donor to Democratic causes.) Offers now are thought to be "between $300 million and $400 million for a team that MLB bought in 2002 for $120 million." Good business if you can get it.

(Hat tip: BTF, and long-time reader Bruce.)

// posted by Rob @ 12:02 AM link  //  1 comments

Drew: 2-2, two walks, and an RBI. Mr. Clutch, comes home at last, now hitting .216 with RISP.

Kent: 3-4, three RBIs. At least somebody's doing his job around here.

Izturis: another 0-4 night. He has had eight hits all month. Why is he still leading off?

Choi: 2-4. Whew.

And Houlton, of course, who held the Pads scoreless after the second. God, did this team need that.

Recap

// posted by Rob @ 11:09 PM link  //  0 comments

The chokers, the people who pay for all this stuff. They don’t get it. You’ve heard it a million times—at the water cooler and in shot-through newsgroups—but it’s absolutely true.

They don’t browse. They don’t keep up. They read about the Web, fer chrissakes, in the New York Times and in the Wall Street Journal. They tell their flunkies to order up some presence and have no idea what they’ve done or what it should look like.

They’re virgins who’ve been told about sex and think they have a clue. They’re experts vicariously.

// posted by Rob @ 10:31 PM link  //  1 comments

Draft day, three weeks ago. All 30 clubs are on the conference call. One by one, scouting directors come onto the line to announce their club's pick. Except the Dodgers, where mascot Tommy Lasorda gets the honors.

Come the Dodgers' turn to pick, Tommy booms over Ma Bell's lines and 30 speakerphones, "On behalf of the LOS ANGELES DODGERS, the ONLY major-league team in LOS ANGELES ..."

"I don't know why they're so worried about what we think," Angels scouting director Eddie Bane says. "Everybody makes their picks, but we don't need team fight songs."

But I digress.

Colon pitched a good, not great, game; the last run he gave up, a homer to Hank Blalock in the sixth, was clearly on a "hit me" pitch, but by then he was already up by eight. Even Jake Woods -- his walk excluded -- had a nice little outing. Only Jose Molina failed to get a hit.

Games like this one really concern me because teams have a way of forgetting their bats after big blowouts. Arlington or no, hobbled Rangers bullpen or no, tomorrow the Angels will go up against John Wasdin, who blanked the Angels in five and a third innings and will make an emergency start for the slightly injured Kenny Rogers. It won't be easy.

Recap

// posted by Rob @ 9:37 PM link  //  3 comments

Update: you may have read this earlier as tonight's game being Wilson's 2005 debut, but that merely proved that his ESPN game log has not been updated. MLB.com has the most current stats.

Update 2: corrected for Washburn's start tomorrow.

// posted by Rob @ 6:13 PM link  //  0 comments

UTK Notes

• No one seems clear on what actually happened [to Eric Gagné] or why; every surgeon I talked to says there's more to the story than is being told and that the Dodgers have pulled the curtain down hard around the injury. With Tommy John surgery, we have a known quantity and a predictable rehab path. For this procedure, we have predictions and guesses. I try to stay away from Miss Cleo territory as much as I can, so I'll just wish Gagne the best of luck and remind him that I'll be watching.
• The Dodgers also have a situation with J.D. Drew that appears to be deteriorating. Drew can't come back from his recent pain too quickly without risking further damage.
• There are times that I hate to say I told you so. In the case of Kelvim Escobar, the Angels took the gamble that he'd be able to come back from the bone spur in his pitching elbow without surgery. That was a longshot that didn't pay off. Escobar will undergo surgery that should end his season, leaving the Angels hoping that Ervin Santana continues to pitch well and that someone--anyone--pops up on the trade market offering some solid pitching. Scot Shields is a name that keeps popping up as someone that many GMs would like to get on their roster.

  There is no way the Angels unload Shields, Will. No way.

• Odalis Perez has another rehab start ahead of him. His latest outing in Las Vegas lasted just 64 subpar pitches. This will force some hard decisions after Perez's clear assertions just a few days ago that he shouldn't have made the third start and was better, even in an injured state, than some of the current Dodger pitchers. If the Dodgers had depth or if Edwin Jackson hadn't collapsed, Perez would have some trade value as a once-successful and currently left-handed pitcher.

Dodger Midterms

• Brad Penny was thought to be an injury risk prior to his signing, but certainly not the nerve problem he ended up having -- more like a Tommy John candidate.
• Milton Bradley had a reputation of dogging out numerous injuries and being somewhat fragile in Cleveland.
• Jayson Werth had a history of injuries affecting his playing time (IIRC) with Toronto.
• J.D. Drew had numerous problems with his knees in St. Louis and Atlanta, but put up a good string of injury-free days in Atlanta last year.
• Wilson Alvarez was old.

Jered Weaver Video

// posted by Rob @ 12:58 PM link  //  1 comments

Team       W-L    Pyth. W-L 
============================
Angels    45-29     41-33
Rangers   38-35     41-32
A's       35-40     39-36
Mariners  33-40     35-38

Team           W-L    Pyth. W-L 
================================
Padres        42-34     38-38
Dodgers       35-40     35-40
Diamondbacks  39-38     32-45
Giants        30-44     29-45
Rockies       25-48     27-46

// posted by Rob @ 9:40 AM link  //  3 comments

Cabrera’s smooth play in the field appears to have overshadowed concerns about his batting average. In fact, Hatcher says he doesn’t think there is a concern. “I think there’s more concern with the press and all the people that are so tied up in stats,” he says. “But this guy’s done a great job, and he’s gotten some big hits, moved some runners. He’s a .265 to .270 hitter. At the end of the year, he’ll be there.”

// posted by Rob @ 7:20 AM link  //  6 comments

A's 16, Giants 0

Padres 5, Seattle 4

The Pads disabled 1B Phil Nevin with a strained muscle, retroactive to Tuesday. San Diego called up OF Ben Johnson from AAA Portland to replace him.

Recap

Cubs 2, White Sox 0

The Cubs are 38-36, 8.5 games back of the first-place Cards in the NL Central.

ESPN Box

// posted by Rob @ 10:25 PM link  //  0 comments

Snarky commentary aside, Frankie should have made mincemeat of those guys, but I am reminded at this time that he carried a 2.77 ERA into today's game. It's pretty good, but I've watched him struggle too often lately to think he's either (a) well or (b) as effective as we have seen him at the top of his form.

The Dodgers... well, they fought some. Jayson Werth has hit four homers since June 22, which is probably a good sign, but otherwise this wasn't a lineup to expect much of.

Interleague is over, save for the World Series. Hallelujah. And congrats to GA for making 1,000 career RBIs.

Update: Tracy in the postgame interview said Olmedo Saenz strained his hip flexor in his last at bat, and is a possible scratch for tomorrow's game.

ESPN Box • Recap

// posted by Rob @ 3:50 PM link  //  5 comments

The mob has his say.

// posted by Rob @ 11:38 AM link  //  0 comments

Cuisinarting A Can Of Worms: Angels 3, Dodgers 1

Recap

How To Pitch To Vlad

An American League scout who sees a lot of the Angels said Guerrero must be pitched up and in with what baseball people call "a plus fastball."

"Overall, though," the scout said, "there's no real place to throw to him, because the guy has no strike zone."

He called him, "Roberto Clemente, with more power. He's really one of the great right-handed hitters of the past 30 or 40 years."

Phillips agreed Guerrero can be pitched up and in, but pointed to his fist and said, "The hole to tie him up is that big."

...

"I don't know," Guerrero said, smiling at the effort at analysis. "I'm just looking for the baseball."

Where?

"Wherever," he said.

Roster Moves

• According to the Daily News, Drew's knee is feeling better after swinging a bat, and he could be in tonight's game.
• After a bad outing for Las Vegas, Odalis Perez will make another rehab start before returning to the Dodgers.
• Kelvim Escobar will finally get the elbow surgery he should have had done before the season, and will miss at least two months.

// posted by Rob @ 9:20 AM link  //  2 comments

Rich Lederer somehow managed to finagle press passes to last night's contest between the Stockton Ports (the A's high-A affiliate) and Rancho, but naturally the ballpark wasn't the attraction. No, it was Jered Weaver's first home appearance that was the draw. Calling this lopsided game a contest was being generous, as Weaver never really settled in, only lasting 2.1 innings and putting up a single zero frame (in the first). It's clearly going to take longer to get him back to form than a couple games. While he managed to accumulate five strikeouts in that time, he also gave up a home run to an old nemesis from his CSULB days, Kurt Suzuki. Weaver kept himself in shape during his long absence from competition by throwing simulated ballgames, but it's one thing to pitch simulated games and quite another to toss to actual hitters. "Major-league ready" he most assuredly is not at this point, and it may take some months before he's even qualified to get out of this level.

The A's like to win at all their levels, but it's not something the Angels are keen on. One consequence of the former showed up on the mound for Stockton in the guise of 27-year-old Keith Dunn. What is a 27-year-old doing pitching in single-A ball? Helping Stockton win, of course, but it also proved a point Stephen Smith has made lo these many, and that is the A's minors, despite all their wins, aren't necessarily a fertile breeding ground of talent. (Speaking of Stephen, I actually bumped into him but didn't introduce myself. I found it prudent to keep my mouth shut most of the time.)

The merry-go-round went almost exclusively the Ports' way all night, Stockton getting hits throughout; in fact, the each member of Stockton lineup had at least one hit before the night was over, including Suzuki and his homer. The Quakes didn't fare quite as well, though they did collect ten hits over the night, including yet another Brandon wood homer, his twenty-sixth of the season.

It was my first time in a professional club's press box. The rules include no cameras and no cheering, rules I found were somewhat less-than-religiously followed by the folks there, but it was an odd sensation to go to a game and almost literally have to check my emotions at the door. The local cable affiliate broadcasts Saturday night home games, so a broadcast trailer was there, and the usual radio guys were doing play-by-play for the TV; the Quakes had a fill-in announcer for their (very) local radio broadcast. Unlike Charlie Steiner, he only mispronounced one thing all night, and proved entirely amenable to changing it once Rich corrected him.

I expect good things from Weaver eventually, but last night wasn't the night for it. Boras's idiotic insistence on absolute top dollar has hurt Jered, no doubt about it.

Daily Bulletin recap Box

// posted by Rob @ 7:13 AM link  //  0 comments

Only twice have I witnessed visiting players get a standing ovation at Yankee Stadium.

And one of those times shouldn’t count. It was August 4, 1985, the day Tom Seaver won his 300th game, and we Mets fan pretty much took over the Yankees’ home that day.

But the other time was May 24, 1989, coming when a rookie pitcher was making in warm-up tosses.

Jim Abbott was already pretty famous. He was on the mound when the United States won the Olympic gold medal in 1988, was drafted in the first round by the California Angels and went straight to the major leagues.

What amazed a lot of people was that Abbott was born without a right hand.

The handicap didn’t seem to hold him back at all. He pitched and was the quarterback at Flint Central High and played for the University of Michigan’s baseball team. There were stories about how an opposing college team tried to take advantage of him, sending the first four batters to the plate bunting. The team changed its strategys after Abbott fielded each attempt cleanly.

// posted by Rob @ 1:46 PM link  //  4 comments

Jay Jaffe Gets In His Soxploitation

Aside from telling us about the book, Jay erupts with some scorn at the Dodgers for allowing Gagné to injure himself, something we now know may have been misplaced because his elbow trouble stemmed from nerve issues rather than a failed Tommy John repair.

Lastly: Jaffe publishes an excerpt from License to Deal: A Season on the Run with a Maverick Baseball Agent, something I had forwarded to me, but decided against publishing because, hey, they probably sent it to a dozen guys before they stumbled across my name.

Roster Moves

• The Rangers activated LHP Ron Mayhay from the 15-day DL, DFAing Jason Standridge.
• The Padres have disabled starting catcher and former Athletic Ramon Hernandez for a left wrist injury. The move is retroactive to June 18th. Unusually, nominal first baseman Robert Fick has been starting behind the dish and has received compliments in that role from Jake Peavy during the recent Dodger series.

  Also, Padres starting pitcher Adam Eaton was disabled retroactive to June 16, despite earlier reports that he might be able to pitch as early as yesterday. Eaton, 9-2, is the Padres winningest pitcher. Hernandez was placed on the DL Wednesday, June 22. In their places, RHP Tim Redding and rookie (and former Dirtbag) Paul McAnulty were called up.

• Back in April, I questioned Kevin Towers' judgment for hiring Dave Roberts because of his chronic injury problems. Well, here we go again: the former Dodger is scheduled to have an MRI on Monday after he left a game Friday with a strained patella tendon.

Sheehan Gives It Up For Los Halos

The Angels have established themselves as the favorite in the division, a favorite with a below-average offense, an average defense, terrific pitching. That formula might not have worked in 2002, but in a year when no other AL West team is likely to crack 85 wins--acknowledging that the improving A's may yet worm their way into the picture--it could be more than enough to assure a third postseason berth in four years.

Chris Kahrl On Angels, Dodgers Transactions

• Angels: One of the nice things about having a roster as flexible as Anaheim’s is that the loss of just about anybody can be covered. Finley’s out? No problem, a temporary platoon in center of Chone Figgins and Juan Rivera can do the trick (Figgins can even keep platooning with Dallas McPherson at third base, making this really a McPherson/Rivera platoon. It’s convenient that this has also happened as Adam Kennedy heats up, but there’s a similar convenience in getting Izturis back just as Orlando Cabrera needs a day or two off. It’s this sort of depth that fuels titles; with minor exceptions like Ben Molina or Scot Shields, it isn’t like anyone’s putting in a career performance. The Angels could gripe about their injuries, the way it’s usually fashionable to do, but why bother? They’re in first, and unlike the Rangers, it isn’t like they need to find half of a rotation in the middle of the season.
• Dodgers: I’m not one to get turgid in my claims that a lost closer will ruin an entire season. As has been demonstrated before, most teams do pretty well winning games they lead in going into the ninth. In the context of the regular season’s long haul, a closer as good as Gagne basically just overkills opportunities that people as varied as Joe Borowski or Brandon Lyon can handle well enough. But in the case of the Dodgers, I worry, not because I think the Dodgers won’t still do fine with most of their ninth-inning leads, but because of how thinly stretched they seem to be in terms of pitching talent already. It isn’t who gets the saves, although fantasy-minded bookkeepers will care. The problem becomes more one of who’s good enough to use to protect any lead in any inning; if you’re holding back Yhency Brazoban or Duaner Sanchez to log that all-important save, who’s pitching the sixth, seventh or eighth innings for a staff where the rotation is already injury-depleted? Giovanni Carrara and… and… Scott Erickson? Kelly Wunsch is good for one situational out. But you see the problem: it isn’t about logging footnotes of a team’s success, like a save statistic, it’s having people who can pitch. At this stage, the Dodgers need as much of those guys as they can get, which is why Dessens’ return is good news. He’s gone straight into the rotation for the moment, which is fine, it means it’s that much less likely that Erickson will be allowed to spot the opposition a few crooked-number frames. But it’s a staff that needs Odalis Perez back more than it needs Gagne, if only to give them somebody to take leads into the seventh, push a pitcher like Dessens back into the pen, and keep the workload on that pen to a survivable minimum.

// posted by Rob @ 1:32 PM link  //  2 comments

The right side of the graph is converging on .300, which is still awfully high. Hopefully after a year in the bigs he'll have that under the .300 mark.

// posted by Rob @ 5:24 AM link  //  0 comments

32 ft/s²*(7s/2)² = 392 ft

i have decided i hate the angels, for sure.

-- vishal

Meantime, the Dodgers have the 21st best staff ERA in the majors, and while I tend to think the Angels and Dodgers' team ERAs will converge as the year proceeds, little brutal innings like that pitched by Osoria have tended to make the Dodger bullpen a thing of shreds and patches. And yet, Weaver's ERA actually declined after today's game! It reminded me a good bit of the amazing but ultimately futile outing Kaz Ishii had against the Angels: scoreless through five, and then -- kablooie, except not so much with the kablooie part.

Dodger glovework has been atrocious lately, and tonight's game provided two examples of that. Outside of the missed pop in the fifth, there was a simply awful play on an Adam Kennedy popup in the seventh which got Jayson Werth, Jason Repko, Jeff Kent, and Cesar Izturis to all converge on a ball and fail to field it. Three players you see all the time make this error, but four? This surely has to be some kind of record. As Vinny put it after this Titanic disaster, "There's nothing to say".

On top of this, Jason Phillips seems to be struggling a bit with his throws to second. One today was ridiculously high; the other, late (though it wasn't his fault, the pitch was a slow curve), resulted in Jeff DaVanon getting pasted in the face with the tag. It probably aggravated DaVanon's broken nose, which may provide some Dodger fans with a small measure of satisfaction.

But the cappers -- one of which turned a routine groundball into runs -- were two Jeff Kent plays at second, both balls hit by Jeff DaVanon. The first, a range play that Kent simply didn't make in the fifth, cost the Dodgers a single as the ball just scooted just beyond his glove, Dallas McPherson scoring on the hit. The second, an immaterial failure to nab a bouncer, just made Kent look silly. Somewhere, Kent is ripping some reporter a new one.

(Speaking of reporters -- did anybody else catch the postgame interview with Tracy where they asked him "What should have happened?" with regards to that popup? Do reporters ever want to smack other reporters? Because if I were there, I'd be sooo tempted.)

On the other side of the house, Figgins' growth defensively is becoming nothing short of jaw-dropping. Not only is he competent -- and I'm beginning to think the word "good" can be applied -- at third, but in centerfield today he made a spectacular running catch and throw in the seventh that bolted the runner to second. His play in the outfield just gets better and better. Like I've said, I'm gonna miss him once he gets expensive.

Offensively, the Dodgers actually put up a few hits -- five in all -- and judging by the early innings, I thought sure the Dodgers would punch through at some point as the Angels weren't effective at all against Weaver. Cody Ross got his first National League hit, Oscar Robles got a meaningless hit against Brendan Donnelly in the ninth, but that was the end of it. The offense otherwise -- the scoring part, anyway -- was all Angels, including a three-run dinger that Dallas McPherson plunked into dead center. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen him hit a home run anywhere but dead center. Damn, that kid's got some power. I just wish he'd stop striking out so much.

Recap

// posted by Rob @ 11:47 PM link  //  11 comments

Update: Now confirmed by AP:

"He was so excited," Jobe said during a conference call before the Dodgers played the Los Angeles Angels. "I mean, he was still pretty much asleep, but he was awake enough to understand it. He just smiled and put his fist up in the air."

// posted by Rob @ 5:46 PM link  //  0 comments

Erickson and his 6.75 ERA, as Jon notes, remains on the team.

One interesting theory about why this could be from Fearing Blue in the comments:

I'll follow Bob's lead and give another reason for sending Thompson down. Odalis Perez is pitching his last rehab start tomorrow and will be back on the roster by Thursday, June 30th. There is also speculation that he's going to just pitch a bullpen this weekend and be back Tuesday, June 28th. DePodesta plans on sticking with an 11-man pitching staff, so when Odalis came back, Thompson would have had to be sent down. Since Thompson just pitched 3 innings and he has a tender elbow, he probably can't pitch again until Monday, June 27th. Therefore, leave Erickson in the bullpen for now in case of a blowout this weekend. I don't like it, but it does make sense.

// posted by Rob @ 4:39 PM link  //  0 comments

Batgirl's Jeter Caption Contest

Update: It sure puts A-Rod's "They dominated us" quote (re losing to the D-Rays in the Bronx) into perspective...

Speaking of Batgirl...

Kenny Rogers Starts Contract Talks With Rangers

Park Bolted Down In Texas, Bolting Down Texas

"Chan Ho's been here, and he's going to be here because of the contract," Hershiser said, "and we hope we can salvage that."

Barry Looks To 2007

// posted by Rob @ 1:29 PM link  //  1 comments

• 2B Brian Specht led the way for Salt Lake with four RBI and a home run in last night's 11-1 slugfest over Colorado Springs, going 3-5 on the night. Specht is hitting .377/.429/.597 in 77 AB.
• Helen, who attended last night's Arkansas-Corpus Christi game, mentioned that while Kendry Morales only went 1-4 in yesterday's 6-3 win, it was a critical hit that sparked a rally. "He's really big", she observed. Yeah, that's what they all say. The night, apparently, belonged to SS Eric Aybar, who stole second and then third, and finally scored on a wild pitch by Hooks hurler Phil Barzilla. With a name like Barzilla, it sounds like he should be a nightclub bouncer instead of a pitcher.
• This Is Getting Ridiculous Dep't: Brandon Wood knocked in his twenty-fifth homer of the season against Stockton in a 5-4 victory. Wood's now hitting .306/.356/.660 on the season, and I have to wonder how much longer the Angels can stand to hold him back against more advanced competition.
• A's affiliate Sacramento pounded the 51's 9-5. All the Las Vegas pitchers, save for newcomer from Jacksonville Beau Dannemiller, have ERAs over 4.00, and two (Steve Schmoll and Mike Venafro) have ERAs over 7.00.
• Jacksonville starter Justin Orenduff exploded on the mound for seven earned runs in 3.0 IP in a 7-6 loss against West Tennessee. It was his first start as a Sun after a promotion from Vero Beach. Andy LaRoche doubled and got an RBI in the loss.
• Chuck Tiffany pitched six innings of three-run ball for the Vero Beach Dodgers, who beat Jupiter 5-4.

// posted by Rob @ 7:47 AM link  //  2 comments

An Answer To Jon's Entreaty

• The Sheffield/Perez/Jordan trade was made of necessity, in a similar vein to the Angels' trade of Jim Edmonds for Adam Kennedy (and Richard's bête noir, Kent Bottenfield). There's no question you don't make that trade if your hand isn't forced, and Shef forced that one. No question re-upping him would have been the better deal, but it became politically impossible, even if Shef was ultimately right.
• By VORP, the Dodgers lost the Werth/Frasor trade (17.3 VORP for Werth 2004/2005 vs 24.3 for Frasor). But it was fairly close.
• I increasingly find myself critical of the Drew signing, yet I understood what DePodesta was trying to do at the time.
• Scott Erickson is loaning his wife, a pair of 15-year-old Lolitas, and a specially trained macaque to Paul DePodesta. Or so I hear.

Mirabile Dictu: Dodgers 4, Padres 3

I imagine a sick game of chicken between Depo and Tracy. JT is daring Depo to fire him by deliberately minimizing the team's chances of winning. Depo is waiting for the media to turn on JT so that the firing is not seen as "unfair." Meanwhile, the team circles the bowl...

Update: Apparently, said stupid bunting was Izturis' idea.

Recap

UTK Leftovers

• As if the Dodgers don't have enough problems, J.D. Drew had to have an MRI on his sore left knee. Early reports from a B-level source say that while there's no structural damage, they're worried that there is some bone-on-bone grinding going on. There are options, like Synvisc, but Drew's pain tolerance has always been something of a mystery. ... I'm giving Drew the benefit of the doubt based on his number of games played over the last two seasons.
• More than one person, even from inside the BP offices, e-mailed me asking who to blame for Eric Gagne missing the rest of the season and some portion of 2006. Certainly, there's blame enough to go around, from top to bottom in the organization and even outside of it. At some stage, though, blame doesn't matter unless the team--in this case the Dodgers--can realize that a mistake or series of mistakes was made and prevent the next occurrence. The difference between the smart teams and the dumb teams is often just not repeating the same mistakes.
• Steve Finley heads to the DL with his shoulder problem. Apparently, the magnets don't work on rotator cuffs...
• The Padres seem to take a step back every time they start to once again take charge in an NL West that no one seems to want. Ramon Hernandez was placed on the DL finally, leaving Robert Fick to take over the majority of the catching in his absence. I'd have to get Tom Gorman to run some numbers, but that seems as extreme a step down as possible. Hernandez is expected to be out only the minimum, though his power numbers will likely be affected for a longer period.
• Will also notes Jason Schmidt's recovery, tossing two consecutive eight-inning shutouts. There's a lot of baseball left to play, and with the Giants claiming Alex Sanchez off waivers from the criminally stupid Devil Rays (2005 line: .346/.373/.466, 133 AB), combined with Barry's return after the All-Star break, the Giants could awaken from their slumber to make some noise.

// posted by Rob @ 11:23 PM link  //  0 comments

Jack in Baltimore is a dramatic change from traditional radio formats. You told us that you are tired of stations that play the same 300 songs over...and over...and over.

102.7 Jack FM is playing what we want...the best songs from the '70s, '80s, '90s, right up through today no matter where you first heard them.

Join Jack as we blast away the traditional rules of radio with something different....

It's fun, it's fresh, it's what Baltimore has been looking for.

You don't have to be a freeform snob to think the format isn't as adventurous as advertised: BusinessWeek's Burt Helm reports that, as he listened to Denver's Jack outfit, "most often a vaguely familiar '80s pop song would collide with a sort-of-familiar '70s rock ballad. Somewhere, surely, a standard-format programming executive was going into a cataleptic fit. To my ears it was neither that jarring nor interesting." Indeed, "It often felt like I was listening to the soundtracks of several car commercials in a row."

Labels: offtopic, radio

// posted by Rob @ 10:49 PM link  //  2 comments

More on this at Reason. Money quote:

You do wonder: Now that the "liberal" justices on the court have sided with the drug warriors against cancer patients, and with a plan to rob people of their homes for the benefit of wealthy developers, will some court-watchers on the left begin to question the wisdom of having let economic freedom become the red-headed stepchild of modern jurisprudence?

Some time ago, the mayor of my city -- Bruce Broadwater -- decided he wanted to hand over 269 homes to his developer buddies to build new hotels in town. The people living in these houses were found to be in a "blighted" area, with the usual handovers to campaign contributors about to happen. But then something miraculous occurred: 800 affected residents stormed a city council meeting. Bruce "Bulldozer" Broadwater, in his Tammany-lite style, found himself a group whose property he didn't dare hand off to his buds.

// posted by Rob @ 3:51 PM link  //  0 comments

• The Autry/Steinbrenner Connection: You wouldn't know it looking at the outside in, but some observers in New York are likening the Boss in his apparent dotage to beloved Angels owner Gene Autry:

  Around the Yankees, there are people to whom I've spoken over the last month who evoke the memory of Gene Autry, the old Angels owner, even if the Angels never won a World Series until Autry had passed away and Steinbrenner's Yankees have won six World Series in all and four between 1996 and 2000.

  "He wants one more," one Yankee said. "Now, if he gets one more, he'll just want one more after that. But he's like a lot of men his age, and it's clear he sees his own mortality."

  I dunno. How much sympathy can you have for a man whose team won -- let me see now -- six titles as owner? That's six more than at least half the owners out there. Breaking out the buckets of whitewash, pulling the camera back with a diffusion filter won't change the fact that he's been a colossal tyrant and the game's chief icon, its emblem of excess and success. That image will no doubt get some grafitti sprayed on it by the nation's scribblers after his death.
• Here, Kitty, Kitty, Kitty: As Crank says, there's brave, and then there's brave. Damn.
• Fred Phelps's Last Stand: Before he gets hauled off to whatever insane asylums exist in Kansas, the lunatic minister who has picketed the deaths of gay AIDS victims now busies himself protesting the funerals of Iraq veterans. Phelps seems to think the reason Americans are getting killed is the country has become immoral. Funny, I thought it was because they were in a war zone...
• This Can't Really Be The Reason, Can It? Crank points out Junior Spivey's impressive career splits versus lefties, but isn't this just a simple case of general manager incompetence, or at best a junk-for-junk trade? You could argue that Ohka is a guy about to collapse -- and I'll buy that -- but even so, this reminds me too much of a dubious moment in Billy Beane's mostly brilliant career, namely the signing of former Dodger Eric Karros, which was touted at the time because of his splits against lefties, but his subsequent release suggests that right-handed batters who hit lefties extraordinarily well but hit righties poorly are doomed to regress to their righty-righty platoon abilities.

// posted by Rob @ 1:01 PM link  //  0 comments

If Microsoft requires Sender ID in order to accept e-mail, I know what answer I'll choose: I just won't correspond with anyone at hotmail.com. Considering there are far better ways of dealing with spam that do not require such annoyances, Microsoft, which always views every problem as a marketing and sales opportunity, will find themselves on the outside looking in, and their Hotmail customers isolated.

Labels: tech

// posted by Rob @ 11:15 AM link  //  2 comments

• Brandon Wood hit his 24th home run in last night's 5-3 win over Lake Elsinore. CF Aaron Peel and Wood both had two RBIs on the night; Rafael Rodriguez got the win for the Quakes.

  Today's Daily Dish at Baseball America has a feature article talking about the Quakes up-the-middle combo of Wood and Kendrick:

  "[Wood] can hit, there's not doubt about it," [an American League] scout said. "He has a lot of bat speed and really powers it through the zone with power to all fields. I wish he had a little more plate discipline, but you can't argue with the results so far."

  ...

  "I know everyone talks about moving him to the hot corner, but I'd like to see him stay in the middle of the infield. I think they should slide him over the second base, where I'd see him as an offensive-first player in the Jeff Kent mold."

  Regarding Kendrick:

  "I just love his bat," the scout said. "He gets the barrel into the zone very quickly and it stays there for a very long time. He has such tremendous plate coverage. He can hit the ball anywhere in the strike zone to any field."

  The scout added that Kendrick's power is not a result of playing in the hitter-friendly California League. "I saw him hit one to dead center that cleared the fence by a mile--when he gets a hold of one, it really flies."

• The first meeting between Dodgers Rookie-A affiliate Ogden Raptors and the Angels Orem Owlz ended in a 7-0 shutout of Orem. Mark Trumbo went 0-4 in his professional debut; for the Raptors,

  Dodgers righthander Mario Alvarez went five innings with eight strikeouts, a walk and two hits to pick up the win in the Pioneer League's best pitching performance of the night.

• Sacramento slaughtered Las Vegas 14-3, who had Pat Mahomes chased after 4.2 IP. Juan Cruz only lasted three innings, and has a 6.00 ERA after his first minor league appearance (2 ER, 4 K, 2 BB).
• Joel Hanrahan gave up four earned runs in five innings of work but did not collect a win as the Suns beat West Tennessee 5-4.
• Vero Beach tamed Brevard County 5-3. The Dodgers continue to be (Hong-Chih) Kuo-dependent, as he pitched three scoreless innings with five strikeouts and no walks. Kuo has a 2.08 ERA in 26.0 IP.

// posted by Rob @ 9:12 AM link  //  1 comments

Dodgers Sign Another Pick

Hizzoner Curt Pringle On The Anaheim Angels

DePo: No Immediate Miracles

If we could do something we thought would help, we'd move today," he said. "But there isn't. ... We are already actively talking to every club, but most teams are in a wait-and-see mode.

This stretch has been frustrating for the team and for the fans, largely because we've been in most of the games we've lost during this streak. We have played well and been right there.

// posted by Rob @ 8:07 AM link  //  0 comments