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Tuesday, April 04, 2006 |
Loney's Home Improvement: Dodgers 5, Braves 4
It's too early to say anything with much confidence, but as I write this, James Loney's accomplished a walk and a single sufficiently deep to get J.D. Drew from first to third without too much difficulty. With the understanding that the wet field makes it so much easier for Loney to collect a double off right fielder Jeff Francoeur (who had trouble finding the handle on the ball), I temper my enthusiasm but recognize the possibilities. Not only has Loney played well at the plate, he managed a good catch to make an out off a bad throw from Jeff Kent in the top of the fourth to get Brian McCann out. As I said yesterday, it's a team that a well-positioned bus accident could improve, and in small sampling, Loney appears to be an improvement.
Perhaps it was good for his confidence that he drew the game against presumptive Hall of Famer John Smoltz. Smoltz isn't what he used to be -- his 6.72 K/9 is a number he hasn't touched in over a decade -- but he's still hardly cannon fodder. And Brad Penny -- and Jae Seo, through most of three innings -- kept down a pretty potent lineup, capped by a remarkable save by Danys Baez. He reminds me of Jeff Shaw: a guy to scare you despite all his save totals, one of those pitchers who exemplifies the wisdom of the trade-the-closer scenario. Tonight, it's a win -- the Dodgers' first of the year -- and huzzah.
And by the by, strong performance for Penny. 8 K's over five innings.
Comments:
It's kind of ironic-- not just Loney, but Jason Repko is only playing as a replacement for Kenny Lofton, and he went 3-for-3 (although I'm still mad about that ball bouncing off his glove on Monday night).
It's probably not something we can count on happening every night, but it worked out well for tonight!
It's probably not something we can count on happening every night, but it worked out well for tonight!
# posted by 
: 4/04/2006 11:38:00 PM
: 4/04/2006 11:38:00 PMNewer› ‹Older
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