Tuesday, May 23, 2006 |
Pickoff Moves
Today's Birthdays
Scott Dunn ANA b. 1978, played 2004. I had forgotten about him, and probably just as well. A throw-in on the Schoeneweis dump, he pitched three innings and allowed three runs. He's in the Tampa Bay organization, waiting for a callup from Durham.
Augie Galan BRO b. 1912, played 1941-1946, All-Star: 1936, 1943-1944, d. 1993-12-28. Injury-prone, switch-hitting outfielder who had a deformed arm thanks to a childhood accident — and hit .300 in the majors anyway. A key starter in the excellent Cubs teams of the late 30's, Chicago dealt him to the Dodgers after he broke his knee in 1941. He repaid them by hitting .318 two years later. He was the first major league regular never to hit into a double play over a whole season; he also became the first National League player to homer from each side of the plate in the same game.
Clyde King BRO b. 1924, played 1944-1945, 1947-1948, 1951-1952. The ace of the Dodgers' relief corps, King went on to manage the Giants, Braves, and Yankees; for years he was part of Steinbrenner's brain trust in the Yankees organization during the 80's.
Zack Wheat BRO b. 1888, played 1909-1926, Hall of Fame: 1959 (Veterans), d. 1972-03-11. One of the greatest Dodgers of all time (I have him listed as the greatest Dodger offensive player in history), Wheat still holds career franchise records for games, at-bats, doubles, triples, total bases, and hits, is number two or three for runs scored and RBIs, and in the top ten for stolen bases and walks. A five-tool player who, like J.D. Drew on the present-day Dodgers, threw right but batted left, he was an outstanding fielder as well. He had an instinctive feel for the Earl Weaver style game; in the deadball era, he refused to bunt, claiming he could help the team more by swinging away. I can only imagine how he would have fared with Jim Tracy as a skipper.
Jinx: Rangers 3, Angels 2
Even when they pitch well, the offense falters. (Boy, that sounds familiar.) At least this time, the Angels recognized that, whatever Robb Quinlan's strengths may be — and they are mainly limited to hitting left-handed pitching, apparently — he just isn't cutting it as a starting regular to fill in for Casey Kotchman. The club is going to call up Kendry Morales, which sounds like a desperation move, and it is; the Times today suggested that if Morales doesn't get it done, the team will reach for a trade. But Morales has never been a quick study, the 3-5 with a homer inaugural game he had at Rancho notwithstanding; he struggled for months against AA pitching, and likewise it took him a while before he started getting AAA pitching. I expect he'll take at least a couple months before he starts taking good swings at the major league level; by then, the club's season could easily be lost. Of course, trading for Tony Clark isn't going to save the Angels' season, either.Jae Seos One Up: Dodgers 6, Rockies 1
Good as Russ Martin is, I think the umpire got the call wrong last night; Cory Sullivan was safe, but in the umpire's defense, it was a close play and there was almost no way he could see Sullivan's fingers on the bag.Jae Seo worked out of jams seemingly all night; twice Martin bailed him out at the plate. While hardly confidence-inspiring, Seo seemed to have cemented his place in the lineup with the outing, limiting the Rocks to one earned run. The club's veterans continued to hit well, and Willy Aybar can do no wrong at the plate, it seems.
Random Bullety Stuff
AKA Roster Notes, but this encompasses more than just that...- And this just in: President Garfield is still dead. The Dodgers have still not signed Luke Hochevar.
- The Dodgers are in an insurance dispute over former reliever Paul Shuey's salary.
- Eric Gagné will start his rehab for Vegas on Friday.
- Jered Weaver was unaware he was tying the franchise scoreless record for the Bees yesterday. The previous holder? Kevin Gregg, at 27.1 IP, set in 2003.
- Darin Erstad is running wind sprints, and still needs to run the bases aggressively if he's going to be sent to AAA. Just what the Angels needed, another non-productive bat in the lineup.
- Bartolo Colón will throw a simulated game today, and could start a rehab game this week.
- Mike Scioscia has intimated that the team would be willing to ask Tim Salmon to return for 2007 if he so desires, but Salmon has already put the kibosh on that idea.
- Finally, Doug Krikorian does his best Steve Phillips impression. "Something dramatic": well, Kevin Malone punched a fan in the San Diego stands. Isn't that enough drama? It sure beats gutting the farm for a quick fix.
Because with Scott, it's all about family. If only Hochevar had a rich brother, he would have no problem signing for 2.98 mil.
: 5/23/2006 08:18:00 PMNewer› ‹Older
 |
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.