Friday, May 04, 2012 |
Ex-Dirtbag Danny Espinosa Worried (Rightly) About Demotion
Labels: ex-dirtbags, nationals, rumors, transactions
Saturday, April 28, 2012 |
Meanwhile, The Dodgers Keep On Winning: Dodgers 3, Nationals 2
Labels: dodgers, nationals, recaps
Thursday, June 23, 2011 |
Snerk! A Couple Funnies From The Day's News
- Apparently upset that he wasn't extended through at least 2012, and minutes after his Nationals beat the Twins 1-0 in interleague to go over .500, Jim Riggleman resigned as Washington's manager. Sam Miller: "This is the first time in Jim Riggleman's career that anybody has noticed him."
- Peter Gammons: "McCourt turned in Whitey Bulger for the reward money".
Labels: dodgers, funny, managers, nationals
Monday, April 26, 2010 |
Two Games I Didn't Think I'd Write About
Dodgers At A Loss Against Another Rookie: Nationals 1, Dodgers 0
The good news was Chad Billingsley going six innings and picking up a quality start; the bad news was he lost anyway, recalling the old Don Drysdale story. The Dodgers couldn't get a hit to save their lives with a man in scoring position, including in the top of the ninth when James Loney hit an opposite-field leadoff double -- and couldn't even advance.Now to the Mets, who beat the Braves 1-0 in a rain-shortened game yesterday. One imagines there will be no Elvis hair in postgame interviews as there was with Scott Olsen, but we'll see.
Kendry Does It Again, But Brandon Wood's RBI May Be Bigger: Angels 8, Yankees 4
Technically, Kendry Morales' three-run blast in the seventh wasn't necessary, but man did it feel good. But the reasons it turned out to be unnecessary were also good news for the Angels on two fronts: first, Brandon Wood picked up his first RBIs of the season, and in fact the first bases-loaded hit of his career. Second, the bullpen made it all stand up, going from Jason Bulger to Kevin Jepsen to Fernando Rodney to (gulp, given the way he's pitched this year) Scott Shields, the latter closing out the game in the absence of the need for a designated closer.More good things: Bobby Abreu's solo homer in the third, and Scott Kazmir surviving 5.1 innings against the Yankees. I'm still unsold on his overall future value (and really suspect the Angels bought high on him), but if the Mike Butcher can nurse him through games like this one, he can prove to be a useful part.
Coda: One of the ushers said some pretty stupid stuff and gave a Yankees fan the finger. Not that he might not have deserved it, but paid employees need to represent their organization in a professional way, and avian hand gestures assuredly don't qualify.
Labels: angels, dodgers, nationals, recaps, yankees
Friday, April 23, 2010 |
Dunn In: Nationals 5, Dodgers 1
The Dodgers' sole run came on an A.J. Ellis' scoring groundout. It's fair to chalk that up to facing an unknown quad-A pitcher for the first time, Luis Atilano, who was suitably humble after the game, reciting the standard Bull Durham homilies for the press following his first major league game, coincidentally his first major league victory:
"It's crazy. It's been my dreams," said Atilano, a career minor leaguer who had Tommy John ligament replacement surgery in August 2006. "After seven years, I made it, finally. I can't ask for nothing better than that."Not to worry, NL Eastrons: he only picked up a lone strikeout, which bodes well for the future success of opposing hitters in that division.
Incidental note: Pudge left the game after the sixth, with back tightness. I hadn't noticed, and of course this is an early-season chimera, but he was hitting an ungodly .449 going into this game, and exited with a .423 average. He's day-to-day, so they say.
Um, did I mention the Pads just battered the Reds 10-4 to win their seventh straight? I'm not sure I believe it, either. Must be some kinda Internet screwup.
Labels: dodgers, injuries, nationals, recaps
Tuesday, October 20, 2009 |
Don Mattingly Interviews For Manager's Jobs In Cleveland, Washington
Labels: dodgers, indians, managers, nationals
Thursday, September 24, 2009 |
Two Lousy Games
More Late-Season Stumbling By The Angels: Yankees 3, Angels 2
Scott Kazmir turned in a quality start, the Angels bats fizzled (again), and a team that has played 50 games in 52 days finally gets a day off. It's much needed.Dodgers Lose To Nats In Walk Off: Nationals 5, Dodgers 4
I'm having a hard time agreeing with the criticism of Chad Billingsley that he's not ready to return to the rotation because of this game; the walks were a concern, yes, but not much of one, and giving up one hit — a home run to Ryan Zimmerman — is hardly catastrophic, especially considering he had a no-hitter going through five. If you want to assign blame, look at the team LOB of 10.Labels: angels, dodgers, nationals, recaps, yankees
Sunday, August 30, 2009 |
Pickoff Moves, Bedtime Edition
About That Pythagorean Series Win: Angels 9, A's 1
Shave two runs off today's game and move them to yesterday's loss, and the Angels are walking away with a 3-1 series win. Sadly, that didn't happen, but when it's on, the Halos' offense is an unstoppable force of nature. Today's forces were Torii Hunter (three-run shot in the fifth) and Kendry Morales (another three-run jack, this time in the eighth). Amusing factoid: as of this morning, K-Mo is dead even with mercenary Scott Boras client (that's a pleonasm, by the way) as measured by Baseball Prospectus at 35.3 VORP. Just so you know.A series split at home with the last-place A's definitely doesn't feel good. But it's better than losing.
Lackey got his 100th career victory, Kendry yanked his season's 30th home run, which also gave him a franchise record 33 RBIs in August. It was a good game for the Angels.
Dodgers Squeak Past Reds In Extras: Dodgers 3, Reds 2 (12 Innings)
The Dodgers barely managed to tie this one up in regulation, with Clayton Kershaw himself driving in the tying run; but it fell to Matt Kemp's sacrifice fly to untie the game. Even then, Jonathan Broxton barely held on for the win, though he did whiff the last two batters he faced.Dodgers Acquire Ronnie Belliard
In the name of God, what for? Um, for Luis Garcia and a PTBNL.Labels: angels, athletics, dodgers, nationals, recaps, red sox, transactions
Thursday, July 09, 2009 |
Joel Hanrahan Gets Win For Washington A Week After Being Traded: Nationals 11, Astros 10 (11 Innings)
Thanks to Jay Jaffe (via Facebook) for the heads-up.
Labels: astros, nationals, recaps, weird
Sunday, June 14, 2009 |
Robothal: Manny Acta Doomed In Washington, To Be Replaced With Jim Riggleman
Labels: ex-dodgers, managers, nationals
Thursday, June 04, 2009 |
Randy Johnson Wins His 300th: Giants 5, Nationals 1
Johnson's attempt for 300 was thwarted by the elements in a rainout yesterday; today's game was the first of a doubleheader, with both games going nine innings. It was Johnson's first attempt at 300.
Johnson was the first player since Christy Mathewson to win his 300th career game in a Giants uniform.
Congratulations to Johnson!
Update: From the Giants recap:
Johnson became the 24th pitcher to reach the 300-win level. The Nationals were a fitting opponent for Johnson, who started his professional career with that franchise when it was known as the Montreal Expos.Yahoo box • Giants recapJohnson, 45, became just the sixth left-hander to achieve the 300 milestone and the fifth pitcher in the last 50 years to do it on his first attempt, joining Warren Spahn, Steve Carlton, Gaylord Perry and Tom Seaver.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Johnson also became the second-oldest pitcher to reach the 300 mark -- behind only Phil Niekro, who achieved the feat when he was 46 years and 188 days old on Oct. 6, 1985. Johnson is 45 years and 267 days old.
Johnson is the seventh pitcher in Giants history to win 300 games while pitching for the franchise at some point in his career. He was also be the fourth to hit that plateau as a Giant, joining Tim Keefe, Mickey Welch and Christy Mathewson.
Labels: giants, history, nationals, recaps
Thursday, May 07, 2009 |
Home Is Where The "W" Is: Dodgers 10, Nationals 3
Interestingly enough, the 2008 Snakes' early record bears some resemblance to the 2009 Dodgers'. Playing mostly weak teams (Cincinnati, Colorado, the Dodgers, San Francisco, San Diego, and Houston), the Diamondbacks rolled up wins pretty easily.
They finished exactly one month with a winning record the rest of the year, a 14-11 July.
I'm definitely enjoying this ride while it lasts, don't get me wrong, but there's little reason to think the pitching will hold together, especially the rotation. With Randy Wolf's injury history, the strong possibility of youthful inconsistency from Clayton Kershaw (whose 10.29 road ERA is over ten times his home ERA of 0.29, reminding me of some of Ervin Santana's more forgettable seasons), and a host of question marks back of that (Jeff Weaver? James McDonald? Hiroki Kuroda, whenever he can manage to return?), the Dodgers are going to be looking at a different situation come August.
To this game: the Dodgers whomped on shaky Oriole castoff Daniel Cabrera in the sixth. After getting out of repeated jams while leaking baserunners the whole time, Cabrera finally paid when he left the game with the bags juiced and one out. The hook, coming on a final pinch-hit walk to Mark Loretta, got one of the Nats' arson squad to the mound, Mike Hinckley. Not only did every single inherited runner score, but two more that he allowed to reach — Rafael Furcal and Orlando Hudson — also crossed the plate thanks to his successor, Logan Kensing. The Dodgers left the frame ahead 9-1 on the heels of a seven-run inning, and that, really, was the ballgame.
Guillermo Mota gave up a couple courtesy runs in the eighth, but there was never much threat of the game getting out of hand. Heck, Torre felt so comfortable that he even let Brent Leach take the mound in the ninth, and he posted a zero frame to reward his manager. (Those of us sticking around afterwards got to see his teammates give him a shaving cream pie in the face, which was good considering he decided to use his microphone moment to talk about how all his success was attributable to Jesus Christ his lord and savior, blah blah blah, instead of movement on his fastball.)
Labels: dodgers, nationals, recaps
Thursday, March 19, 2009 |
Pickoff Moves
Hiroki Kuroda Picked As Opening Day Starter
A surprise in a sense, but did they realistically have anyone better?Rangers Likely To Cut Andruw Jones
It's looking increasingly likely that the Rangers will cut Andruw Jones:Jones can opt out of his minor league deal Friday if he isn't on the 40-man roster. Even though there is flexibility with the opt-out date, it looks more and more likely that the Rangers won't add Jones. He hasn't played in the last three Cactus League games.Jones is hitting .258/.324/.419 in 31 at-bats with the Rangers this spring, including a home run."We'll see what happens Friday. We'll probably make our decision," Jones said. "They probably will make their decision soon. The main thing is to go out there and get at-bats and get the work in that you need."
The quest for at-bats took him to the back fields at the Surprise Recreation Campus, where he went 2-for-5 in six plate appearances in a Triple-A game.
Jones could stay with the Rangers, either in the big leagues or at Triple-A Oklahoma City, or find a spot in another organization. Hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo is what makes the Rangers attractive.
"These guys have the system," Jones said. "The hitting coach they've got, they work on the things they want to. We'll see what happens."
Joe Beimel Signs With Nats For 1 Year/$2M
Jon called Joe Beimel's 1 year/$2M deal with the Nationals "settling" (not quite a literal quote, really), but I was still surprised to see him go so very late and for so little.Dodgers Bullpen Coach Ken Howell To Have Toe Amputated
Due to the effects of Type II diabetes; it's the second toe he's needed to have amputated. Seriously, if you have any family history of this at all, get your blood sugar tested.Bill Valentine Retires
Long-time Travs (former) general manager Bill Valentine has retired:"I've been in baseball for almost 60 years," said Valentine. "Over the past couple of years, I think the daily grind has gotten to me a bit. Most nights I have been the last person to leave the ballpark, and I'm usually here seven days a week. I've just gotten tired."Valentine has been associated with the Travs for 40 years.
Labels: angels, dodgers, ex-dodgers, minors, nationals, rangers, spring training, transactions
Sunday, March 01, 2009 |
Pickoff Moves
The Grass Of Phoenix
As spring training creeps on ... the Angels finally lost one, 5-3 to the Brewers, despite a fine showing by Shane Loux. Matt Kemp and the Dodgers ripped the Rockies 13-6 to go 2-2 in Cactus League action.Jim Bowden Resigns
Nationals GM Jim Bowden resigned, amid denied allegations of bonus skimming from Latin American talent."I have become a distraction. Unless you are Manny Ramirez, there is no place for distraction in baseball. I want to be able to turn the page and I want this franchise to be able to have everybody, from the media to the fans, focus on what the game is about. It's about players. It's about what happens on the field."
Angels Ticked At Winter League Cuts
Remember Brandon Wood getting cut from his Dominican Winter League team, Las Estrellas, back in November? Well, the Angels are now saying the Estrellas broke a gentleman's agreement they had with that team that Wood was to get a long leash, but his poor offense combined with incredible pressure to win got him dropped. The Angels won't use the Estrellas in the future...Blake DeWitt At Short?
I would have liked to have seen it.Tony Abreu To Have MRI Monday
Injured again, this time a groin strain. "It's the same part of his groin that sidelined him last year, but no one seems especially concerned." Probably because he's a longshot to make the 25-man roster out of spring training ...Shut Up And Get In Camp, Manny
Yes, yes, a thousand times yes.Derek Lowe Wanted To Stay In LA?
Ridiculous. If so, please explain this.Labels: angels, dodgers, injuries, nationals, spring training
Wednesday, February 11, 2009 |
Adam Dunn Inks 2-Year/$20M Deal With Nats
Labels: dodgers, hot stove, nationals, rumors, transactions
Friday, December 12, 2008 |
Angels Make $160M/7-Year Offer To Teixeira
"Here's what I wonder," one GM said. "Let's say the Nationals' bid is $5 million higher than the Red Sox or Angels. What happens then? Scott's clients always take the most money. But if Teixeira goes to the Nationals, how does he spin it? He sure can't say it was about winning. I guess he'll have to say it's about going home. Playing the family card always works."Maybe that going-home speech is already in the hands of Boras' speechwriters. But in the meantime, you can bet Boras will be working 28 hours a day trying to prod the Angels and Red Sox to step up and outbid the losingest team in baseball this year.
Labels: angels, hot stove, nationals, red sox, rumors
Saturday, September 27, 2008 |
Phillies Clinch NL East: Phillies 4, Nationals 3
Labels: nationals, phillies, recaps
Friday, September 26, 2008 |
Games, Games, Games
Vlad's Blast Makes Angels Winners For The 99th Time: Angels 6, Mariners 4
I didn't pay much attention to this one as yesterday was pretty crazy; I was in meetings all morning, and stopped by the LAPL to pick up a print Helen got me as a birthday present (you can see a smaller version here in all its Scioscian glory), and by the time I got out, the Dodgers had won the division already.I did tune in late, just in time to see Vlad's game-winning two-run homer, his second blast of the game; I confess, though, I found the drama in dome far more compelling watching. Looking at the box score, I take some amazement away that the Angels got their 99th win, Scot Shields got his fourth save (yeah, I was kinda amazed when he was put in to finish things up), and Dustin Moseley didn't lose. The Angels might have to call on Moseley next year, scary as that prospect is; I suppose it beats a year of Jon Garland at free agent prices, but only just.
But speaking of surprises, Jose Arredondo coughed up his seventh blown save of the year, but notched his tenth win thanks to the randomness of baseball scoring.
Post-Clinch Letdown: Padres 7, Dodgers 5
The Padres — their front office, at least — were celebrating, though most of the assembled throng at Dodger Stadium wouldn't have known it. Thanks to a clause in the deal that sent Greg Maddux to the Dodgers, Ned Colletti now owes San Diego two prospects, and a better-quality one at that.Maddux, in case you weren't looking, is 1-4 in six starts with a 5.71 ERA, good for a 78 ERA+; he's scarcely helped Los Angeles, and in fact appears to be all but done. Eric Stults, who got the start in this one and didn't last five innings and took the loss, too, has been all but forgotten by a Dodgers team so desperate for a fifth starter that they felt obliged to ship out more prospects for a washed-up Name rather than use the one they actually had in-house, but such is life with Ned. There is the sense now that the Dodgers need Manny, and if they don't re-sign him (and probably Casey Blake), they're in for a disappointing 2009.
Yet at the same time, it's hard, looking at the competitive landscape, to say that the Manny-fied Dodgers aren't the equal of the faltering Mets, the sputtering Phillies, or the wannabe Brewers, each of whom has serious problems; the Mets' Achilles' heel is their bullpen, the Phils', their streaky offense, and the Brewers is their rotation and bullpen (not to mention their now-fired manager). The Dodgers, at least, have the pitching to compete with any of these clubs (nobody uses fifth starters in the postseason), and if Andre Ethier keeps his hot streak going, a Hall-of-fame bat followed by at least a very good one. The rest of the lineup has its problems — and no, I don't think Rafael Furcal will be in game shape by the postseason, but he could surprise me — but considering the junk that's out there, the Dodgers have a reasonable shot at at least a first-round series win.
Other Pennant Chases
- NL East: The Mets edged the Cubs 7-6 on a Carlos Beltran walkoff single in the bottom of the ninth. The win brought the Mets to a game back of the Phillies, with three to play. Both teams finish their seasons at home, with the Mets facing the Marlins and the Phillies taking on the Nationals.
- NL Wild Card: Ryan Braun's walkoff grand slam propelled Milwaukee to a 5-1 win over Pittsburgh to keep the Brew Crew tied with the Mets for the Wild Card lead. Milwaukee wraps up the season with three against the Cubs in Wrigley, meaningless games for the Tiny Bears but very meaningful for the Brewers.
- AL East, Wild Card: Boston pounded Cleveland 6-1, while Tampa Bay fell to Detroit 7-5. The Rays have a magic number of one to clinch the division over Boston.
Boston finishes the season with three at home against the Yankees, while the Rays will continue their season-ending four-game set tonight at Detroit.
- AL Central: I already mentioned yesterday's thrilling Twins 6-5 walkoff victory over the White Sox in extras. The rest of the way: the Twinks play the Royals for three at home, while the White Sox play Cleveland at home, also for three.
Labels: angels, brewers, cubs, dodgers, indians, mariners, mets, nationals, padres, phillies, postseason, rays, recaps, red sox, royals, twins, white sox
Tuesday, September 16, 2008 |
Games, Games, Games
Back To Your Regularly Scheduled Cruise To The Finish: Dodgers 6, Pirates 2
I didn't watch the Dodgers' two previous games and I didn't see this one, but I did listen to it. The Dodgers got out to a four-run lead in the second inning (starting with Casey Blake's leadoff homer) and really, that was the game. The rest was pretty much denouement, albeit with scoring and stuff.Didn't Jeff Karstens used to be a decent back-of-the-rotation starter? I guess he got tossed to the Pirates for Xavier Nady midseason. I forgot that.
Manny Ramirez got over .400 in the NL again in this game with a 3-for-5 outing. That was kinda neat. Casey Blake and Angel Berroa also had multi-hit games, and bully for them. Derek Lowe pretty much baffled the Pirates, including ex-Dodger Andy LaRoche, who struck out in the game's final at-bat. I guess it was fitting or ironic or something, but I feel for the kid and hope for good things for him.
Fountain Of Suck: A's 8, Angels 1
Lackey didn't have it, Jason Bulger didn't have it, the offense didn't have it... it was so bad it was laughable.Shiny Happy Standings
- Philadelphia edged the Braves 8-7 and the Odalis Perez-led Nationals blanked the Mets 1-0, so the Phils lead the NL East a half game over the Mets.
- The Cubs beat the Brewers 5-4 in a game that had the tying run at second and two outs with Kerry Wood on the mound and Prince Fielder at the plate. Wood sent a little slider right over the dish for a called strike three to the delight of the Wrigley faithful, keeping the Brewers in second place in the Wild Card.
- St. Louis lost 7-2 to Cincinnati, eliminating them from the NL Central race. Bob Timmermann has been keeping closer tabs on this sort of thing at The Griddle.
Labels: angels, athletics, brewers, cardinals, cubs, dodgers, mets, nationals, phillies, pirates, recaps, reds
Monday, September 01, 2008 |
Seattle Eliminated From The Wild Card, Too; Angels' Magic Number Down To 8
In related news, the Mariners unexpectedly and soundly beat the Rangers 12-6 in Arlington, thus sending the Angels' magic number down to 8. Adrian Beltre hit for the cycle, making him one of two men to do so today, the other being Stephen Drew in today's St. Louis/Arizona contest, only the second time in MLB history this has happened.
Labels: cardinals, diamondbacks, mariners, nationals, postseason, rangers
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